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Message: <blockquote data-quote="monson" data-source="post: 24354741" data-attributes="member: 30005">New lease of life for Colombo’s ailing pipelinesBy Paneetha AmeresekereThe National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWS&DB) in a USD 275 million project, where the funding agents are the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), have embarked on a mission to reduce Colombo City’s non-revenue water (NRW), sprung mainly from leakages, from a high of 49-50% to under 10% by 2022.“Already we have brought it down to 40%,” NWS&DB Project Director and Deputy General Manager NRW S. A. Rasheed told this reporter. He said that the project began in 2015 with North Colombo, comprising the likes of Mutwal (Modera), Kotahena and Grandpass being one of the main targets, where NRW is at its highest, whilst simultaneously covering other parts of Colombo as well.Nevertheless, Colombo North will be the first to be completed, which will be by the year end, the Project Director said. “NRW at 57% was the highest at Colombo North,” he said.Underground pipelinesRasheed further said that Colombo in total has a total of 900 kilometres of potable underground (UG) pipelines of which 700 km need to be replaced and which will be tackled by this project. “In those areas in Colombo North which we have covered, NRW has come down to under 10%,” the Project Director said. Colombo North has the longest length of replaceable pipelines at 180 km, of which 150 km have already been, laid. Colombo East is the other big pipeline guzzler at 150 km, with the rest being distributed between Colombo South and Colombo West, he said. “Already 350 km of pipeline or 50% of the target has been achieved,” he said. A number of these pipelines are over 100 years old, he said. Some of them date back to 1886, said Rasheed. “The Post 1977 economic boom saw only pipeline extensions but very little or no replacements,” he said.“In the replacement process, we have to think for the next 40 years,” he added. The Project Director said that in their programme, they target to finish Colombo West next year, Colombo East (2021) and Colombo South (2022), respectively.He said that the slow movement of the project was due to the care that they have to exercise by not infringing on other UG connections such as electricity and telecoms cables and sewer and even the existing potable water pipelines.Replacements“Replacements are being done, while at the same time assuring the beneficiaries that there won’t be an interruption to their water supplies in the process,” he said. After the new lines are laid, then, only are the old lines removed, said Rasheed.He said that the programme envisages the coverage of potable water to the Colombo City for the next 40 years. “Reducing leakages (NRW) from the 49-50% range to the 10-15% range at a minimum is good, but in countries like Singapore and Japan where the quality of the pipelines are better, but more expensive, leakages are at a low of 4-6%, the Project Director said. However, in a country like India, NRW is over 20%, the Project Director added.Meanwhile, an ADB report said that about 95% of Colombois covered by a piped water supply system. But because the system has low and fluctuating water pressure and intermittent supply, some areas of the city receive water only during off-peak hours and others receive water for an average of only 6–10 hours a day, it said.Water tariffADB also said that the water tariff is below full cost recovery.To help the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to manage water supply more efficiently, the ADB approved the Greater Colombo Water and Wastewater Management Project on 22 November 2012. The project supports the government in achieving its water supply and wastewater targets under its development policy framework, the ADB said. The framework’s objectives include reducing and managing NRW holistically and sustainably; improving governance, management capacity, and accountability within the NWS&DB and Colombo Municipal Council and improving water and wastewater service delivery and amounts. It includes plans to increase the national coverage of piped water supply from 37% to 60%, and piped sewerage from 2.5% to 7% during 2010–2020, the ADB said.By project completion, residents, especially women and the poor will have more time for productive activities because of 24-hour water supply, the ADB report further said.- <a href="http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print-edition/2/print-more/28116" target="_blank">http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print-edition/2/print-more/28116</a></blockquote>

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