| |  |
| Water
Supply |  |
Problem of the water
supply is related to the inadequacy of water supply and unsatisfactory operation
and maintenance of supply net works. The main lines are very old and therefore,
replacement of pumps, rehabilitation of reservoirs, improvements of transmission
mains and improvements to the distribution system need increasing attention. It
is estimated that about 40% of the water from the main supply network is loss
due to leakage. As a result some parts of the City specially Mattakkuliya area
are facing acute shortage of water. Steps must be taken to correct the problem
in order to improve the service and reduce waste. At the same time, the increase
in water supply on the basis of increasing building densities and population must
be taken into account in developing new water demand schemes in the city.
| Sewerage |
|
At present piped sewer
facilities are provided only to the City of Colombo. The service in parts of Dehiwala
- Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council and Kolonnawa areas are very low in operation
due to high cost of maintenance. Pipe borne sewerage system in Colombo is very
old and is nearly overloaded. The
other problem is that high density low income residents in the city are not connected
to this system and this is leading to serious sanitation problems.
| Drainage |
|
Drainage of the low-lying
lands presents very difficult problems both technically and economically. During
times of heavy rainfall, the existing outlets into the sea do not have sufficient
discharge capacity to meet the requirements of the peak runoff. The low-lands
which get flooded during this period serve as flood detention reserves. The
filling up of these low -lands for urban development would further reduce the
detention capacity and would cause and increase in incident of flooding. While
Greater Colombo Flood Protection and Environment Scheme (SLLR&DC) has attempted
to solve this problem, it has not been entirely successful. Conservation of wet
lands and paddy fields together with increased density of buildings on high lands
should be pursued as a long term and low cost solution to the flood problem. The
other major problem is the lack of land policy with no proper legal frame work
for land management in the city. Therefore, many flooding problems are created
by reclamation of land and by encroachment of canal bank by unauthorised constructions
thus aggravating the poor conditions of drainage within the city. Therefore legal
and institutional aspects have to be looked into in this respect.
| Environment |
|
This is worst felt
in the City where the industrial and domestic waste water is seriously affecting
water bodies, the ground water and the air quality. Traffic is also a major cause
of air pollution in the City. Lack of dumping ground as sanitary land-filling
is another problem. Encroachment of canal reservations and beach erosion of water
bodies are environmental problems experienced in the City. In the interior the
main problems are the lack of drainage and the conversion of agricultural lands
into urban development. Existing outdoor recreational facilities in Colombo are
inadequate for its population even by the minimum accepted standards. The
sea water pollution due to dumping of garbage and pumping of untreated sewage
into the sea is not even measured. At the same time, excavation of sea sand for
land reclamation could lead to serious sea erosion problems. | 
