Hayleys Group’s CKD-CSR water initiative wins Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2015

Haycarb PLC Managing Director Rajitha Kariyawasan and Puritas Director Sharmila Ragunathan accept the award at International CSR Summit 2015 held at Banyan Ballroom, Banyan Tree, Macau SAR

Puritas Ltd. brought home the prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 under the category of SME Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – Drinking water based broad-spectrum community development project. The award honours small and medium enterprises that have successful CSR policies that forms part of their core business and are appropriate to their size and business operations.

Puritas has been in the forefront of providing environmental engineering solutions with over 280 treatment plants in Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia treating over 24 million litres of water and wastewater per day. 

With over 20 years of experience in the purification industry, Puritas is a fully-owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC, the world’s leading coconut shell based activated carbon manufacturer and is also a member of the Hayleys Group which is one of the largest multinational conglomerates in Sri Lanka.

CKD is the most common illness amongst the farmers of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. While the underlying cause of CKD is yet to be determined 400,000 individuals are said to be affected with the disease and more than 22,000 lives lost. It is believed to be a water borne disease and has been proven that consumption of quality drinking water not only prevents the disease, but also reverses the early stages of the ailment.

Puritas, being the specialist in water and wastewater treatment, designed ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ to provide a self-sustaining, integrated solution for the communities in CKD affected areas. The project includes a reverse osmosis water purification system, cost effective distribution methodology, effective waste management system, knowledge dissemination centre, organic farming initiatives, good health and sanitation initiatives, and livelihood development activities. 

The project was implemented with the sponsorship of different sectors of the Hayleys Group and is successfully operating in four villages of the North Central Province with two nearing completion and four more such projects are in progress and expected to be completed by December 2015. 

Hayleys Group Chairman Mohan Pandithage said: “We are pleased and honoured to have been selected for this CSR award. ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara,’ the CKD CSR water project of the Hayleys Group is a result of  prime collective initiative of the various sectors of group coming forward to provide hope in the form of water and related infrastructure for chosen villages, covering close to 15,000 people in 10 villages.”

“There was a real need to step in and support the farming community in the North Central Province by providing them with good quality drinking water and a solution to the community’s needs. Starting with our first project at Maithreepura, Padaviya for a village of 1,500 people, we are touched by expanding the reach to cover ten villages by end of 2015. An investment of Rs. 3.5 million per project sponsored by leading sectors of the Hayleys Group, with many valuable and committed hours of our team’s own expertise in water purification, we feel honoured to be recognised and ranked amongst the top organisations in the region for CSR,” Haycarb PLC Managing Director Rajitha Kariyawasan said. 

Kariyawasan and Puritas Director Sharmila Ragunathan accepted the award at the prestigious International CSR Summit 2015 which was held at Banyan Ballroom, Banyan Tree, Macau SAR on the 19 June.