Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Civil Aviation began cleaning and widening drainage canals around Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on Thursday, the first physical works under an urgent programme aimed at stopping the airport’s access roads from flooding during heavy rainfall.
The work is being carried out by a special task force appointed after a May 28 meeting chaired by Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku. The ministry said the immediate goal is to “remove blockages, improve canal flow and ensure proper rainwater drainage” along the network that drains the area surrounding the country’s main international gateway.
Flooding of the BIA approach has become a recurring disruption for arriving and departing passengers during intense monsoon downpours, with vehicles sometimes forced to wade through standing water on the Katunayake stretch. The ministry said the canal works should also reduce flood risks for communities around the airport perimeter, not just air travellers.
Officials described the June 4 start as a short-term intervention. Longer-term solutions are being prepared in consultation with other agencies, the ministry added, framing the cleanup as a stop-gap before more durable drainage infrastructure is built. No total cost figure or completion date has been disclosed.
The cleanup follows a series of Katunayake-area infrastructure decisions in recent weeks, including a Rs.11 billion cabinet approval to upgrade lighting along the Katunayake expressway. It also lands as the country heads deeper into the southwest monsoon, with the Department of Meteorology already issuing amber advisories for strong winds and rough seas through early June.
Source: Cleaning of drainage canals begins to address BIA access flooding — Newswire.
