AmeriCares Begins Water Purification Projects in Sri Lanka

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AmeriCares Begins Water Purification Projects in Sri Lanka
       **Improved systems will provide clean water for 46,000 people**

    STAMFORD, Conn., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- AmeriCares, the nonprofit
disaster relief and humanitarian aid agency, is launching a $1,000,000 water
purification program in Sri Lanka this week that will improve the water
quality and provide permanent sources of clean water for more than
46,000 survivors of last December's devastating tsunami.
    On Tuesday, April 19 at 1:47 a.m. an AmeriCares airlift will depart
from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT, carrying more than
50,000 tons of water equipment.  The flight will be met in Colombo, Sri Lanka
by an AmeriCares water emergency team already on the ground.
    AmeriCares water initiative covers six different projects in three of the
worst affected areas of Sri Lanka:  Galle, Ampara and Batticaloa.  It includes
improving the water quality and increasing the volume at a 700-bed hospital in
Ampara; as well as installing water purification systems in reservoirs
contaminated with toxic algae and providing filters and training for the
systems at four different locations that are currently home to more than
35,000 people living in displaced camps.
    The AmeriCares projects are being undertaken with the support of Tempest
Environmental Systems of Durham, NC, a leading designer and manufacturer of
water purification systems.  Dr. Roddy Tempest, CEO of Tempest Environmental
Systems, has been consulting with AmeriCares on this project and will oversee
the installation of these comprehensive treatment systems throughout the
project.
    "The expertise of Dr. Tempest, leveraged with the strong support and
collaboration we are receiving from Sri Lanka's government, will enable us to
quickly make a difference in the availability of pure, safe water to displaced
survivors who are still struggling to return to normalcy," said AmeriCares
President and CEO Curt Welling.
    The groundwork for this project was laid in January, when AmeriCares sent
its water engineering team to Sri Lanka for a 10-day needs assessment.
Working with Sri Lanka's National Water Supply and Drainage Board, as well as
other relief agencies, the AmeriCares team gathered data on the quality of
water by testing more than 200 sites.
    "The water purification projects we have identified and are installing in
Sri Lanka will have a major impact on the public health and quality of life
for the survivors of the December 2004 tsunami disaster.  With up to 80% of
infectious diseases being waterborne, AmeriCares' proactive Clean Water
Program will have a lasting impact on the protection and improvement of
community health in this country for many years to come," said Dr. Roddy
Tempest, CEO of Tempest Environmental Systems.
    These latest efforts in Sri Lanka are only part of AmeriCares'
comprehensive relief program in the tsunami-affected countries.  Between
December 30, 2004 and January 20, 2005, AmeriCares sent seven airlifts to Sri
Lanka, Indonesia and India, carrying aid valued at more than $12 million.
Currently, AmeriCares relief teams on the ground in these countries are
working with local partners to begin the rehabilitation of healthcare
infrastructure, such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories.

    To learn more about AmeriCares work in Asia and other areas around
the world, log onto http://www.americares.org or call AmeriCares directly at
1-800-486-HELP.
                                     ***
    AmeriCares is a nonprofit humanitarian aid and disaster relief
organization that supports long-term medical assistance programs and provides
emergency relief in the U.S. and around the world.  In the U.S., AmeriCares
provides basic medical services for the uninsured, refurbishes the homes of
the physically and financially disadvantaged and gives a summer camping
experience to inner-city children affected by HIV/AIDS.  Since it was
established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $4 billion in
humanitarian aid to 137 countries.

     CONTACT:
     AMERICARES
     Beth Walsh:  203-658-9578
     Ashley Cross:  203-658-9579
     http://www.americares.org
SOURCE AmeriCares
http://www.americares.org
CONTACT:
Beth Walsh, +1-203-658-9578, or Ashley Cross,
+1-203-658-9579, both of AmeriCares