Taking water to the doctor

Sandwiched between the Indian Ocean and the Puttalam lagoon is a long strip of sand. Kalpitiya Peninsula is 48 km long and 6-8 km wide. The only fresh water it gets is from the rain that is trapped by the thick sand. A thin fresh water lens is present over most of the peninsula at a depth of 1 -3 metres. But recent years have seen an alarming increase in pollutants in the water.

"The water looked clear so we continued to use it for drinking, but children began to fall sick and suffer from frequent diarrhoea," says a mother of two.

"The water wouldn’t even cook the food properly," says another mother, "And my teeth began to chip off when I brushed."

The water looked clear so we continued to use it for drinking, but children began to fall sick and suffer from frequent diarrhoea.

Intensely cultivated, the area receives more than 20x its fair share of nitrate through chemical fertilisers. Leaching of massive doses of agrochemicals and pesticides used in the surrounding cultivations heavily contaminated the ground water. In some areas the nitrate concentration in the ground water exceeded the tolerance level of 0.01 mg/L reporting a disturbing 0.287 mg/L.

World Vision working in Kalpitiya recognized that clean water as an urgent need in the community.

Together with the Water Board and the Medical Office of Health mobile water clinics were initiated to help communities identify clean water sources in their area. The clinic tested water samples and advised them on protection of available clean water sources. The clinic also provided them awareness on water quality.

"Although you mark boundaries on the land, there are no boundaries underneath the soil. It is one big network especially when it is sand. You can’t stop chemicals from travelling underground," explains Nilantha Samarakoon, a geologist attached to the Water Board, Puttalam who led the awareness sessions.

"The other issue is the reckless cultivation in the area makes land owners pump excessive amounts of water, draining the clean fresh water sources and pulling in salt water from the sea and the lagoon under the soil," he said.

"And just because the water you buy looks clear, it doesn’t mean it’s suitable for drinking. What is important is identifying clean water sources in your own neighbourhood and protect it," he said.

"We had stopped using water from our well for drinking but it opened my eyes that the water I buy from sellers might not be good for drinking either," says a community member, after the awareness session. "We still use the water in the well for cooking not realizing that we still consume the same contaminated water although it is boiled."