Friday Oct 24, 2025
Friday Oct 24, 2025
Thursday, 23 October 2025 02:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Shanika Sriyananda
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has said a significant amount of funds will be allocated in the upcoming Budget to strengthen flood mitigation efforts.
He said the Cabinet has approved a proposal to continue the National Building Research Organisation’s project to restore and maintain stabilised landslide-prone areas from 2026 to 2030.
The proposal, submitted by the President in his capacity as Defence Minister, seeks to ensure the long-term stability of 250 previously stabilised slopes, for which around Rs. 10 billion has been spent over the past decade.
Dr. Jayatissa said the project will focus on maintaining proper groundwater and surface water management systems to prevent the reactivation of stabilised landslide areas. Recommendations from the Department of National Planning have been received to proceed with the new phase.
The Minister said the Government would not authorise any unplanned or unauthorised constructions in the future as part of its measures to curb the worsening flood situation in cities.
Responding to a question whether the main cause for floods was informal development activities in cities, he said that informal development and illegal constructions had contributed significantly to recent urban flooding, particularly in cities such as Colombo and Galle.
“Many unauthorised constructions have been built with approvals from certain State institutions in the past, but we have directed the Local Government institutions strictly to follow rules when passing plans for constructions in the future,” he said.
Dr. Jayatissa emphasised that although there were unplanned and illegal constructions, as a responsible Government, it could not remove all those illegal structures at once, as that would disrupt people’s lives, but plans were underway to clear obstructions systematically to prevent floods.
According to the Cabinet Spokesman, the Government was preparing long-term plans to modify existing structures while ensuring that no new unauthorised buildings would be permitted in the future.
“These plans will not be implemented on empty land, but we will ensure to implement proper planning to prevent new illegal constructions,” he added.
Dr. Jayatissa said that despite the Government’s ongoing efforts, it might not be possible to completely prevent waterlogging during the upcoming rainy season. However, immediate relief measures would be taken through local authorities to assist flood-hit people.
He also said that Local Government institutions had been instructed not to grant building permits for unauthorised developments and to identify and rectify activities that contribute to floods.
