News

News

CRUMBLING UNDER CONDOMINIUMS

Luxury for some suffering for others
Residents living close to condominiums in the Colombo city limits have complained that they are already facing water shortages and sewerage problems.
The worst hit residents are those living close to the condominiums in Wellawatte, Kollupitiya and Bambalapitiya.
Rada Kavdan, a boutique owner in Wellawatta said they don’t get enough water from the mains as most of the condominiums are connected to the main water line and gobble up most of the supply.
He also said a water leakage from a luxury condominium in the Station Road at Wellawatte caused a lot of inconvenience to him and others living closeby.
Another resident in Wellawatte said that drains in the area get blocked especially on rainy days as the condominiums use the main sewerage line.
He also complained about the traffic jams because of apartment owners parking their vehicles on the narrow lanes.

Rapidly mushrooming condominiums in Colombo, its suburbs and other cities in the country may soon become a heavy strain because of improper planning, experts warn.

They say that people living especially in Colombo and its outskirts may soon face water shortages, sewage and traffic problems if authorities don’t check the rapidly increasing number of condominiums which appear to have become a booming business.

These high-rise buildings could become a burden on the almost 100-year-old sewerage system in Colombo as well as the distribution of water. According to estimates of the Condominium Management Authority there are about 500 condominiums in the Colombo city limits and 300 in the suburbs of Colombo and in the outstations. Officials say 500 new condominiums have been planned for this year in Colombo city. (these would make more than 5000 housing units altogether). Meanwhile officials of The Water and Drainage Board have voiced concern pointing out the inadequacies of the existing infrastructure. “We don’t have sufficient sewerage lines to cope with the number of condominiums that are increasing day-by-day. Water is not a big problem now but we will soon face that problem too,” an official said.

She said the Water Board would only be able to meet such demands by 2009, when work on a modern and expanded sewerage system would be completed.
Urban Development and Water Supply Minister Dinesh Gunawardena too held the view that the existing sewerage system could not cater to the increasing demands of a fast modernising city.

Meanwhile Nirmala Herath, the director of the Planning branch in the CMC said of late there has been a sudden increase in the construction of condominiums and housing complexes. Although she believed that condominiums were a solution to the problem of providing housing in the limited space available in the city, she too agreed that the existing infrastructure could not meet the demands of such constructions.

She admitted that permits for condominium projects have been granted since they cannot discourage investors who bring in money into the country. However she said there are instances where developers did not stick to the original plans, after building permits were granted. She also said approval for condominium projects are given only after much study. CMC grants the certificate of conformity to developers after it gets approval from both the Urban Development Authority and the Water and Drainage Board.

In some cases the developers are required to obtain approval from the Central Environment Authority, the Defence Ministry, and the Coast Conservation Department too. Sometimes developers are asked to get a Traffic Impact Assessment too.

Underlining a problem the CMC faces she said sometimes although developers putdown in their original proposals that they would have their own water supply, when they start building they conveniently connect the water supply to the main line thereby inconveniencing neighbours. She also said that sometimes the sewerage system gets blocked because developers do not adhere to the regulations imposed by the CMC when building condominiums.
According to the Board of Investment (BOI) 113 housing projects have been approved in the city of Colombo alone. Some have been approved, others are awaiting commercial operation, or construction while others are in occupation.
Wellawatte is one of the most preferred areas for condominium construction. BOI has given approval for 36 housing and condominium projects in Wellawatte (Colombo 6) while 22 projects have been approved for Colombo 3 mainly covering Kollupitiya.

The number of units in condominiums vary from 25 to 200. Architect D.H. Wijewardene, of The Sri Lanka Institute of Architects has also warned that the sewerage system in Colombo city may give way in about five years if proper steps are not taken to improve it. He also said Colombo may soon be unable to boast of being a green city if condominiums keep coming up at the pace they do without proper planning. It might be more akin a concrete jungle.
Mr. Wijewardene also noted that most of the condominiums didn’t have emergency exits such as fire escapes and if a fire broke out in one of them it would have disastrous consequences. Most of these apartments are bought by expatriate Lankans or foreigners and they range in price from about Rupees five to eight million.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times learns that a leading condominium developer involved in constructing a new luxury apartment complex in Elvitigala Mawatha in Colombo 8, while listing its specifications such as, ceiling, floor finish, pantry, telecommunication and electricity supply has also guaranteed the tenants water supply, sewerage and waste water disposal from the municipal line.

It is also learnt that some apartment complexes mainly in Borella and in Torrington have connected their sewerage to drains which are meant for releasing rain water.

The increasing number of condominiums in the Colombo city limits has also contributed to traffic congestion. In some cases the vehicles of the occupants of the apartments are parked outside on the road, as the vehicle parks at the apartment complexes can accommodate only a few vehicles. Condominium developers are required to allocate a 30-foot roadway in their development plans which they present to the municipal council. But in many cases they don’t adhere to their plans .

There are more than seven apartment complexes in the Station Road in Wellawatte but the road width is narrow and this causes traffic congestion, residents complain. They also complain that it is sometimes difficult to raise any issues with the developers who vanish from the picture once they sell their apartments.

Apart from Colombo 6 and 3 where a number of condominiums and housing complexes have come up and will come up, there are many coming up in Colombo 4, 5, 7 and 13.

-Nalaka Nonis

Top

Back to News