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We provide seven villages with clean drinking water

Realising a water treatment plant connected to a new pipeline network

Water supply Hemmathagama

  • Hemmathagama, Sri Lanka
  • 2017 - 2023
  • Ballast Nedam International

In the area of Hemmathagama (Sri Lanka) the river Auphinella rises on top of a mountain. Currently, the inhabitants of seven villages in the area still drink untreated water. The construction of an intake and water treatment, connected to a newly laid out pipeline network, will change that. Clean drinking water means fewer diseases and lesser pressure on healthcare.

  • 17,000 Households
  • 21,000 m3 Water capacity
  • 111 kilometres of piping
The mountainous terrain has a big advantage. Due to the differences in height, the water supply can make use of gravity for distribution. No water pumps are required. This not only makes it cheaper, but also minimises the impact on the environment.

Good community engagement management

Ballast Nedam handles the project from design up to and including the connection to 17,000 houses, including the placement of water meters. Since the 17,000 houses are spread over seven villages, good community engagement management is essential. The pipes run - partly underground, partly above ground – across the grounds of many different owners, and in every village there will be a separate water reservoir. Ballast Nedam uses a Sri Lankan community engagement manager for the agreements that need to be made about this in every village.

Dutch / Sri Lankan cooperation

Much of the required material - such as pipes and valves - is supplied from the Netherlands. On site, an experienced Sri Lankan contractor installs the pipes and provides the connection to the houses. Ballast Nedam has its own project management team of ten people, with an office in Colombo at the client's location, about a 3-hour drive from the project site. The last three months of the project, Ballast Nedam will be training the Sri Lankan team that will be responsible for the maintenance and operation of the water treatment plant.

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