Int'l experts discuss water treatment technologies in Sri Lanka

19/12/2024 6:14

An international symposium on climate resilient water supply and a water technology exhibition were held in Kandy, Sri Lanka from Dec. 16 to 17.

Both events were jointly organized by the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology (JRDC). Experts and scholars from six countries and regions discussed water treatment technologies and expertise in addressing climate change.

In his speech, S. K. Weragoda, director of JRDC, said climate change has had a serious impact on agriculture, economy, and society in Sri Lanka in recent years, and that many countries represented by the attending experts face similar challenges. He expressed his hope that the experts would share their valuable insights and advanced experiences to provide reference for Sri Lanka.

Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) was a major public health issue in Sri Lanka, with over 40,000 people suffering from it since the mid-1990s, statistics showed.

In 2016, then Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena called the disease a "national disaster" that affected 20,828 patients and caused 5,000 deaths per year.

In March 2015, China and Sri Lanka officially launched a joint research cooperation on CKDu and drinking water security, providing safe drinking water to over 5,000 villagers and more than 1,300 students over the following years.

"Our cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences started from CKDu investigation and now is expanding fast. We plan to find new environmental technologies to invest in since it will create more opportunities for Sri Lankan young people," said Lawrance Madapatha, executive director of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka.

Earlier, the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and JRDC donated a 5,000-liter-per-day electrodialysis drinking water treatment unit to the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka at a jointly organized workshop on CKDu on Dec. 14, to be used for demonstration of safe drinking water in CKDu-affected areas.

Yang Min, from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences under the Chinese Academy for Sciences, delivered a keynote speech at the symposium, noting that due to the limited and uneven distribution of water resources, China had also faced challenges in ensuring water supply safety.

However, China has now achieved water supply safety through continuous formulation of five-year plans, optimization of drinking water safety and technical standards, and comprehensive efforts to tackle challenges in source water, treatment plant and distribution, as well as the establishment of a nationwide water quality inspection and emergency response system, he said.