MASL to launch “Water for Life”

Muslim Aid Sri Lanka (MASL) field office which has chosen “Water for Life” as this year’s theme for Ramadan will launch water sanitation projects in six districts. Under this integrated programme, rural poor who have no ready access to clean water will be provided with all requisite items for a small scale water supply scheme such as tanks, pumps, water pipes and facilities to sink wells.

“Health and hygiene awareness and water conservation campaigns will also be conducted to educate people on water issues,” MASL said in a statement. It identified Moneragala, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Kandy and Galle as the six districts where MASL hoped to set up the water and sanitation projects.

According to the World Bank, of the 85 percent of Sri Lanka’s population living in rural areas only a mere 10 percent have access to tap water and every fifth person relies on unprotected water sources for drinking. Thirty percent of those living in rural areas and small towns do not have access to sanitary latrines.

Meanwhile the Government has pledged to supply safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to the entire population by 2010.
MASL has launched a fund-raising campaign to finance its “Water for Life” projects, which it hopes to implement from November to August next year.