COVID-19 has disrupted the construction pace of many companies in Sri Lanka. However, the integrated water supply project in the north of Kandy, Sri Lanka's second largest city, undertaken by the China Power Construction Corporation has not only been unaffected by the epidemic, but also created thousands of job opportunities for the local area.

In September 2019, the Kang Water Supply Project started. The then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Wickler Masingha stated at the groundbreaking ceremony that the Kang Water Supply Project is the municipal water supply project with the largest pipe network coverage in Sri Lanka so far. Meet the domestic water needs of hundreds of thousands of people. It didn't take long for Kang's water supply project to start construction, and it was plagued by the new crown epidemic. In the face of the epidemic, the project department focused on epidemic prevention with one hand and production and operation compliance with the other. Project manager Shi Zhifeng said: "China's strong supply chain supports the smooth progress of the project. Since the main construction materials used in the project are from Chinese manufacturers, the domestic epidemic prevention and control are effective, ensuring that manufacturers can always supply on time."

The water supply projects are distributed in six administrative areas in the north of Kandy, with a construction area of approximately 318 square kilometers. The construction content includes not only laying water supply and water distribution pipelines, but also completing the civil construction and electrical and mechanical installation of dozens of pools and pumping stations, the clean pool of the water treatment plant, the filtration system, and the sludge drying pool. How to ensure the epidemic prevention and safety of all construction workers has become the primary issue. “We have adopted area management for the construction site and personnel grid management. Through strict and effective implementation of various work requirements for epidemic prevention and control, no staff infections have occurred in the project department since the outbreak.” Shi Zhifeng said.

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It is understood that there are currently about 1,300 local employees on the construction site of the project, and it is expected that the number of employees during the peak period will exceed 2,000, which will partly alleviate the employment pressure brought by the epidemic to the local area.

Saman's hometown is in southern Sri Lanka. There are three children in the family and his wife does not have a job. Before the epidemic, he worked as a technician in a company in Colombo. In 2020, the company he worked for was unable to pay wages due to operational difficulties in the epidemic. In order to support his family, Saman came to Kandy alone. After an interview, he was hired as an assistant engineer for the water supply project to be responsible for the on-site management of pipeline laying. With a stable salary income, Saman rented a house and the whole family moved to Kandy. Saman said: "The family can be reunited after the epidemic, and work will be particularly practical."

"Thanks to Chinese companies for their care and care for us over the past year. Not only did I find a job here, but my daughter also interned at the project site," said Ms. Nimini, who is a project surveyor. Nimini's husband, Kalura Turner, worked as a construction manager on the site when the water supply project started in 2019, and died of illness in June 2020. Due to the sudden interruption of the family's main source of income, Nimini, who has retired at home, is worried about his future livelihood. The care of Chinese companies for their employees has ensured a relatively stable local workforce, and the project has been progressing smoothly so far.

The Kandy North Comprehensive Water Supply Project is supported by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China, and is an important cooperation project between China and Sri Lanka to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative. After the project is completed and put into operation, it will provide clean domestic water for 450,000 people in Kandy, effectively alleviate the pressure on local water supply, and improve the social and public environment. Editor/Tian Zengpeng