Proposal for

Drinking Water Quality Improvement in Nelumwewa

Submitted to Holcim Lanka Ltd.

Service Learning Programme Faculty of Science University of Colombo Colombo 03 Group 03

Contents
I. II. III. IV. V. VI. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 3 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................ 5 METHODOLOGIES ................................................................................... 6 EXPECTED OUT COMES ......................................................................... 6 TIME LINE ................................................................................................. 8 BUDGET.................................................................................................... 9

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I.

Introduction
As a group of undergraduates of Faculty of Science of University of Colombo, we are following a variety of academic units in the areas of physics, chemistry, statistics, biology and etc. For the first time in the Sri Lankan University history a few community service projects are being carried out under Service Learning Programme, in collaboration with Holcim Lanka Ltd. are focusing on improving the quality of drinking water at Nelumwewa, a rural area in Puttalam. Faculty of Science, University of Colombo plays the major role of this project, while Holcim Lanka Ltd. provides the strength like a backbone. University can seek for many more opportunities for Service Learning Projects in the future. Also having a strong link between the company and the university undergraduates would be useful when obtaining internships; even career opportunities. At the same time this will improve the reputation of the university. Nelumwewa is a village located in North western province, Puttalam district. Much of the rain in these area falls from October to January which is about 12001900mm. During the rest of the year there is small precipitation. There are nearly more than 300 families accommodated in 200-300 houses. A house is consisted of 4-6 numbers averagely. The main occupations of the villagers can be listed as brick mining and digging sand from rivers. One of the main problems that the villagers are engaged in is the difficulty of gaining the fresh water for their day to-day consumption. It has been identified; the hardness and high salinity of the water have been substantially amounted to the scarcity of the fresh water. Therefore it has led to many problems in health issues as well as in other household activities. Even though several solutions were undergone, it seems that those solutions havent brought up a substantial effect on the problem. One of the solutions which were brought forward by the welfare society of the area is the PrajaMula Development Project which is a programme for distribution of fresh water in the area. The water supply is linked to MeeOya which is the only reachable water reservoir present in the area. Although the water supply is available during 24 hours of the day, the problem of the supplied water being fresh remains as a problem.

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Most of the houses have been granted with rain water harvesting tank system by the government which performs during the rainy season. Nevertheless the uncertainty and the lack of the rain as mentioned at the outset have been negatively impacted on this system. Consumption of the rain water stored for a long period, giving rise to subsequent health issues due to occurrence of impurities when the water is being outdated. Therefore the rain water tank system also could not consider as a reasonable solution for the ongoing problem of the villagers. As the third solution, the world vision programme has been come up with an idea of a system of stone wells. Each house was instructed to build a well which is supplemented by the water springs, with the sponsorship of the organization. Due to the fact that the springs were getting dried frequently and therefore the problem is still upheld. In this case the villagers tend to buy the manufactured mineral water from the market to fulfill their fresh water requirement, where the purity of such cans has become questionable due to the fact that they consist of some sediment.

Concept of quality improvement of drinking water

In Sri Lanka there are less privileged communities who are unable to fulfill their basic needs. Some are remained desperately short of clean drinking water. It is very hard for people to spend extra money for water. Hence with the purpose of supporting such a community, this water purification project is to be launched. The intention is to improve the quality of water (reduce the hardness and pH, remove dissolved metals, salts, metalloids, organic matters and microorganism). And it is also supposed to increase public awareness among the residents by introducing methods to make drinking water safer which they are already using. Wherever treatment takes place a diverse range of technologies are selected and applied based on the factors such as water source, type of contamination and cost. For the most effective treatment a combination of technologies is use to insure water is fully decontaminated.

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Project Area Map

II.

Objectives
1. To investigate the situation of the drinking water and the water requirements of the villagers. 2. To build up a project in order to supply good drinking water in a environmentally and economically sound way.

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III.

Methodologies

Phase I : Identification of the problem

1. Field Survey To identify the requirements of the villages a questionnaire based field survey will be carried out. The target sample will be randomly selected. 2. Water Quality Analysis The water quality of the available water sources will be analyzed.

Phase II : Suggest and carry out solutions

1. Introducing low cost water filters for domestic and public purposes (Temples and schools) that are designed by the students. 2. Organizing awareness programmes on water conservation. 3. Renovation of water tanks which have been built by Holcim Lnaka Ltd. And establishment community group to maintain water supply.

IV. Expected Outcomes

Practical Solutions
Renovation of Tanks This would be benefited to the villagers as this improves their living conditions. A committee will be appointed to maintain the tank system. Filtering Systems By considering the quality of the water, a proper filtering system will be introduced for the public community and domestic purposes.

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Information and Awareness

Awareness Programmes Villagers including the school children will be educated on prevailing water quality, water borne diseases and how to maintain the filtering systems which is suggested to be implemented. Survey Report Based on the survey results a report will produced including the satisfaction of the villagers on the available solutions and their suggestions. That information would be an added advantage to make the decisions which to be implemented.

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V. Time Line

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VI. Budget
Budget for the Nelumwewa Project
No Description( Phase I ) Documentation Laboratory Expenditure Consultation Fee Transport Web Survey Fee Expected Total Cost ( Phase I ) Amount (Rs) 5,000 N/A N/A 15, 000 5,000 25, 000

No

Description( Phase II ) Documentation Home filters 20 * 2500 Filters for temple & school 15,000*2 Transport Tank renovation Work Shop Expected Total Cost ( Phase II ) Expected Total Cost (Phase I & Phase II)

Amount (Rs) 5,000 50,000 30,000 10, 000 20,000 10,000 125, 000 150,000

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