Friday Oct 30, 2026
Friday Oct 30, 2026
Friday, 30 October 2026 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: JICA Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative Shigeo Honzu, Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata and Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma
Japan will provide a grant of about Rs. 4.56 billion (JPY 2.18 billion) to build a new pumping station to reduce flooding in the Kelani River basin, under agreements signed in Colombo on Wednesday.
The Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry said the Exchange of Notes for the Project for the Improvement of the Pump Station in Kelani River was signed by Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma for the Government of Sri Lanka and Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata for the Government of Japan.
Dr. Suriyapperuma and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative Shigeo Honzu then signed the Grant Agreement.
The grant is provided through JICA under Japan’s Economic and Social Development Program.
The project aims to provide a long-term solution to flooding in the Mudun Ela sub-basin, which covers Wattala and Peliyagoda. Both areas are prone to flooding during heavy rainfall and when the Kelani River rises.
A new pumping station with a discharge capacity of 15 cubic metres per second will be built. It will be equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which allows the station to be monitored and operated remotely. The station will discharge storm water when river levels rise, improving drainage and flood management in surrounding areas.
It would also support the continued development of Peliyagoda as a major commercial, logistics and transport hub, and create a more favourable environment for investment. The project is also expected to strengthen climate resilience and improve flood management across the Colombo Metropolitan Region. The Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC) will implement the project under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development.
