Hayleys brings happiness, hope back to Ananthapuram, Mullaitivu

Puritas Sath Diyawara project infuses renewed life to 3,000 villagers

The Hayleys Group gave yet another carefully selected village, the gift of clean drinking water, bringing renewed hope to over 3,000 villagers in Ananthapuram recently as part of its ongoing efforts to improve the lives of those worst affected by CKD and other water borne illnesses. 

The Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Treatment System, commissioned under the Group’s corporate social responsibility initiative ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’, will purify 10,000 litres of clean drinking water a day for the villagers of Ananthapuram. In a bid to further uplift this village Hayleys also focused on the education of its children, by creating a library and computers with internet facilities for the community. 

Ceremonial opening of the Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant by Managing Director Haycarb, Chairman Hayleys and the Government Agent of the area

Ananthapuram, which translates to ‘City of Happiness’ is a little village off Puthukudiyirippu in the Mullaitivu district that took centre stage in the final ground battle between the Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE in April 2009. An estimated 900 families that survived the ravages of the war, including children, call the little village home, despite a lack of clean drinking water. The closest source is located two kilometres away and that too is only marginally better than the brackish water that spews from the wells in the village. 

Hayleys Group Chairman and Chief Executive Mohan Pandithage said, “I have visited each village in which we decide to implement our Sath Diyawara endeavour and each time I am overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the water crisis faced by these families. Residing in urbanised areas, we underestimate the harsh reality and impossible living conditions resulting out of not having access to clean drinking water. The Ananthapuram-Sath Diyawara Project is a Hayleys Sustainability initiative spearheaded by Puritas and sponsored by Haycarb.”

Chairman of Hayleys and Director of Puritas sharing a moment with the children of the Ananthapuram School while Principal of the school and the Additional Government Agent look on

The Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara project has to-date provided clean drinking water for over 18,000 men, women and children across twelve villages in the North Central Province and adjoining areas since 2014. Each project is sponsored by a Hayleys Group Company, making it a truly companywide initiative. 

“Puritas Sath Diyawara project has also helped bring out the best in the teams who are involved in the implementation of the projects within the chosen villages. Their passion and genuine commitment to this endeavour fills me with pride. Our employees become part of this village community during the whole process. We have even highlighted some of the talented Ananthapuram children at the Hayleys Chairman’s Awards to perform for the entire company. This project becomes enmeshed with the hearts and emotions of our employees, which is the secret behind the success of this initiative,” Pandithage further added. 

The Group will commission three more RO plants in Vavuniya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura in the coming weeks, taking the total investment in the 11 plants to Rs. 43 million. 

Each project consists of formalised water distribution network through a bowser and multiple docking stations throughout the village to ensure all villagers have equal access to purified water. Surveys will be conducted on a regular basis to monitor the benefits of this initiative. In addition, the project will provide livelihood development activities; promote appropriate health and sanitation practices and awareness and knowledge dissemination.

Hayleys is among the first global corporate entities and the first Sri Lankan company to endorse the CEO Water Mandate of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a call to action and a strategic framework to make sustainable water resources management a priority for businesses world-wide. Therefore since 2014, a significant component of the Group’s community empowerment initiatives are under varying themes related to water, and ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ is the key step towards achieving this target. 

Clean drinking water is no longer a dream