Sewerage disposal gets top priority

Lakshmi de SILVA and Shirley WIJESINGHE

The Colombo city’s century old sewerage disposal system has been taxed to the limit by the population explosion of the city and would have posed a danger as much as the terrorist problem. The Greater Colombo sewerage management project to be commenced now needs improvement, Local Government and Provincial Council Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said yesterday.

The Minister made this observation at a function at the New Town Hall Auditorium in connection with the opening of the Greater Colombo sewerage management project costing US $ 100 million funded by the Asian Development Bank.

Western Provincial Council Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the modernization of the sewerage system should have been done at least 10 years back. “Since we are starting it now, action should be taken to complete the project early without any delays and given top priority.”

The project will cover the CMC area with four new pumping stations, modernizing the existing seven stations, modernizing the two main pipelines which discards treated sewerage to the sea.

In addition the condition of sewers will be studied and essential sewerage pipe lines will be modernized while the CMC will be provided with equipment and methodology to manage sewerage disposal. Another nine kilometre sewerage conduits will also be modernized.

Under this project Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council will also be given 4 pumping stations while 2 pumping stations in the Kolonnawa Urban Council area will be modernized.

The project is to be under the purview of the Local Government Ministry and the Western Provincial Council to be implemented by the CMC and National Water Supply and Drainage Board.