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World Bank Lead Agriculture Specialist Andrew Goodland recently insisted that Colombo requires to continued management of floods to prosper and provide good living conditions for its residents.
He made these remarks at the breakthrough ceremony of new Mutwal Storm Water Drainage Tunnel Colombo recently.
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World Bank Lead Agriculture Specialist Andrew Goodland |
The project was an example of the long and productive partnership between the Government and the World Bank.
State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal and Public Sanitization, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa was present as well.
“The World Bank is proud to be associated with this project and of our support for making Colombo a more prosperous and liveable city. I would like to express my gratitude to the hard work that the Ministry team has done to reach this milestone despite the challenges that we are facing due to COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Highlighting that the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project (MCUDP) is an ongoing urban regeneration program of the Government Goodland noted that the World Bank is financing large and complex flood management investments across the city.
“This infrastructure includes a network of pumping stations, canal bank protection, and drainage tunnels such as Mutwal, where we are gathered today. Some highlights include; the completion of over 20 sub-projects to improve drainage capacity and canals, and reduce risks of localised flooding, building and rehabilitating approximately 45 kilometres of roads including improving Galle and Duplication Roads, designed and opened Colombo’s first urban wetland park at Bedeganna and securing legal protection of remaining wetlands in the Colombo Metropolitan Area and making Colombo the first South Asian Ramsar accredited wetland city,” he said.
He also said that ongoing 10 sub-projects are to be completed in the coming months, which include large pumping stations; Ambatale, North Lock, and St. Sebastian South and this tunnel contract.
“Together these projects will help to reduce flooding in Colombo. These investments are needed more than ever as the world faces the consequences of climate change, as weather patterns turn unpredictable and we face more and more natural disasters, the only way forward is to build the resilience of a country, its cities and its people. That is what we aim to do, for which we will continue to proudly partner with the Government,” Goodland said.
The key objectives of MCUDP is to (i) reduce flooding in the catchment of the Colombo water basin, and (ii) strengthen the capacity of local authorities in the Colombo Metropolitan Area (CMA) to rehabilitate, improve and maintain local infrastructure and services through selected demonstration investments.
