Illegal settlers along water ways to be evicted:
Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, who inaugurated construction work on a Flood Control and Water Management Data Centre at Battaramulla, said the new centre built with government funding will be equipped through World Bank aid.
The new centre which will be of special significance to the Disaster Management Ministry would obtain weather forecast, analysis, disaster forewarning, evolve strategies for flood control and regulation, integrated water resources, management as well as provision of environmental services and information distribution, the minister said.
It will be of special assistance to the Navy too during times of disaster management activities, he said.
Minister Ranawaka said even though certain past rulers boasted about controlling floods, they could not predict the 2010 floods which engulfed the Parliamentary complex. He said the need for a disaster warning exercise was highlighted by the experts of the Greater Colombo Flood Control Project after the 2016 floods.
Ranawake said unauthorised constructions which obstructed canal ways in Kolonnawa were dismantled recently. Steps would be taken to evict illegal settlers along water ways in Peliyagoda, Kolonnawa, and Kelaniya. It is also planned to build pumping stations along the Kelani Ganga as well as several tunnels to control floods in Colombo, he said.
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