A live hand grenade has been discovered in the Nabadawewa reservoir in Andagala, Eppawala, prompting the deployment of the Special Task Force for a controlled detonation, police said.
The grenade was spotted on Saturday (April 18) by a person who had come to bathe near the Nabadawewa bridge. After noticing the device in the water, the individual immediately alerted the Eppawala Police, who secured the area and notified the Thambuttegama Magistrate’s Court.
Police said the grenade was partially rusted and believe it may have been thrown into the reservoir from the Nabadawewa bridge by an unidentified person. Security measures have been put in place around the location pending the detonation operation.
The Special Task Force was called in to handle the device safely. Arrangements have been made for a controlled detonation at a secure location.
The discovery comes as police in multiple districts have reported isolated finds of military-grade ordnance in public waterways and open ground, a legacy of the country’s decades-long internal conflict. Earlier this month, former MP Chandana Kathriarachchi was arrested with T-56 ammunition and a hand grenade, underscoring the continued circulation of such materiel outside official custody.
Eppawala police are investigating how the grenade came to be in the reservoir.
