Galle gets new water treatment plant

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

When it comes to essential elements for living beings, water plays a major role. As living beings, people always need to have pure or purified water for their daily consumption.

People in most parts of Galle district have been facing difficulties due to the scarcity of water. The ageing water treatment plant by which they were served with does not have the sufficient capacity to supply purified water throughout the day.

Considering this situation the Government is constructing a new water treatment plant which is able to provide water to people in Galle district throughout the day. Accordingly, a new sophisticated water treatment plant is now being constructed at a cost of Rs.4,202 million at Baddegama to fulfil a long felt need of people in Galle district. The construction has neared completion. After commissioning the Baddegama Water Treatment Plant and the high lift pumping station, the people in Kosgoda, Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Rathgama and Hikkaduwa and especially the coastal areas of Galle district will be benefited.

The new water treatment plant will be commissioned by March, next year.

According to the Baddegama Water Treatment Plant Project Director Jayanthe K.S. Pathirana, the capacity of the existing water treatment plant had to be doubled to meet the increasing demand.

“However, even if the existing plant is operated to maximum capacity, it will not cater even to half the requirement.

“In other words the present output of 18,000 cubic metres per day of the existing plant will be doubled to 36,000 cubic metres per day by the new water treatment plant which is being constructed.

After commencing operations the plant, will be able to supply water without any disruption” Pathirana said.

As planned, water will be pumped along the coastal belt up to Hikkaduwa, Ambalangoda, Ratgama, Kosgoda, and then to Baddegama along with many other areas of Galle district.

The existing customer base of 86,000 family units now with water supply, will increase to 190,000.

“The important thing is not the increase of the customer base but supplying an uninterrupted and reliable service” he added.

The new project is jointly funded by the Governments of Sri Lanka and Germany.

The Government of Germany has allocated funds as a grant. The project is of two phases.

The second phase commenced in January 2008 after the first was completed in December 2007. Under the second phase four water storage tanks which are called Ground Reservoirs are being constructed in Balapitiya, Hikkaduwa, Galagoda and Kosgoda.

Around 180 Kilometres of 200 Kilometre underground pipe-line has been laid.

”In line with the construction process, the present intake pump house at Kiribathawila is also being upgraded.

“Accordingly intake pumps have been replaced with remote control operated modern pumps. When it comes to the operation of the new water treatment plant it can be operated with GSM signal which is widely known as the connectivity used for mobile phones.

“This is a novel technology which we haven’t used so far. Operators can perform any function such as opening or closing valves, switching on or off any machine and much more with a GSM signal easily. For instance, an operator in Baddegama can operate a machine installed in Balapitiya, Kosgoda or any other place” the Assistant Resident Engineer Anuranga Rubasinghe said.

“The people in Galle district have been badly affected by the scarcity of water for a long time. In most occasions we have to do without water even for our daily activities as there isn’t a continuous supply.

However in near future, we are happy to have a continuous supply” a resident of Baddegama said.

The capacity of the new water treatment plant will be sufficient for many decades.

Above all, the customers must have a chance to receive quality purified water supply which can be trusted.