Expolanka provides fresh pipe-borne water to Rathugala indigenous community
In line with the group’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme ‘Outreach’, Expolanka Holdings’ CSR arm took charge of funding and executing a spring water channel project to provide fresh pipe-borne water to the indigenous community in Rathugala consisting of around 450 members.
In consultation with the Environment Authority, Water Board and Madulla Divisional Secretariat, Expolanka used the fresh water spring ‘Peele Kandura’, situated two kilometers away from the Rathugala village, to build the water supply system using the force of gravity to gain water pressure. Rathugala is home to one of the oldest clans of Sri Lanka’s indigenous heritage.
Speaking about the project Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and CSR Paddy Weerasekera said, “Outreach is one of our four-pronged CSR strategies which pledge to actively take measures to assist various communities in Sri Lanka to resolve some of their immediate challenges. Rathugala water project was one such measure that we took to alleviate the water crisis that the indigenous community in Rathugala was forced to endure every year during the dry season.”
In the words of Madulla Divisional Secretariat Divisional Secretary R.M.R.L. Tilakaratne, “The village faces a dry season of six months each year. Even though the village is surrounded by mountains and natural springs can be found within those mountains, the people suffer from lack of proper water supply.”
Expolanka worked in consultation with the community and relevant authorities to find a reliable source of water and to identify the proper elevation to provide sufficient pressure to build the storage tank and supply water to the village. Having identified ‘Peele Kandura’ spring, the team worked hard with the support of the community to build the water supply system.
Rathugala community leader Sudaa Wannilatho expressed his gratitude towards Expolanka saying, “This is a great initiative and now we can get water for our daily activities and use water for our farming without hassle. We’ve been hoping for this for years and we’ve finally got our wish. As a leader, I want to express my gratitude to you all for this on behalf of my people. There are about two kilometers from Peele Kandura to the village and I believe that the water supply system will last the test of time. This project solved our biggest problem and on behalf of all the families in the village, I want to thank Expolanka.”