PARLIAMENT

Hon. Waruna Liyanage,—To ask the Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing,— (1)

(a) Is he aware that —

(i) there is an acute shortage of drinking water in many Divisional Secretariat Divisions of the Ratnapura District;

(ii) the people living in those areas have faced severe hardships and health problems as a result; and

(iii) lack of proper water supply systems in those areas has aggravated the scarcity of drinking water?

(b) Will he inform this House —

(i) of the extent of work of Phase 2 of the "Visal Ratnapura Water Supply Project", which is implemented as a solution to the said scarcity of water, that has been completed by now;

(ii) whether new water supply projects will be initiated to provide water to the areas that have not been covered by Phase 2 of the said project after the completion of Phase 2; and

(iii) of the number of community water supply projects currently being implemented in the Ratnapura District; and

(iv) whether steps will be taken to initiate new community water supply projects?

(c) If not, why?