Connect With Us
.png){kind=small}
.png)
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Total of
required
Development progress
An uninterrupted supply of clean drinking water is needed for the villagers of Gederawewa in Puttalam
Via Dialog
Bank transfer
Donating through Gammada is safe, secure and easy with many payment options to choose
Residents of Gederawewa were experiencing an epidemic of Chronic Kidney Diseases due to their contaminated water supply.
Gederawewa is a deprived village in Nawagattegama DS division is located in the Puttalam District. Gederawewa is home to 160 families. The residents are mainly farmers and daily wage labourers. The Nawagattegama community is located about 130 km from Colombo, the capital city, in Sri Lanka's “dry zone. The area is characterized by frequent drought. Average annual temperatures range from 28℃ to 34℃. These dry conditions make life very difficult for community members, nearly all of whom live off the land and grow crops that rely on rainfall. Some farmers have access to irrigation for their crops but many do not. Heavy resettlements in this area about two decades ago boosted the population significantly, and there is not enough water to meet basic family and farming needs, even for those with access to irrigation. Almost 90% of families lack a safe water supply. This means that children's health is at risk from waterborne and hygiene-related diseases, such as diarrhea. However most importantly there are many individuals in the village who are undergoing treatment for a variety of kidney ailments which they contracted from consuming contaminated water.
In May 2023, Gammadda, a Sri Lankan nonprofit organization, partnered with Next Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd to construct a clean drinking water supply project for the residents of Gederawewa. The project was completed in record time in just two months, and it was officially handed over to the villagers on July 25, 2023, in memory of the second year since the passing of Gammadda's founder, R. Rajamahendran. The project will also see the construction of a water storage and distribution system which will provide the residents of Gederawewa and neighboring villages now have access to clean drinking water free of harmful pollutants. Further, the proposed RO plant will reduce incidence rate of kidney disease and other water borne illnesses in the resident population. Moreover, we will introduce a preventive and periodic maintenance plan to ensure project longevity by forming a Gammadda Saviya.