Crow Island beach park development gets under way with WB assistance
View(s):Crow Island in Mattakkuliya, a landscape similar to that in the Eastern coast with a slum environment, thin lanes tightly packed with dwellings, Hindu kovils and churches is to be developed into a public recreational facility under the Metro Colombo Urba Development Programme (MCUDP) with World Bank assistance next year.
This was disclosed by Rosanna Nitti, Task Team Leader of Metro Colombo Urban Development when she made presentation on the overview of programme in Colombo on Thursday.
The area which has been in the grip of organised gangs involved in criminal activities and drug trafficking will be converted into a park cum public recreational facility including all modern amenities while special care will be taken to conserve the natural environment and surroundings during and after the construction of the project.
The total cost for the Crow Island beach park project is in the region of Rs. 275.78 million. The Crow Island is a neglected strip of land of about five acres located close to the Kelani river mouth. A team of architects and experts on beachfront development projects in the Asia–Pacific region has been entrusted with the task of designing the park for the benefit of people of all ages and all walks of life living particularly in the Colombo North region.
One fourth of the MCUDP has been completed providing benefits for urban citizens creating better open spaces to provide opportunities to interact with each other irrespective of cast, creed religious or class differences, Ms. Nitti added.
The project is aimed at reducing floods in the catchment of the Colombo water basin, and strengthening the capacity of local authorities in the Colombo Metropolitan Area to rehabilitate, improve and maintain local infrastructure and services.
The World Bank loan is for US$213 million, while the Government of Sri Lanka is contributing $108 million towards project implementation.
She said that the World Bank team is now reviewing the progress of the project and it will be completed in 1 1/2 weeks and a comprehensive report will be released shortly.