Coca-Cola and NWSDB to provide clean water facilities for Padaviya communities
Saturday, 15 March 2014 00:00
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Coca-Cola Sri Lanka and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) dedicated a Reverse Osmosis (RO) water treatment facility to thousands of beneficiaries who reside in the Padaviya division in Anuradhapura.
Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Dinesh Gunawardene and Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Tissa Karaliyadde dedicated the facilities in the presence of Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. Country Manager Kapila Welmillage and Coca-Cola Far East Ltd. Country Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives Abhishek Jugran, along with other key stakeholders.
The RO facility will provide clean water to communities in Parakramapura and Track-B areas in Anuradhapura based on the recommendation of NWSDB, which have been affected by widespread incidences of chronic kidney disease.
The Coca-Cola Company believes in a collaborative approach towards sustainability, in the 200 plus countries in which it operates. The coming together of business, government and civil society, or the ‘Golden Triangle’ – is the company’s strategy to foster collaborative partnerships that result in sustainable development and create long term positive impacts for communities. Coca-Cola Sri Lanka undertakes a number of initiatives to improve water and sanitation in Sri Lanka as a part of its sustainability agenda in the country.
The chief guest for the occasion, Minister Dinesh Gunawardana, spoke to the gathering on how the RO facility will benefit the community. He thanked Coca-Cola for being a pioneer to partner and invest in the project and hoped that more businesses invest in such initiatives that will benefit the community.
Minister Tissa Karaliyadde stated that the community in the area had suffered for years because of the war and presently affected due to CKD. Talking about how it is the President’s and the Government’s vision to eradicate chronic kidney disease among the people, the Minister thanked Coca-Cola for their contribution and humbly asked the community to safeguard the RO plant. K.S. Noel, a resident of Anuradhapura and someone who suffers from chronic kidney disease said he had no choice but to use contaminated water before the RO Treatment plant was installed. “I am a father of two girls and I suffer from chronic kidney disease. I earn my living as a farmer. Now, thanks to this new facility, we have access to clean drinking water. At least I can now live in peace knowing that the future of my children will be better.”
Another resident, K.K Premadasa, aged 57, said: “As a father of five, I have had to work hard to eke out a living as a farmer. I have had CKD for seven years and I am grateful to Coca-Cola for providing this much needed clean water. We are grateful for the water for our society.
The new plant has the capacity to purify approximately 30,000 litres of water per hour based on a ‘drinking and cooking’ requirement of 5L/capita daily, the facility will operate 20 hours per day, seven days per week.
“Clean water is a valuable natural resource and we have many projects across Sri Lanka that provides access to clean drinking water facilities and better sanitation and hygiene,” said Kapila Welmillage, Country Manager Coca-Cola Sri Lanka Beverages. “When we heard of the condition of the communities in Padaviya, we decided to partner with the NWSDB to provide potable water for the people in these areas. We hope that the RO facility is maintained well and residents can have access to clean water for years to come. We are greatly honoured to partner with the Ministry, members of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and the CBO for this initiative,” he continued.
Abhishek Jugran, Country Manager, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Coca-Cola Far East Ltd. said: “Coca-Cola Sri Lanka is in its 59th year of operation in the country this year. Over the years we have invested not just in growing our business, but in developing the communities across Sri Lanka as well. The Coca-Cola Company places a strong emphasis on sustainability; especially water access and replenishment. We believe that a sustainable business will only thrive amongst sustainable communities and we hope that the RO water treatment project will help provide access to clean drinking water to the Padaviya community in the long term. We are extremely grateful to Minister Gunawardene for taking a deep interest in this project. We thank all our partners for their support and hope that we can continue to part with the government and society in such projects in the future as well.”
