The flash floods in Colombo on Friday evening demonstrated the Government’s inability to prepare for natural disasters, the United National Party (UNP) said, calling on the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to explain its failure to prevent flooding.
In a statement issued on Saturday (7), the UNP said domestic and international meteorological departments had repeatedly warned that Sri Lanka would experience above-average rainfall during this year’s monsoon season due to the growing impact of El Niño.
However, the UNP said the authorities had once again demonstrated their inability to respond to emergency situations, adding that the flooding not only inconvenienced Colombo residents but also placed many motorists in life-threatening situations. It identified the failure to maintain sewage drains and canals across the city as one of the main contributing factors to the flooding.
The UNP said maintaining the municipal drainage system was a key responsibility of the CMC and called on the Mayor and the Council to immediately explain the reasons for the failure to maintain the infrastructure.
The party also recalled that the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, launched in 2018 under the UNP Government, included a $ 104 million flood-mitigation project funded by the World Bank. However, its completion had not been possible due to the 2022 economic crisis, urging the Government to immediately prioritise the project to reduce the risk of future flooding.