Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has directed officials to clean Colombo’s canal and drainage systems within two weeks as an exceptional priority, ahead of expected increases in rainfall.
She gave the instruction on Tuesday at the Colombo District Coordinating Committee meeting at the Narahenpita District Secretariat.
Divisional secretariat offices, the Agrarian Development Department and the Provincial Irrigation Department told the meeting that a shortage of technical officers and difficulty preparing plans and estimates were slowing the work.
Clear drains matter to residents of low-lying parts of the city, where blocked canals can lead to flooding during heavy rain.
The committee also reviewed the 2026 development programme for the district. Officials said 281 projects have been approved under the decentralised capital budget for 184,775 beneficiary families, with an allocation of Rs. 217.38 million.
A disaster mitigation programme will focus on river cleaning and pathway development in Homagama, Seethawaka and Maharagama.
