Water - no longer a commodity 

For years people of the Kalingavila village had never known what it is like to have pipe-borne water in their households or how it is to not walk at least a kilometer to fetch a pail full of water. Women in their households dedicate their lives for this one single task of fetching water.

Pradeepa is a mother of three. She walks 1.6 km to fetch water.  Since the quantity she is able to carry is limited, she makes at least 10 trips up and down.

“I spent a lot of time just to carry pails of water. When my children came home after school, it was a problem for me to leave them alone as their father is also occupied with farming activities,” she says.

Families spent close to Rs 300/- (30 – 50% of their daily earnings) to purchase drinking water from sellers on a daily basis. Even though most of the villagers know that it is important to purify water before consumption, they had little knowledge on harvesting rainwater or the importance of having safe drinking water.

26% of the children in Kalingavila village suffer from dehydration and many have been diagnosed with renal diseases due to poor access to water and other issues relating to water purity.

Located in the dry Zone, Kalingavila village experiences drought from July to October, with temperatures reaching up to 36 degrees celcius, making the long walk even difficult for the families.

Against this backdrop, Future Automobiles (Pvt) Limited (Ford Motor Company) came forward to support in building a rainwater harvesting system for the village.

“Serving the communities where we live and work has always been important for Ford and we are proud of our ongoing efforts and contributions that help provide real and long-term benefits to the people of Sri Lanka,” said Chamath Tennakoon, former managing director of  Future Automobiles (Pvt) Limited.

With the help of a contractor the water harvesting system was built in one year. Each family contributed a sum of Rs 4000 towards the maintenance of the project. The people of the community worked together and bore the expenses to fix a meter and to cut their own trench from the distribution line to facilitate the pipe laying process.

People whose life was revolving around obtaining water can now obtain water in the comfort of their homes.

“I made one of the old mothers to sit right in front at the opening ceremony of the Water Harvesting system, to remind people that no elder has to walk miles and miles to fetch water again, my mother is currently receiving treatment due to a serious case of chronic kidney disease. I bless World Vision for providing us with much needed help with obtaining water,” said the Secretary of the Water consumer society, Kallingavila.

This project was designed to help the community of the Kalingavila village retain rainwater and to equip them with appropriate rainwater catchment systems. The project directly impacts 936 people of 371 families. The people of the village will now have year-round access to clean drinking water, especially during the drought season.  The sustainability of the water project is ensured by the community, giving women a significant role in managing and maintaining the water storage facilities.