Recent tests carried out at the Kelani River have indicated that the purity level of the water is diminishing and therefore may not be appropriate for drinking purposes, an environmental NGO said yesterday.

The Eco Friendly Volunteers (ECO-V) said it had carried out water purity tests with the support of a group of youth from around the country who travelled from the starting point of the Kelani River at Sri Pada to the point where the river meets the sea at Wattala. The water purity level was tested at regular intervals on the 13-day journey.“We found that the level of cleanliness of the water had declined gradually as the river ran towards the sea. Sufficient tests on drinking water are not conducted in Sri Lanka and therefore it is difficult to determine if the water is suitable for drinking purposes,” ECO-V Founder-President Kanchana Weerakoon said. She said the chemical components in the water have to be tested to determine if it was suitable for drinking. Such tests are not conducted in Sri Lanka,” she said. “There are general tests carried out on drinking water but there have been no tests on the chemical components in the water which could contain carcinogenic metals that are cancerous.” She said artificial purification tests can only purify water to a limited extent but that natural vegetation and a clean environment was the best means of ensuring the quality of drinking water. She explained that this was why natural water was pristine.

Western Province Environment Minister Udaya Gammanpila who addressed an event on the Kelaniya River project said the Kelaniya River, which was the fourth longest river in the country serves 80 per cent of water sources to residents in Colombo and was also a major source of water in the Western Province. “We need to better educate people on the importance of safeguarding our natural resources to ensure that they are protected,” Mr. Gammanpila said.  (Olindhi Jayasundere) (Pix by Kithsiri de Mel)