Haycarb Managing Director Rajitha Kariyawasan and Puritas Director Sharmila Ragunathan accepting an Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award from Enterprise Asia Chairman Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn and Enterprise Asia President Dato’ William Ng on behalf of the Hayleys group

At a recently concluded awards ceremony in Singapore, Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara (and its associated ‘Going Beyond’ initiative) was awarded the prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2016 (AREA), in the Health Promotion and Social Empowerment categories. 

As the most prestigious recognition for enterprises in the region, the AREA recognizes and honours the best and most deserving Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship. Winning the AREA is a recognition and independent endorsement of the winners’ organisational efforts to creating a culture of compassion and integrity. The awards were presented by Enterprise Asia, a non-governmental organisation in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development. 

Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara was initiated and launched by Puritas, the environmental engineering arm and fully-owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC. This project is now the principal corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform of Hayleys PLC with multiple sectors of the Hayleys group sponsoring the project that has extended its scale and impact. The objective of Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara is to combat the rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by leveraging the company’s expertise in water purification, to prevent further spread of the disease whilst reversing the conditions of the existing patients.  Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara has reached 16 villages and now helps over 25,000 people in CKD-affected areas in the North and North Central Provinces. To date, the group has invested over Rs.44 million and commissioned 11 reverse osmosis plants, which provide access to 110,000 litres of purified water per day. Further to its principal objective of providing purified water to combat the CKD, this project has further created over 235 direct and indirect job opportunities benefiting over 1,265 dependents in the 16 villages and also has helped to develop local talent in both education and co-curricular activities of the villages. 

Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara was designed to provide a self-sustaining, integrated solution for the communities in the CKD-affected areas. The project includes a reverse osmosis water purification system, distribution mechanism, effective waste management system, a knowledge dissemination centre, organic farming initiatives, efforts to encourage good health and sanitation initiatives and livelihood development activities. 

CKD is estimated to have affected around 400,000 individuals (roughly 10 percent-15 percent of the population in the areas) and has claimed more than 22,000 lives and is found to be spreading rapidly in the affected provinces. In addition to this loss of life, it is estimated that approximately 2.8 million people are at risk of contracting this deadly disease.