Reason for disruption of water supply to Colombo revealed

TUESDAY, 05 AUGUST 2014 

A very reliable source reveals that the reason for the sudden disruption of water supply to many parts of Colombo was due to raising the bridge at Battaramulla – Parliament junction so that boats could be navigated freely on Diyawanna Oya.

The main pipeline supplying water to Colombo had been on a level with the old bridge. When the bridge was raised to facilitate boats sailing on the Diyawanna, the water supply had been disrupted. As the raising of the bridge and the pipeline could not be carried out during the planned period hundreds of thousands of people in Colombo were denied drinking water for days.

The operation of raising the pipeline had been carried out without consulting engineers of the Water Supply and Drainage Board but on orders from Urban Development Authority. A coupling used to join the huge pipes had burst when trying to raise the pipeline. It had taken more than 10 hours to repair the coupling.

As a result of this arbitrary move to raise the pipeline without consulting the proper authorities a large number of people were inconvenienced including students who sit the GCE A/L examination which commences today (5th). This is not the first time hundreds of thousands of people have been inconvenienced due to the arbitrary moves by the Urban Development Authority carried out for the entertainment agenda of the government on the pretext of development. The public have had to encounter such ordeals due to the direct orders and arbitrary moves by the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The water supply has been resumed by now. However, the people had to undergo the ordeal for more than 60 hours.

Colombo’s 72 Hour Water Cut To Fast-Track Gota’s Yachting Project: Harsha De Silva

August 5, 2014

As several parts of Colombo and thousands of residents in the city and suburbs suffered through a 72 hour water cut that began on Saturday morning and is yet to be restored the opposition revealed that the disruption was to fast-track a Urban Development Authority yachting project on the Diyawanna Oya.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Dr. Harsha De Silva the UNP’s Kotte Organiser said the ‘bosses of the defence establishment’ had ordained that the UDA project be completed by its end of month deadline.

The Water Supply and Drainage Board was claiming the interruption of supply was due to a repair, but subsequently new information regarding the disruption had come to light the UNP Parliamentarian noted.

“We have come to know that there was no repair needed but the main water lines at the Polduwa bridge near Parliament had to be raised so that a UDA project on the Diyawanna Oya could be completed by the end of the month deadline imposed by the Defence establishment,” De Silva said.

According to the UNP Parliamentarian, the project was aimed at allowing leisure boats and yachts on the Diywanna for the “super rich”.

The Water Board has missed deadline after deadline to restore water to several areas of Colombo including Kotte, Jambugasmulla, Nugegoda and Udahamulla, after the initial disruption was due to be only for 36 hours over the weekend.

On Monday night, Water Board officials promised to resume supply by midnight, but on Tuesday morning the Board claimed supply had been restored only at 5 AM and would take ‘few more hours” to resume properly.

The UDA comes under the powerful Defence Ministry run by Gotabaya Rajapaksa.