Metro Colombo Urban Development Project :
Dynamic and competitive Colombo
Samangie WETTIMUNY
Sri Lanka as a country requires to tap the competitive advantages of
the Colombo Metropolitan Region to put its development process on a fast
track as the region produces almost 50% of GDP and 80% of industry value
added in production. The Metro Colombo Urban Development Project (MCUDP)
which is jointly financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development of the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka was
launched seven months ago with the intention of making Colombo
Metropolitan area a dynamic and a competitive one.
The total cost of the MCUDP is US $ 223 million. This project will be
managed by the Project Management Unit of the Ministry of Defence and
Urban Development while implementation responsibilities are handled by
three project implementing agencies- Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and
Development Corporation (SLLRDC), Urban Development Authority (UDA) and
Colombo Municipal Council (CMC)
The World Bank funded project is one of the main projects that has
been launched with the intention of achieving profound
economic transformation through urban development. The broader
objectives of the MCUDP are to compliment the present urban regeneration
programme of the Government of Sri Lanka to reduce the physical and
socioeconomic impacts of flooding in the Metro Colombo Region and to
improve priority local infrastructure and services to enhance urban
regeneration.
Speaking on the current status of the project at a meeting held at
the World Bank Conference Room, Colombo last Tuesday Senior Urban
Specialist of The World Bank, Rosanna Nitti said that the packages
procured or under tendering are Town Hall, Walkability, Public
Conveniences, Aluth Mawatha Culvert, Galle Road and Duplication Road
Rehabilitation and gabion protection for a section of East Beira Lake.
The selection of investments for other local authorities are under
finalization and hydraulic Models for macro and micro drainage updated
and detailed design of flood structures to be started soon.
“The project is mainly aimed at reducing flooding in the catchment of
the Colombo Water Basin, and to strengthen the capacity of local
authorities in the CMA to rehabilitate, improve and maintain local
infrastructure and services through selected demonstration investments.”
A special feature of the project is the use of knowledge of local
engineers.
When planning the project the changing weather patterns specially
rainfall patterns during the last 25 years have been taken into
consideration.
According to Additional Secretary (Technical) , Ministry of Defence
and Urban Development and the Director of MCUDP, the project area will
comprise four urban local authorities: the Colombo Municipal Council
(CMC), Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (DMLMC), Sri
Jayawardenapura-Kotte Municipal Council (SJ-KMC) and Kolonnawa Urban
Council (KUC). There are three components of the project. The first
component focuses on flood and drainage management and the issue of
urban flooding. It is vital to pay attention to this issue as it maks a
negative impact on the economy of the Metro Colombo Region with high
socioeconomic costs.
The second component emphasizes on urban development and
infrastructure rehabilitation for Project Local Authorities (the CMC,
DMLMC, SJ-KMC, and KUC). The intention here is to support these
authorities to rehabilitate and manage their drainage infrastructure and
urban roads, to implement selected demonstration urban improvement
investments and improve solid waste collection. The second component
also includes targeted technical assistance for institutional
strengthening and capacity building for central and local authorities.
The third component consists of implementation support. In fact the
objectives of this component are twofold. On one hand it seeks to ensure
the effective implementation of the MCUDP including monitoring and
evaluation, compliance with environmental and social safeguards, and
appropriate reporting. On the other hand the third component will help
reinforce the capacity of the Project Local Authorities, Sri Lanka Land
Reclamation and development Corporation and the Urban Development
Authority for sustaining and replicating the project initiatives. As is
the case with any project funded by the World Bank, this project also
needs to comply with World Bank operational policies in addition to
conformity with environmental legislation of the Sri Lankan government.
Considering social safeguards, the project also needs to comply with
World Bank Operational Policies in addition to conformity with the Land
Acqusition Act and Sri Lanka’s National Policy on Involuntary
Resettlement of 2001. When preparing the resettlement component social
aspects have been taken into full consideration. |