Japan will give Sri Lanka grant assistance of JPY 2,179 million, about Rs. 4,539 million, to build a stormwater pumping station in the Kelani River basin, the Japanese embassy said.
Japan’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Akio Isomata, and the Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, signed and exchanged notes on the grant in Colombo on 28 October.
The assistance is for the “Project for the Improvement of the Pump Station in Kelani River Basin”. The embassy said the project aims to reduce the damage from future floods by improving stormwater drainage capacity in the part of the basin that lies in the Colombo Metropolitan Area.
The pumping station will be built using Japanese technology. According to the embassy statement, it will improve the safety of local people, protect economic activity in the area and strengthen Sri Lanka’s resilience to natural disasters.
The embassy said the project would also strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster risk management and support its socio-economic development, drawing on the technology of Japan, which is also a disaster-prone country.
Background
The embassy described the Kelani River basin as an important area for economic activity, used by both domestic and international businesses. It said the area contains major logistics routes, warehouses and office buildings.
It also said the basin has a history of repeated flood damage. Communities there were still recovering from the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah last year, and concerns have also been raised about the possible effect of El Niño on Sri Lanka’s flood risk, the embassy said.
The embassy said climate change is raising both the frequency and the severity of natural disasters, and that protecting vulnerable communities has become an urgent matter worldwide.
A grant is different from a loan. It does not have to be repaid, so it does not add to Sri Lanka’s external debt, which has been under restructuring in recent years. The statement did not say when construction would start or finish, or which agency would carry out the work.
What it means
For residents and businesses in the low-lying areas along the Kelani River in and around Colombo, better stormwater pumping is meant to help water drain away faster during heavy rain. The embassy said this would protect homes, warehouses and offices in the basin.
Because the area carries freight routes and storage facilities, flood damage there can disrupt the movement of goods as well as daily life. The embassy said the project is meant to limit that kind of disruption. The statement did not give the number of people expected to benefit.
