For many years the residents of Palu Wewa, a small rural village in the Polonnaruwa District, lived with a challenge that many communities take for granted - access to safe drinking water. Every night, long after most people had gone to sleep, families in the village would wake up to collect water whenever it finally flowed through the taps.
Palu Wewa was established in 1996 under a government resettlement programme. Today around 250 families, approximately 1,500 people, call the village home. Most residents depend on daily wage labour, making access to essential services even more critical to their quality of life.
The community had relied on four tube wells and a natural spring to meet their daily water needs. Although the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) later introduced a piped water supply, the service came with a significant limitation. Due to low water pressure, water reached the village only after midnight.
This meant that women, men and children had no choice but to collect water during the early hours of the morning. The routine exposed them to numerous dangers, including encounters with wild elephants, theft and other security risks. Beyond the physical dangers, the disrupted sleep and uncertainty affected the wellbeing and daily routines of the community.
The root of the problem lay in geography. Palu Wewa is situated at a higher elevation than the main water distribution line, resulting in inadequate water pressure during the daytime. While a new water pipeline had already been constructed from Medirigiriya to a point just 1.5 kilometres away from the village, the final connection to the community had never been completed.
Over the years, residents repeatedly sought assistance. They learnt that a proposal for a new water supply scheme worth Rs. 15 million had been submitted for government approval. However, with no immediate implementation in sight, the community continued to wait while their daily struggles persisted.
Recognising the urgent need for action, the Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project brought together community members and government officials to identify a practical, affordable and sustainable solution without waiting for a large scale infrastructure project.
The discussion brought together key stakeholders, including the village's Grama Niladhari, development officer, representatives from the NWSDB and project facilitators. Rather than focusing solely on the challenges, the meeting explored realistic opportunities for collaboration.
During the discussion, the Officer in charge of the NWSDB presented an immediate solution. If the community was willing to excavate the required trench through collective voluntary effort, the board would provide the necessary pipes, technical expertise and installation support to connect the existing pipeline directly to the village. This partnership would make it possible to deliver a continuous daily supply of safe drinking water to the community.
The proposal was met with optimism and demonstrated that solving development challenges does not always require waiting for major investments. Sometimes, meaningful progress can be achieved when communities and government institutions work together, each contributing their strengths toward a shared goal.