Four Reverse Osmosis plants declared open for community use
 

The Sri Lanka Navy has been implementing a wide array of community service projects, going by the visionary leadership of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. The installation of Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in areas where high prevalence of kidney disease is recorded has been recognized as one of the many magnanimous projects undertaken by the Navy. Accordingly, four (04)  RO plants installed  at Ethalwiddawewa Purana Viharaya in Kebithigollewa, Ralapanawa Sri Sujatharama Viharaya in Horowpothana and villages of Oththapahuwa in Galnewa, Anuradhapura and Serugasyaya in Polpithigama declared open for community use  today  (1).

Incidentally, the RO plants installed at Ethalwiddawewa Purana Viharaya is capable of producing safe drinking water for 180 families in the area. In similar vein the facilities set up at Ralapanawa Sri Sujatharama Viharaya and villages of Oththapahuwa in Galnewa and Serugasyaya in Polpithigama are able to process safe drinking water for 220 and 610 families respectively. The financial contribution for these  RO systems was made by the Ministry of Buddhasasana together with the Presidential Task Force on Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease.

The Sri Lanka Navy’s Research and Development Unit has been extremely influential in producing these RO systems utilizing their expertise and technological know-how and has successfully installed a total of 123 RO facilities across the country to date, facilitating over 54,660 families and 45,100 school children with safe drinking water provided free of charge. Further, the Navy is determined and will continue to set up more RO plants in due course.