Govenmeent will be taking measures to provide pipe borne drinking water to 150,000 low income households during this year at a cost of Rs. 1.2 billion, National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) anounced.
The Water Supply and Drainage Board has already supplied supply water connections to 2.4million huoseholds covering 41% of the Sri Lankan population while newly supplying 110,000domestic drinking water connections.
However, it has become difficult to supply domestic drinking water connections in certain areas although there is an additional demand, as the feeder pipelines have to cover areas not having existing pipe lines.
As a result the prospective consumers have to pay approximately Rupees 20,000 as a down payment as well as have to pay charges for renovating the roads when the new pipelines are being laid.
Action has been taken to accelerate the programme for supplying 150,000 new domestic water supply connections during the first two quarters of the year in 2020 .
Under this project, consumers will have to pay only Rs.2,000 instead of the Rs.8,000 paid upfront to obtain a water connection and the soft loan of Rs.20,000 can be repaid in 12 instalmen.
(LI)