December 14, Colombo (LNW): Authorities say the country’s water supply has now been completely normalised following widespread disruption caused by the recent disasters.
National Water Supply and Drainage Board Chairman Chandana Bandara confirmed that households with damaged water connections will have them repaired at no cost, as part of the Board’s recovery programme. He added that overall losses to the water sector are estimated at around Rs. 5.6 billion.
Progress has also been reported in the power sector. The Ceylon Electricity Board says electricity has been restored to nearly all affected areas, with about 99 per cent of supply now back online. Deputy General Manager Noel Priyantha noted that work is continuing to reconnect roughly 26,000 remaining consumers in parts of the Central and Uva provinces.
All damaged transmission infrastructure has already been fully repaired, he added. At the height of the crisis, an estimated 4.1 million electricity users were left without power.
Transport and health services have likewise seen significant improvements. Commissioner General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi said that 292 of the 293 highways damaged during the disaster have been reopened to the public, easing movement across the country. Restoration work has also been completed on 15 of the 42 major bridges affected.
In the health sector, around 90 per cent of the 236 hospitals impacted by the disasters have returned to normal operations, providing much-needed relief to communities as overall recovery efforts continue.
