News
Find your own water sources for future projects, property developers in Colombo City told
Property developers, particularly those building condominiums in Colombo city, have been told they must find their own water sources by installing high volume, deep tube wells for future projects due to depletion of treated water provided through the mains supply, said Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Megapolis and Western Development.
The National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB) this week warned consumers to use water sparingly due to the ongoing drought, which has caused consumption to rise sharply. Supply to several locations situated at higher altitudes around Colombo have been disrupted.
The ongoing drought in parts of the country could lead to an unsustainable situation for the NWSDB, the Minister warned. Forty percent of every 100 litres of water supplied to consumers in the Western Province currently goes waste due to leakages as the underground pipeline network is 150 years old. “So, we need immediate action to lay a new pipeline network,” he said. “But, it will cost a colossal amount.”
During the previous regime, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had issued 10, 000 permits to build “unauthorized constructions” mainly in Colombo Fort and Dehiwela-Mt.Lavinia areas, the Minister said. This was done arbitrarily and without considering the environmental impact, including water resources. About 4000 court cases have so far been filed against these buildings by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
The NWSDB provides water to a million consumers in the Western Province. Fifty percent of them are in Colombo City and the suburbs. “We receive 200 new applications for new connections every month from Colombo City, including from condominiums,” said Sumith Perera, NWSDB Deputy General Manager (Western Province Central).