Tube Wells Project helps provide Sri Lankans with clean water
Tube Well in Anuradhapura
In the last decade, Sri Lanka has been suffering from a lack of clean drinking water. This condition is largely due to the absence of an effective, united government in Sri Lanka and its failure to protect the country’s people. According to a report from the Asian Legal Resource Center, there has been an increase in the number of serious health problems in more than 15 out of the 25 districts in Sri Lanka. Access to clean drinking water remains a problem in Sri Lanka today, based on a study conducted by a local Sri Lankan press agency, New 1st, and the University of Peradeniya.
Since 2017, TASMINA has worked to create a community development project with Tube Wells for people in these underprivileged and impoverished areas. Over the last month, the creation of another set of Tube Wells has been completed in the Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka’s largest province with over 800,000 people as per preventionweb.net, planting 22 wells in Anuradhapura alone.
The Tube Well Project, also known as the Water for Survival Project in Sri Lanka, was initiated by TASMINA with the primary goal of improving human development and providing drinkable water in rural areas in Sri Lanka. Water tanks are also provided to the families for them to save water. Communities in the dry-zone area are unable to access any clean drinking water as a result of a lack in the maintenance of water systems and the infiltration of saltwater, so TASMINA Treasurer Abdul Sahulhameed came up with the idea to make a change. This project also helps fight the end of water shortages for people suffering from poverty and is planned to reduce the waterborne disease by providing a pure water supply all around.
In some areas, the well water turns to salt water because of the infiltration of saltwater on the coasts—which presents a large socioeconomic issue in the country and destroys a variety of natural life, making the water undrinkable and even unable to be used for bathing or washing. Natural disasters on the country’s coasts, such as tsunamis, have also contributed to the continuation of high salinity levels in the wells through constant emptying and attempts to clean them. As of now, the districts of Kalutara, Kegalle, and Ratnapura are the most affected by the saltwater in the wells.
TASMINA has made great progress in working to end this crisis in Sri Lanka, raising funds and investing money into new Tube Wells all around the highly affected areas. There was another recent project in the Trincomalee district that established Tube Wells in five different villages. The 58 new Tube Wells were also constructed in the districts of Ratnapura, Kegalle, Mannar, and Polonnaruwa, intended to support the people in these communities by providing them with fresh, clean water for consumption and agriculture.
Many of the families part of the TASMINA community have helped sponsor and create these Tube Wells in memory of their families and friends back home while supporting this greater humanitarian crisis. As of now, TASMINA has invested about $74,000 into this project and plans on raising this number to ensure access to clean water all over Sri Lanka. We thank our sponsors who continue to show support: Shainaz Rehman (West Orange), Imran Anwar (Pakistan National, Montville, NJ), Nisra Feroz (Connecticut), Noordeen Family (Texas), Zainul Yakeen Family (Lawrenceville), Mohamed Alavi (Queens), Illyas Family (Dumont, NJ), and Mohamed Farook Dain (Canada).
While much has been accomplished, the work is far from done. Fourteen wells have yet to be completed in Anuradhapura. If anyone is interested in helping the cause, please contact 201-920-1163. There are always other ways to contribute. To help save the families of Sri Lanka and provide them with the water they deserve, attempt to do research, donate, and ultimately spread the word. Sometimes, our voices can be our strongest strategy to help a greater cause.
