COMBANK CSR Trust officials visit Ginnoruwa to review progress of project to combat CKDu

Officials of the CSR Trust of Commercial Bank of Ceylon, led by the Bank’s Chairman Mr Dharma Dheerasinghe recently visited Ginnoruwa in Girandurukotte to review the progress of an initiative supported by the Bank to combat the spread of Chronic Kidney Disease of an unknown origin (CKDu) in the area.

The visit covered the project office and several houses in the village at which the team inquired about the progress of rainwater harvesting methods. The team also visited the Girandurukotte District Hospital and Mr Dheerasinghe also declared open a bus halt shelter built by the Bank opposite the District Hospital.

The Commercial Bank project titled ‘Raindrops’ involved the donation of 5,000 litre storage tanks for rainwater harvesting to 25 families in Ginnoruwa in the first phase, testing of the 25 families that used rainwater for drinking and cooking for one year for CKDu, and the commissioning of a scientific study on the suitability of rainwater for drinking, following indications from the first phase that rainwater is better than groundwater in areas prone to the disease.

Pictured here (above) is Commercial Bank Chairman Mr Dharma Dheerasinghe at the project office and (Below) Mr Dheerasinghe, the Bank’s Deputy General Manager – Marketing Mr Hasrath Munasinghe and other officials with a family that received a tank for rainwater harvesting.