Chinese Government provides RMB 124 million grant for the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Centre for Water Technology Project

On March 26, 2015, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Water Supply of Sri Lanka signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Centre for Water Technology Project. They submitted a project application to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) of China in August 2015. Then, on February 16, 2016, the Chinese Government and the Government of Sri Lanka signed a grant agreement for the China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Centre for Water Technology Project. The project was officially approved by MOFCOM on December 21, 2016. The estimated value of this grant commitment is RMB 124 million (LKR 3.4 billion). The project involved the construction of a scientific research complex, a water quality analysis platform, a pilot study center, expert accommodations, and supporting facilities. The project site, which has a total construction area of about 5,000 square meters, is located on the campus of University of Peradeniya in Kandy, the second-largest city in Sri Lanka. The purpose of the project was to find a scientific solution to end chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKD). Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has spread over 11 districts in Sri Lanka mainly due to the changes in various human activities and environmental factors. Over the past 30 years, it has become a major health issue. This disease is particularly acute among the farmers’ 40-60 age groups. Most researchers believe that the cause of CKD is drinking contaminated water. China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (CTCE) — a subsidiary of China Railway Group Ltd. — was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Construction began on September 28, 2018. Then, on July 17, 2019, the project successfully passed mid-term acceptance with the funder of the project (the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Commerce). The originally anticipated project completion date was May 2020. The project was ultimately completed in December 2020. The state-of-the-art Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology (JRDC) has reportedly undertaken three groundwater purification demonstration projects and installed more than 20 rainwater harvesting devices in the CKD-affected areas to provide high-quality drinking water to more than 4,000 villagers and 1,300 primary school students. In October 2020, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Water Supply Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka Charge d’affaires Hu Wei signed a Supplementary Agreement to the March 26, 2015, MoU. Hu Wei signed the agreement on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Under the terms of the Supplementary Agreement, the Chinese Academy of Sciences agreed to provide RMB 6-8 million (Rs. I65-220 million) of annual funding for continued collaboration JRDC over a five-year period (2021-2025).

Additional details

1. This project is also known as the China Sri Lanka Research Grant Project (CSLGRP) and the Sino-Sri Lanka Water Center Project. The Chinese project title is 斯里兰卡水技术研究与示范联合中心项目 or 中-斯水中心综合大楼. 2. One CTCE source suggests that construction began in May 2018 rather than September 2018. This issue merits further investigation. 3. One Government of Sri Lanka source identifies the monetary value of the grant commitment as $105 million. However, this is an outlier estimate and appears to be a typographical error. AidData has coded the monetary value of the grant agreement based on the value (RMB 124 million) disclosed by the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka.

Number of official sources

22

Number of total sources

37