Veolia wins €156 million contract and contributes to drinking water access in Sri Lanka

By winning a €156 million contract from the Sri Lankan National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Veolia, through its subsidiaries OTV and SADE, will help provide access to water on a large scale in the Greater Matale area. 

Located in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, some 150 kilometers from the capital, Colombo, Greater Matale is a predominantly agricultural region. Veolia, through its subsidiary OTV, has just been appointed project manager for the construction of five new water treatment plants in the region along with 12 service reservoirs, five pumping stations and more 430 km of transmission and distribution pipes. This system will ensure drinking water quality and secure supply for more than 350,000 people. 

Clarification, settling and filtration, the Matale (30,000 m3/d), Ambanganga (18,000 m3/d), Ukuwela, Udatenna and Rattotta (9,000 m3/d each) water treatment plants will incorporate the Veolia solutions and technology that best suit local conditions. Another Veolia subsidiary, SADE will act as subcontractor to design and build the 433 km transmission and distribution network.

This contract was made possible with the support of local French government services through a financial scheme combining export credit from a syndicate of banks (CACIB, Natixis, Unicredit and BNP Paribas), with a guarantee from the French Ministry of Finance and a local commercial loan from HNB bank and treasury bonds.

“Access to water is a key factor in the growth of cities, their citizens and their economy”, said Claude Laruelle, Director of Veolia’s Global Enterprises. “Veolia is deeply rooted and involved in Asia-Pacific where we have, in particular, built more than 250 drinking water and wastewater treatment plants in the last 20 years. Today, we see that in Sri Lanka our solutions are helping an entire region’s development by making it more competitive. They are also contributing to fulfilling our mission: resourcing the world”.