The Ministry of Urban Development has launched a Rs. 218 million programme to maintain and rehabilitate 31 canal roads and associated water systems across several flood-prone Colombo suburbs, with completion targeted before October 2026.
Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara, who inspected ongoing works in Kolonnawa, Kelaniya, Mattakkuliya, Meethotamulla and Kotikawatta-Mulleriyawa, said the programme aims to reduce flood risk, accelerate drainage and safeguard the urban environment, Newswire reported.
The works are being jointly implemented by the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, the Urban Development Authority, the Colombo Municipal Council and the relevant provincial councils.
The rollout follows repeated severe flood events across the Kelani basin and the Colombo suburbs over the past 12 months, including the May 13 red warning for the Kalu and Gin rivers and the late-May Kuda Ganga flood warning. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reviewed the Kelani river flood control framework with the UDA in mid-May, part of a broader infrastructure renewal push following Cyclone Ditwah.
