The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has joined hands with the international relief organization AmeriCares to fund a project to provide clean water to people in Eastern Sri Lanka. USAID signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday with AmeriCares to fund the completion of a Water Distribution Network for the Ulla community in Ampara District, a statement issued by USAID said. The completed project will serve an estimated 2,400 inhabitants in the Arugam Bay area by distributing clean and safe drinking water directly to the people. The drinking water wells in the area were polluted by the devastating tsunami in 2004 and providing safe drinking water for several eastern region communities, including the Arugam Bay area was a critical need. USAID has already committed $6 million investment in wells, transmission lines, treatment plant, and a large elevated storage tank to assure new safe water sources for the Ulla community. AmeriCares will grant one million dollars to the USAID's grant. Following the tsunami in April 2005, AmeriCares launched a one million dollar water purification program in Sri Lanka to improve the water quality and provide permanent sources of clean water for more than 46,000 survivors of the devastating tsunami.