COLOMBO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Thambuttegama water supply project, co-developed by China Geo-Engineering Corporation and China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation, was inaugurated in Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura on Friday.
The ceremony was attended by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The project includes a water treatment plant with a daily processing capacity of 18,000 cubic meters, a water intake system with a daily intake capacity of 42,000 cubic meters, three high-level water towers, and a water supply network with a total pipe length of 204 kilometers. Following its launch, the whole project is expected to benefit more than 25,000 local households.
Speaking to journalists, Susil Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka's minister of housing, construction and water supply, expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for the project's successful completion, noting that the project will undoubtedly benefit the lives of local households.
According to Wang Bin, manager of the project, the area where the project is located has long faced safety and quality issues of drinking water, which elevated the risk of chronic diseases in some areas. He said the project's completion will significantly improve the local water supply conditions and the safety of drinking water.
Launched in 2018, the water supply project represents a key collaborative effort between China and Sri Lanka. ■