Opening Ceremony of Wegala Water Supply Scheme in the Central Province of Sri Lanka

Naoko Ishii

Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Water Supply Scheme
Implemented under the 2nd Community Water Supply & Sanitation Project
at Wegala, Madumbara Pradeshiya Sabha, Central Province

2:30 P.M. Friday, September 5, 2008

Honorable Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, Ministry of Urban Development and  Sacred Area Development,
Honorable Chief Minister, Sarath Ekanayake, Central Province,
Honorable Chairman, Madumbara Pradeshiya Sabha,
Dr. Ramanujan, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development & Sacred Area Development,
Mr. Piyasena, Director General, Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Division,
CBO chairman,
Distinguish guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Ayubowan

Today, we celebrate the opening of a water supply scheme here in Wegala, and let me first congratulate you and say a few words of appreciation to those who worked hard to implement this scheme. I understand that many of you here today played a role in implementing this scheme, including community members, a local NGO, Pradeshiya Sabha, Provincial Council, and Central Government. The excellent partnership that you formed among yourselves was the key to the successful implementation of this project. I would like to particularly congratulate the community members on your contribution to this scheme. It is an outstanding achievement that 30 percent of the cost of the scheme in the form of cash and labor came from you.

I am also very pleased to hear that the high performing Pradeshiya Sabha in Wegala has played a critical role in the successful implementation of this project.  In doing so the Pradeshiya Sabha strengthened linkages between communities and has laid a very good foundation for being the bulwark the community will look for guidance in its operations and maintenance.  We at the World Bank are very pleased to have been a humble partner assisting you in your quest to get clean water. 

This scheme is undoubtedly one of the most unique ones implemented under the 2nd Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project.  Here we had three Grama Niladhari Divisions --, namely, Wegala, Meegahmadittha, and Doraliyadda South working together, to find one solution to meet their pressing need for the vital resource Water.  Now that you have met the first challenge successfully in getting water on tap, the next challenge for you is to work together on the operations and maintenance of this vital resource. This resource is yours, it is your own project, and you should justifiably be proud of it.  It is your responsibility to sustain and manage it and as I said before you have the able support of your Pradeshiya Sabha. Looking at your enthusiastic faces today, I am confident that you will manage the scheme competently and protect and guard it so that you and your children reap the benefits from clean water for many years to come.

I would also like to tell you here that the World Bank has just formulated new Assistance Strategy for Sri Lanka in close consultation with the Government and the people. This Assistance Strategy holds high in its agenda water resources management and development as they are central to sustainable growth and poverty reduction, especially in the regions lagging behind on development. 
 
I understand that yours is a community that has long suffered without easy access to water and that many of you specially the ladies were actually dreaming of getting water on tap.  Today, through your hard work and working together as a community you have made that dream come true.  We at the World Bank are pleased to have been able to support you and will continue to be Sri Lanka’s partner in delivering clean water to communities like yours here in Wegala.   

Let me conclude by once again congratulating you and thank you very much for inviting me to this ceremony.