#Infrastructure
Rs. 51 Billion JICA-Funded Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project Phase II Launched for 75,000 Families

MyCountry.News
September 15, 20261 min read Colombo
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In a major public health and infrastructure milestone, the government of Sri Lanka, in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has ceremonially launched Phase II of the Anuradhapura North Water Supply Project backed by a total investment of Rs. 51 billion.
The project delivers purified pipe-borne drinking water to approximately 75,000 rural families across four northern Divisional Secretariat divisions in Anuradhapura District: Padaviya, Kebithigollewa, Horowpothana, and Kahatagasdigiliya.
These areas have historically registered Sri Lanka's highest incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu), heavily linked by medical researchers to contaminated groundwater and high fluoride concentrations in domestic tube wells. Phase II draws raw water directly from the Mahaweli water system at the Yan Oya reservoir, processing it through advanced multi-stage treatment plants.
The infrastructure scope includes laying 480 km of primary transmission and secondary distribution mains, constructing seven elevated water storage towers, and establishing a centralized water quality testing laboratory in Kebithigollewa.
Community health advocates and local clergy hailed the project launch as a life-saving intervention, noting that universal access to safe drinking water is the single most effective countermeasure against the regional CKD crisis.
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