Negombo residents desperate for proper water supply

Our water is supplied by the Negombo Municipal Council. Recently Don Bosco Negombo built 250 houses for tsunami victims. The water supply came from the Periyamulla Bridge through two lines created by the National Water Supply Board. But now the residents of Marian Place, Kudapaduwe, Don Bosco Mawatha, Ettukala and the tsunami victims are getting a very meagre supply of water.

Residents of Marian Place, Kudapaduwe receive their water supply through a one-inch S-lon pipe. Now all the residents in the area are receiving their water through this one-inch pipe line, resulting in further difficulties.

In the mornings, the water supply operates between 4.30 a.m. and 6 a.m. But the flow is so weak that we cannot even have a shower. Our overhead water tanks are almost empty. After 6 a.m., the flow is so weak that it takes about 10 minutes to fill a bucket for toilet purposes. It is the same with the supply at noon and in the evenings. When my daughter asked me why I was eating rice with a spoon and not with my fingers, I told her that there was no water to wash my hands.

Residents have made numerous complaints to the Water Board, but these have gone unheeded. If the authorities cannot do a proper job of supplying water to residents, it would be better to close down the Negombo Water Board and not waste public money. I hope the Mayor of Negombo, the MP for Negombo and the minister in charge of water supply will look into this very urgent matter.

By T. Peries, Negombo