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| Thursday, 06 January 2005 |
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by Rajmi Manatunga The flood situation in the Eastern province has obstructed reconstruction activities on the road network damaged by the tsunami waves thus hampering the transport of relief material to the area. Highways Ministry Secretary S. Amarasekere told the Daily News that though they have already initiated a project to reconstruct Eastern highway, the torrential rains and floods that followed last week's tidal waves were preventing further progress. According to the Ministry, the highway from Colombo to Trincomalee has been washed away at 15 places due to the tsunami waves. Around five bridges connecting the highway have also been completely or partially destroyed making the road impassable for vehicles carrying relief goods. "The Colombo-Galle highway is motorable now. We are presently focusing on the reconstruction of the highway in the East. Particularly, the highway from Potuwil to Trincomalee has been severely damaged by the tidal waves. But the floods are causing major difficulties in reconstructing these roads," Amarasekere said. Road Development Authority (RDA) Chairman M.B.S. Fernando said that many eastern roads affected by the tidal waves especially in Komari and Panama are not approachable due to floods while sand and other material used for reconstruction have also been washed away. "Reconstruction teams under five RDA directors have been sent to the East to carry out clearance and renovation. We hope to open the highway for traffic in two weeks. But it definitely requires an improvement in the weather," he said. |
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