Hayleys Brings Happiness and Hope back to Ananthapuram, Mullaitivu.

Puritas Sath Diyawara project infuses renewed life to 3000 villagers

The Hayleys Group gave yet another carefully selected village, the gift of clean drinking water, bringing

renewed hope to over 3000 villagers in Ananthapuram recently  as part of its ongoing efforts to improve

the lives of those worst affected by CKD and other water borne illnesses. The Reverse Osmosis

(RO)Water Treatment System, commissioned under the Group’s corporate social responsibility initiative

‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’, will purify 10,000 liters of clean drinking water a day for the villagers of

Ananthapuram. In a bid to further uplift this village Hayleys also focused on the education of its children,

by creating a library and computers  with internet facilities for the community.

Ananthapuram, which translates to ‘City of Happiness’ is a little village off Puthukudiyirippu in the

Mullaitivu district that took center stage in the final ground battle between the Sri Lankan troops and

the LTTE in April 2009. An estimated 900 families that survived the ravages of the war, including

children, call the little village home, despite a lack of clean drinking water. The closest source is located

two kilometers away and that too is only marginally better than the brackish water that spews from the

wells in the village.

Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys Group, Mr. Mohan Pandithage said “I have visited each village

in which we decide to implement our Sath Diyawara endeavor, and each time I am overwhelmed by the

sheer magnitude of the water crisis faced by these families. Residing in urbanised areas, we

underestimate the harsh reality and impossible living conditions resulting out of not having access to

clean drinking water. The Ananthapuram – Sath Diyawara Project is a Hayleys Sustainability initiative

spearheaded by Puritas and sponsored by Haycarb”

The Hayleys Puritas Sath Diyawara project has to-date provided clean drinking water for over 18,000

men, women and children across twelve villages in the North Central Province and adjoining areas since

2014. Each project is sponsored by a Hayleys Group Company, making it a truly companywide initiative.

“Puritas Sath Diyawara project has also helped bring out the best in the teams who are involved in the

implementation of the projects within the chosen villages. Their passion and genuine commitment to

this endeavor fills me with pride. Our employees become part of this village community during the

whole process. We have even highlighted some of the talented Ananthapuram children at the Hayleys

Chairman’s Awards to perform for the entire Company. This project becomes enmeshed with the hearts

and emotions of our employees, which is the secret behind the success of this initiative”, Mr.

Pandithage further added.

The Group will commission three more RO plants in Vavuniya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura in the

coming weeks, taking the total investment in the eleven plants to Rs. 43 million.

Each project consists of formalized water distribution network through a bowser and multiple docking

stations throughout the village to ensure all villagers have equal access to purified water. Surveys will be

conducted on a regular basis to monitor the benefits of this initiative. In addition, the project will

provide livelihood development activities; promote appropriate health and sanitation practices and

awareness and knowledge dissemination.

Hayleys is among the first global corporate entities and the first Sri Lankan company to endorse the CEO

Water Mandate of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a call to action and a strategic

framework to make sustainable water resources management a priority for businesses world-wide.

Therefore since 2014, a significant component of the Group’s community empowerment initiatives are

under varying themes related to water, and ‘PuritasSathDiyawara’ is the key step towards achieving this

target.