Aug 26, 2020 (LBO) – Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has extended support for the development of Sewerage Master Plan to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) since 2015, and Master Plan has been completed.
On 13th August 2020, JICA Sri Lanka office, Takashima Kiyofumi, Senior Representative, handed over the final Documents of Master Plan to the Chairman National Water Supply & Drainage Board, Nishantha Ranatunga at the Head office of National Water Supply & Drainage Board Ratmalana.
In 2010, the Sri Lanka Government declared Water & Sanitation to be an “inalienable right” and set the goal of developing the infrastructure to provide access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for the entire country by 2025.
Currently, only 2.4% of the population of Sri Lanka has access to Pipe sewerage. However, the piped water supply coverage is around 48%. There is a big gap between pipe water and pipe sewerage.
Considering the above circumstances, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided technical cooperation for carrying out the studies as stated below:
- Strategic Master Plan under the Sewerage Sector for the whole island
- Five Cities Master Plan for high priority five cities
- Detail study for most prioritized two cities.
o Additional Study on Kotte Sewerage Development
o Additional Study on Nuwara Eliya Sewerage Development
NWSDB and many other stakeholders such as Kotte and Nuwara Eliya Municipal Councils worked together for the development of this master plan to improve wastewater management and sanitation in Sri Lanka.
The Strategic Sewerage Master Plan will be a catalyst to develop the sewerage sector in Sri Lanka by providing direction for wastewater infrastructure planning, investment, and implementation for an extended planning horizon.
The review of existing infrastructure, identification of future needs, and appropriate treatment process and setting of development priority in this exercise will ensure benefits to public health and meeting of environmental goals.