Celebrating World Water Day: Expolanka provides clean water to schoolchildren

Saturday, 28 March 2015 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a bid to help address the current Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) crisis in a meaningful manner, Expolanka Holdings stepped up to provide RO water purification solutions to four schools in the Anuradhapura district. Over 3,000 school children in Vidyadarsha Maha Vidyalaya, Nochchiyagama, Rahula Maha Vidyalaya, Yaya, Rajanganaya, Karapittakada Vidyalaya, Karapittakada, Medawachchiya, Koongollawa Vidyalaya, Etawiragollawa and Medawachchiya will benefit from this endeavour. “The North Central Province in Sri Lanka is facing a gargantuan challenge due to the high number of CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) cases coupled with the high mortality rate. This is a tragic situation that needs assistance from all corners of the island. As a responsible business entity, we decided to contribute in our own way by providing access to clean water to several schools in the affected area. I hope our assistance proves worthwhile to the children in these schools and helps reduce the risk of CKD,” said Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and CSR Paddy Weerasekera. A World Health Organisation (WHO) investigation revealed that 15.3% of the people in the North Central region are affected by CKD. The disease was first identified in 1991 in Anuradhapura district and since then thousands of inhabitants of the area had succumbed to the disease. Lack of access to clean drinking water is believed to be a contributing factor to the prevalence of CKD in the area. WHO recommends providing access to safe drinking water along with better health facilities and financial support to affected areas to decrease the risk of CKD. Commenting further Weerasekera said, “Water is one of the core factors of sustainable development. At Expolanka we value sustainable growth beyond all. This is one of many small measures we have taken and will continue to take in order to contribute to the sustainable development of our country.” According to a United Nations World Water Day 2015 document, ‘Investments in water and sanitation services result in substantial economic gains’.