Drinking water

The ground is dry and dusty. The people are poor and slowly getting ill due to polluted drinking water.

Polluted water from a water pump?

In this village, just outside the city of Kurunegala, there is a water pump which is constantly used by the village people. The pump is located in the village centre and may be up to 2 km walk for some people. But the most important issue are the heavy metals contained within the water.

The water from the water pump is making people ill. The effects of heavy metals in drinking water on our health is well documented by Free Drinking Water on their site. Below an extract of this site:

‘Severe effects include reduced growth and development, cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, and in extreme cases, death. Exposure to some metals, such as mercury and lead, may also cause development of autoimmunity, in which a person’s immune system attacks its own cells. This can lead to joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and diseases of the kidneys, circulatory system, and nervous system.

The young are more prone to the toxic effects of heavy metals, as the rapidly developing body systems in the fetus, infants and young children are far more sensitive. Childhood exposure to some metals can result in learning difficulties, memory impairment, damage to the nervous system, and behavioural problems such as aggressiveness and hyperactivity. At higher doses, heavy metals can cause irreversible brain damage. Children may receive higher doses of metals from food than adults, since they consume more food for their body weight than adults.’

The solution

The people of the village have come together to construct a water well. The well water doesn’t contain heavy metals and is much safer to drink. But the project isn’t done yet. The village people wish for the well water to be stored in a water tower and distribute the water to all houses using a proper water supply pipeline network. The water could also be used to irrigate the dry land.

Will LEO help this village?
45 households and 350 people are depending on help. They are very keen to contribute as much as they can to realise this project, but funding the near £8000.- project remains their biggest issue.

We will do whatever is within our power as LEO Project Foundation to help them secure the required funds and make this project a success.

We will also ask our independent experts to assist the beneficiaries in any way and form they can.