Water Purification
Water is essential to sustain life. When we do not have clean drinking water our lives are at risk. Especially when the tsunami disaster happened many clean drinking water facilities ware polluted and destroyed. To prevent disease and or the health and well being of the costal communities we need to pay special attention in restoring the drinking water facilities.
I have visited many water wells and to areas where there is a problem with drinking water. Although military trucks and water management board trucks distribute water daily to most of the places some times it is not enough or not delivered in time. I have met some people who have to walk about a mile to get drinking water or bathing water. I have heard many complain from people in some areas who have problems of getting clean water.
On February 2nd, we started out at 4am and traveled across the region to Ampara and Kalmunai where our Triple Gem refugee camp is located. We spent three very busy days at our camp and the other camps in the surrounding area. The first water pump that we donated to Kalmune was installed and we saw it in full operation. A water specialist and techinician form a company in Colombo traveled with us to Kalmunai to install two more of the vitally needed water purifying systems in the camps.They returned to Colombo with water samples from several poluted wells to tested.
Finally, we have added our efforts to the efforts of the government and other non-governmental organization that are trying to solve many problems after tsunami. We will continue our efforts to set up and distribution of water purification systems. I traveled three days with a team of water specialists from the Czech Republic and I am constantly in touch with them. They have done the initial research and are going back to the Czech Republic with water samples. They have prepared a report of water assessment and I will be presenting it to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka during our next meeting together.
Update: Since setting up drinking water facilities in tsunami effected areas and proper distribution of water is a long-term project the Czech team of specialist made a detailed proposal to the prime minister of Sri Lanka. I was happy to present the report to the office of the prime minister. On the 11th February I received a request letter from the Prime minister of Sri Lanka to the Prime minister of Czech Republic and traveled to Prague, Czech Republic with the letter. As a result of our efforts the water purification systems are already been prepared to be shipped to Sri Lanka. The projects will provide the facilities to Ampara District and Hambantota district of Sri Lanka.
