The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) will suspend the water supply to a large stretch of Colombo and its southern suburbs for 24 hours from Thursday night, for maintenance work at the Ambatale Water Treatment Plant.
Supply will be cut from 8.00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3 until 8.00 p.m. on Friday, September 4, both outlets reported.
Areas affected
The board listed two groups of affected areas. The first covers the southern coastal and suburban belt: Nugegoda, Kohuwala, Dehiwala, Mount Lavinia, Ratmalana, Moratuwa, Rawathawatta, Soysapura, Angulana, Indibedda, Katubedda, Kaldemulla, Modara, Koralawella, Egoda Uyana and Katukurunda.
The second covers areas closer to the city and the eastern suburbs: Sethsiripaya, Himbutana, Udumulla Road, Maligagodella, Bank Junction Road, W. A. Silva Mawatha, Havelock Road, Kalyani Road, Colombo 06, Hospital Roundabout Road, Jayanthi Mawatha and Shanthi Mawatha.
The NWSDB said the work is being carried out to improve the quality and reliability of the supply. It apologised for the disruption and asked consumers in the affected areas to store water in advance and use it sparingly during the interruption.
Two spellings of the same places
The two newsrooms differ slightly on two localities. Ada Derana lists Mutwal and Indibedda, while NewsFirst lists Modara and Indibeddiya. Modara and Mutwal are two names for the same Colombo 15 area; the remaining difference is one of transliteration. The lists are otherwise identical.
Context
This is planned maintenance, and is a separate matter from the unplanned shutdown of the Ambatale and Kelani South plants on 25 August, which was ordered over a water quality alert on the Kelani River and lifted the same day once tests cleared the intakes.
Ambatale is the main treatment plant supplying Colombo and draws from the Kelani River. Work there affects a wide area at once, which is why the board’s list runs from Modara in the north to Katukurunda, south of Moratuwa.
What has not been reported
Neither outlet said what the maintenance involves, whether supply will be restored in stages rather than all at once at 8 p.m. on Friday, or whether bowser distribution will be arranged for hospitals and other essential users during the 24 hours. Neither reported whether pressure will be reduced in adjoining areas that are not on the list.
