Additional Financing of $120 Million to Bring Drinking Water to Jaffna

The FINANCIAL — The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved additional loans totaling $120 million for a project to bring drinking water to urban areas of the Jaffna Peninsula, one of Sri Lanka’s less developed regions.
The initial assistance for the Jaffna and Kilinochchi Water Supply Project was approved in November 2010 with ADB loans totaling $90 million.
Bringing water from a new desalination plant, instead, will directly address water scarcity challenges caused by climate change.
Jaffna—one of the areas worst affected by years of conflict—faces a growing population.
Water sources are limited in the area, with groundwater and local surface water unable to meet the demand for drinking water.
The plant will have a daily capacity of 24,000 cubic meters and be accompanied by 700 kilometers of water mains and distribution pipes, and 60,000 metered new property connections.
The project will also support the operation and maintenance of the plant, which will be operated by a single contractor.
The project will also support long-term water resource management, according to ADB.
Technical assistance of $500,000 will accompany the loans to support capacity development of institutions in Jaffna’s water sector, including managing the contract of the desalination plant, conducting community awareness activities, and producing sanitation safety plans.
The expected completion date is December 2025.

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