The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with the government to provide a Japanese ODA loan of up to 23.137 billion Yen for the Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project (Phase 2).
A water supply system will be constructed in the northern part of the Anuradhapura district to provide safe drinking water and increase water supply coverage, under this project. The funds will be allocated to the civil works and the procurement of equipment for the construction of a water treatment plant, the supply and installation of water transmission and distribution pipes, and consulting services.
There are also regional disparities in piped water supply coverage in the country. For example, the northern part of the Anuradhapura district, which is the target region of this project in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, has a tap water coverage of merely 26.9 percent. This region has a high incidence of dental and skeletal fluorosis, which is caused by consuming groundwater with a high concentration of fluoride. It is also said that one of the causes of the high incidence of chronic kidney disease in the area is poor-quality groundwater.
These health issues make the supply of safe drinking water to the region one of the country’s highest priorities.