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| Monday, 16 June 2003 |
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The Government of Denmark will provide US $ 25 million worth assistance to meet the immediate rehabilitation needs of greater Colombo sewerage system. The Greater Colombo sewerage system which was built by the British is almost 100 years old. It has a capacity of 30,000 connections and had been designed to serve a population of around one million in the CMC area and part of the Dehiwala/Mt.Lavinia and Kolonnawa areas. The system is in need of urgent rehabilitation. The recurrent collapses and blockages in the system have caused sewerage overflows which has caused many health hazards in Colombo through water contamination and pollution. Most of the leading hotels and business firms which contributes to the economy of the country are located in the heart of Colombo depending heavily on the Colombo sewerage system. Therefore, the proper functioning of the sewerage system is vital for meeting the urban development needs of Colombo and its suburbs. Recently many condominiums and housing schemes have sprung up in the city of Colombo, which depends solely on the city sewerage system. There are many positive and ambitious mega projects being planned such as the Panchikawatta Triangle, Wellawatta Weaving Mill Site etc. The government has already taken steps to release the land available for development in the city of Colombo and to invite investors. The cost for total rehabilitation of the sewerage system has been estimated to be around 100 million US $. The Government has sought the assistance of several donors for the implementation of this rehabilitation project. However, the formulation of a project of this magnitude takes a comparatively long period. In this context the country cannot simply afford to wait for a long period until the Colombo sewerage system is fully rehabilitated to accommodate the development efforts. The deplorable condition of the Colombo City Sewerage system could create a bottleneck in the strategies of the government to stimulate economic growth. The Ministry of Housing and Plantation Infrastructure, the Colombo Municipal Council and National Water Supply and Drainage Board, as the responsible authorities for the sewerage infrastructure initiated action to formulate an Immediate Rehabilitation Programme to keep the system in operation until such time the main rehabilitation programme can be implemented. Accordingly, action was taken to forward a proposal for the immediate rehabilitation programme to the Danish Government in June 2002. The Danish Government in the context of the urgency of this work, have now given the final approval for an Immediate Relief Programme costing approximately 25 M US $. Under the Immediate Rehabilitation Programme, the most critical sewerage pumping stations and the sewer lines in need of urgent attention will be rehabilitated. The main pumping stations at Madampitiya will be completely re-built and the Wellawatte Pumping Station will be completely overhauled. The main sewer line running through T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Maradana, Panchikawatta up to Mutuwal Ocean Outfall is to be rehabilitated using state of the art trenchless technology with no major digging, without creating any traffic congestions. Local engineers will also be provided with training on operation and maintenance. This project will also address the problems of collapsed sewers at Ward Place and Norris Canal, which could provide relief to the system and the consumers as well. The project will commence in mid 2004 and is programmed to be completed by year 2007. The implementation of the Project will be supervised by the Colombo Municipal Council and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board. This project is an environmental improvement project and would resolve many problems that the city is facing at present such as contamination of water bodies, mosquito menace, odour and smell nuisance. |
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