Published on: 26/04/2011
The Sri Lankan government aims to reach 100 per cent coverage in safe sanitation and water by 2020, said Minister of Water Supply and Drainage Dinesh Gunawardena at the Fourth South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-IV). The current coverage figure for safe water and sanitation was 85.5 per cent, the minister stated.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives were the only two countries in South Asia that had achieved the Milllennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for water and sanitation.
The Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) and Friends of the Earth Sri Lanka said nearly 200,000 people are still engaged in open defecation in Sir Lanka and urged the government commitment to provide clean water and toilet facilities for them.
Source: The Island, 04 Apr 2011
