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 - 2022
  • 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

    Water capacity

  • 111

    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.

More information?

Roy van Eijsden

Managing Director Ballast Nedam International Projects

Roy van Eijsden has over 20 years of experience and joined Ballast Nedam in 2019. He has a project driven background with 'on the ground' experience on 6 continents. His intrinsic motivation stems from a desire for continuous personal growth and business development.

Roy van Eijsden Directeur Ballast Nedam International

Discover more

Read more about the techniques we use, our focus themes and similar projects.

  • Story

    Project manager Marc Harks worked on Curaçao Medical Center for years

    31/05/2021

    31/05/2021
  • News

    First pipe at water supply Hemmathagama

    12/02/2021

    12/02/2021

Return to