Claim: The water supply to the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha, located in Wijerama Mawatha, has been cut off.
Fact: The National Water Supply and Drainage Board has confirmed that the news reported in the media about the water supply to the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha in Wijerama Mawatha being cut off is not true.
From allegations of using state funds to the row over the number of security personnel, controversies continue regarding the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha, located in Wijerama Mawatha.
In this context, a claim is going viral on social media platforms stating, “The water supply to the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha in Wijerama Mawatha has been cut off due to an outstanding payment of 300,000 rupees.”
We found that several news websites and users have also shared this claim. Some of these posts can be seen here and here.
Additionally, some posts, though titled “Water supply cut off at Mahinda Rajapaksha’s official residence,” carried descriptions stating that “the water supply has been cut off in the area where security forces are staying at the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Wijerama.”
Fact Check/Verification
A keyword search with the words ‘water supply’ ‘Mahinda Rajapaksha’ and ‘Wijerama official residence’ led us to several news items such as this and this, which carried the clarification by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board that it had not cut off the water supply to the official residence of former President Mahinda Rajapaksha in Wijerama Mawatha.
We also found a statement by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board on the official Facebook page of the Department of Government Information, which read, “The water supply was actually cut off to a nearby location due to an unpaid water bill, but this location is not the official residence of the former president. The location in question was previously used by officers from the former president’s security division, but they left the premises in October 2024. The unpaid bills, which amounted to Rs. 4,29,000, had originally been paid by the Presidential Secretariat. The Board had informed the relevant parties multiple times, both in writing and verbally, to pay the outstanding amount. As the payment was not made, the water supply was cut off. The former president and his security officers did not use the water supply at that location.”
Furthermore, speaking to the media, Attorney Manoj Gamage, the spokesperson of Mahinda Rajapaksha, said, “The water supply to the house where former President Mahinda Rajapaksha resides has not been cut off, and the water bill for the concerned location was paid several months ago. At that time, nearly 160 security officers stayed there, making it normal to receive such a large water bill. Although the location is unrelated to the official residence of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the maintenance of that location has been carried out by the Presidential Secretariat up until now, and the water bill has been paid by the Presidential Secretariat.” These news reports can be seen here and here.
Conclusion
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board has confirmed that the claim that the water supply to former President Mahinda Rajapaksha’s official residence in Wijayarama Mawatha was cut over pending dues, is false. Furthermore, the water supply was cut off due to an unpaid outstanding amount of Rs. 4,29,000 for the location where security officers had stayed behind Mahinda Rajapaksha’s official residence. It has also been stated that this area is managed by the government, and the water bill has been paid by the Presidential Secretariat.
Result: Missing Context
Our Sources
News report on Newswire, dated February 13, 2025.
News video on News 1st Sri Lanka YouTube Channel, dated February 14, 2025.
Statement by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board posted on the official Facebook page of the Department of Government Information, dated February 13, 2025.
News video of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s media spokesperson’s statement published on Ada Derana YouTube Channel, dated February 13, 2025.
News video of Mahinda Rajapaksa’s media spokesperson’s statement published on Dasatha News YouTube Channel, dated February 13, 2025.
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