With less than an hour of heavy rains in Colombo city, roads become impassable, shops and houses go underwater causing untold hardship and inconvenience to city dwellers, as well as those passing through Colombo.
The Pettah, Horton Place, Thunmulla junction, Maligawatta, and Armour Street junction are some of the key roads used by the public that usually go underwater for these showers.
Victims of city flooding claim that clogged drains and unauthorised constructions are the causes for this and blame the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and State authorities as being responsible.
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R.Sasikumar
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S.Loganathan |
T.Sritharan |
R. Ratnakumar, resident of Beira Road, Gunasinghepura in Pettah, said the flood water reaches up to 2 feet because the drains in front of his house are clogged with dirt, facilitating easy flooding. “We complained to the municipality, but they rarely come to clean the drains. We find it very difficult when it gets flooded, as we have to wade through dirty water that overflows from the drain” he said.
T. Sritharan, a stationery shop owner at the People’s Park Complex in Pettah, blamed the contractors responsible for the construction of the complex. “Since the floodwater reaches up to five feet, all his stocks get wet by the flood water, adversely affecting his business”, he added.“Having lost around Rs.10 million over the last few months., I’m unable to invest anymore into the business, because my income is severely restricted by the constant flooding..” Mr. Sritharan said.
Most of the stationery in Sritharan’s shop were soaking wet and his employees were busy emptying the building of the floodwater, as a Sunday Times team witnessed.
Sritharan blamed silted drains clogged with refuse, for the constant flooding of the ground floor of the complex, even for moderate showers.
“We are sick of complaining of our hardships to government authorities. Every year, during the Vesak season, the complex gets flooded due to heavy rains. Past experience prepares us to protect and safeguard our goods during the Vesak season. But now, rains are neither seasonal nor predictable, and hence, more often than not, we are caught unawares.” he said.
He blamed the CMC and the Road Development Authority, adding that he and his colleagues are requesting the authorities to relocate them in another building.
The businessmen at the People’s Park complex seemed like heavy losers. All their goods spoilt by the dirty floodwater.
R. Sasikumar, another businessman in the same complex said, the floods occur at least three times a year. The main line in the drainage system is blocked. There isn’t an alternative outlet for the floodwater to exit the complex.
“The water rises up to five feet and my goods get completely soaked. When it rains, the complex gets flooded within 15 minutes, therefore, I have built a parapet more than five feet in height, in the middle of my shop, to prevent the water from coming inside the shop.” Sasikumar said.
He said that the Urban Development Authority which was to re-construct the drainage system, haven’t done any work for the past six months.
“We don’t get any flood relief from the insurance corporation either,” said Sasikumar
Special Commissioner- CMC, Omar Kamil told the Sunday times that floods occur due to silted drains and canals, adding that heavy downpours within very small timeframes was another reason.
“In the past couple of months, we have experienced extremely heavy downpours. The average rainfall is 50mm per hour. When the rainfall is around 450mm within 7 to 8 hours, which converts to about 66mm within half-an-hour, the silted drains and canals overflow. Despite de-silting and de-blocking of these outlets, incessant downpours cause floods,” he said.
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He said that, in the last three to four months, the CMC had been working with the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation Corporation (SLLRC), on the directions of Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to prevent flooding of roads and houses during incessant downpours.
He pointed out that changing the system within a short timeframe was difficult “We identified many areas that went under water, and have rectified some of them such as Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Maitland Road junction, Public Library junction and Bloemendhal Road. But heavy incessant deluges could still inundate totally de-silted outlets,” said Mr. Kamil.
The Special Commissioner said that the Water and Drainage division under CMC Engineer H. Gunasekara, have done much research in relation to the flooding of Colombo city. Mr. Gunasekara is now looking at designing outlets into drains and canals, with a view to finding immediate relief.
Mr. Kamil said that, for the past 10 years, whenever there is a heavy shower, very often the People’s Park complex in Pettah is flooded.
“This happens because the building was constructed with a low basement, and water seeps into the basement”, he said. “A year ago, the UDA requested us to construct drainage outlets, which is now in progress. The State Engineering Corporation is handling this project. Hopefully, they may have to give another additional contract to take it further down from the earlier downstream area. ” Mr.Kamil said.
“Therefore this place will have its shortcomings rectified very soon”, He said.
Mr. Kamil said the excess floodwater in Maligawatta ends up in the St. Sebastian Canal. This canal cannot take a large amount of water. Even though it was de-silted by the SLLRC, when 450mm of rainfall was experienced about three weeks ago, it overflowed.
According to him the, CMC is looking to drain the excess water from this canal. This excess water mostly affects the Kettharama area. When it overflowed the water went back into the houses. “Our engineers are working on alternative ways to avoid such a situation.” He said.
Mr. Kamil said the floodwater from Dematagoda and Maligawatta goes into the Hamilton Canal via a sluice gate which is too small, and hence there is a buildup which causes the floodwater to ‘return’.
We have requested the Irrigation Department to enlarge the sluice gate for a greater outflow.Director Engineering- Water Supply & Drainage Board, H. Gunasekara, said the CMC, SLLRC and the Police Department are putting a concerted effort on preventing further floods.
He said there are 33 major flooding areas of which 22 are being attended to. “Bauddhaloka Mawatha Road, Reid Avenue, Scientific Resource Junction and the Public Library areas have been completely de-silted.” Mr. Gunasekara said. |
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