Project Background
The Kurunegala Lake is situated within the municipality limit of Kurunegala Township which is the main urban centre in the North Western Province. The total catchment area of Kurunegala Lake is approximately 2 km2 and 38% of Kurunegala Lake catchment is located within KMC area while 62% is located outside KMC in the suburbs “Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha” (KPS).
Kurunegala Lake is a supplementary drinking water source located in Kurunegala and is used to fulfil the water demand of 7000 m3/day by the local communities living within the Kurunegala Municipal Council (KMC) area during drought period. The main water supply, Deduru Oya River (DE) is insufficient to fulfil the water demand of KMC area throughout the year as it used for irrigation in addition for the water extraction. There have been plans to expand pipe borne water supply beyond KMC area with the maximum water treatment potential of 14000 m3/day by the existing treatment facility. Importance of Kurunegala Lake as a reliable raw water source will therefore increase within the next few years.
However, the Kurunegala Lake is being polluted from urban and agricultural waste. When it is used as drinking water supply, consumers complain of taste and odour. The existing water treatment plant is not adequate to treat Kurunegala Lake water up to the desired quality. Kurunegala Lake is further being polluted from the runoff from KPS which are contaminated with residential sewage and agricultural runoff, flowing through surface drains during rain events through one of the largest canals. Mode Ela and others sources such as drain pipes from immediate surrounding residential area and hotels.
Project Objectives
- To pre-treat incoming runoff and sewage through construction
of Low-Impact Development (LID) technology. - Community capacity building through the Water Safety Plan and
Sanitation Safety Plan.
