CMC spends Rs 13m to replace sewer lines

Shirley Wijesinghe

Construction work to replace the damaged main sewer lines running through Mutuwella and Madampitiya is nearly complete, Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Chief City Administrator Omar Kamil told the Daily News yesterday.

He said the CMC will spend over Rs. 13 million for the project and some ex-stock pipes available with CMC have been used for the replacement. About half of the city population will be able to dispose their sewage to sea along these sewer lines and the people of the area are being provided better sanitary facilities through the project, Kamil said.

The situation is very serious during the rainy season. There is a danger of the environment being contaminated through the damaged sewer lines, Kamil warned. He said the replacement project was started under the 100 day crash program launched under his direction to give a facelift to the city and provide better facilities to the ratepayers.

Rehabilitation of canals , sewer and drainage lines, beautifying 33 roundabouts, carpeting roads and by-roads development of pavements and Pettah private bus stand of the city are focused in the crash program.

According to Municipal sources, the roads above and alongside the underground sewer lines are vulnerable to subsidence during the rainy season. The CMC construction team had to face severe problems in detecting the cause for the subsidence. But under the direction of Colombo Chief City Administrator , CMC has clearly identified the main reason for such subsidences occurring periodically in various places in the city.