Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will today ceremonially open the Kandy New Wastewater Management System.

Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka Mizukoshi Hideaki, Minister of Water Supply Vasudeva Nanayakkara, State Minister of Rural and Divisional Drinking Water Supply Projects Development Sanath Nisantha, Members of Parliament Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Governor of the Central Province Lalith U. Gamage, Secretary to Ministry of Water Supply Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama, NWSDB (National Water Supply and Drainage Board) Chairman Nishantha Ranatunga, NWSDB General Manager Thilina Wijethuna, South Asia Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Director General Sakamoto Takema, JICA Sri Lanka Chief Representative Yamada Tetsuya and officials of the line Ministry and NWSDB will also grace this occasion.  

The old capital of Sri Lanka receives tourists from all over the world. As a World Heritage site and the second largest city of Sri Lanka, Kandy is famous for its beauty. Behind the city's beauty, hidden are polluted canals and rivers, as Kandy city didn't have a modern sewerage system except the onsite sanitation solutions. The rate of deteriorating quality of water in rivers and the lake has increased with the increase of population, their activities, and their use of water. The project will benefit over 300,000 people, which include both residents in Kandy and daily migrants. Therefore, a wastewater management system was a long-pending requirement, and with the JICA assistance, it became a reality. 

The proposed wastewater management system aims to tackle these issues altogether. As a sewerage treatment plant is installed, it is expected to improve the water quality of the Mahaweli River, one of the major water sources in the country. Improvement of its water quality in the upper stream will have a positive impact on downstream areas. The project was implemented by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board with concessional financing assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The technology installed in the project is remarkable. The plant with a capacity of 14,000m3/day utilises the ‘Propeller-type Oxidation Ditch (O.D.) System,’ which enables the efficient treatment of sewage through a high mixture with oxygen promoted by submersible propellers and air diffusers in the aeration tank. Japanese company JFE Engineering Corporation, with unparalleled experience in Japan, constructed the plant with this superior technology to help reduce plant operation costs, which will eventually be borne by the public.

The project will also provide improved sanitation in densely populated and low-income areas in Kandy by installing an in-house sanitation facility and refurbishing public facilities. The introduction of improved sanitation facilities will improve the community's sanitary environment and improve the residents' health conditions. 

JICA assisted in preparing a strategic master plan for the sewerage sector in Sri Lanka in 2017. Speaking at the opening ceremony, JICA Sri Lanka Chief Representative Yamada Tetsuya, said JICA had continuously supported the Sri Lankan Government in the management of its sewerage problem systematically.   

JICA extends support for Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development