Sajith blames government for Colombo flooding and poor drainage

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Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of failing to properly maintain Colombo’s drainage system, contributing to the recent severe flooding in the city.

He said the current government, which came to power promising to bring a renaissance to Colombo within six months, had failed even to properly clean the city’s drainage system.

Premadasa pointed out that when Colombo was flooded following recent heavy rain, the Colombo Mayor had stated that the city’s drainage system could handle only 30 to 50 mm of rainfall.

He said experts had identified problems with water drainage as a major cause of the flooding, stressing the need to repair and properly maintain the existing drainage system.

The Opposition Leader acknowledged that approximately 120 mm of rain had fallen within a short period and that the rainfall was particularly intense.

However, he referred to meteorological records showing rainfall of 493.7 mm in 1992 and 440.2 mm in 2010, claiming that similarly disastrous conditions had not occurred on those occasions.

He said a large number of people had faced severe difficulties due to the flooding, which he blamed partly on the failure to improve drainage facilities and remove waste blocking the drains.

Premadasa further stated that if he were in power, he would introduce modern technical solutions to prevent flooding, including stormwater drainage systems, advanced flood management systems used in countries such as Singapore and the Netherlands, and integrated stormwater drainage networks.

He stressed that instead of blaming one another, the priority should be to take necessary measures to prevent similar flooding in the future.

The Opposition Leader also expressed concern over the inability of the National People’s Power (NPP) government, which holds a parliamentary majority, to resolve such problems.