Major City refurbishment plan reaches halfway mark

Monday, 1 December 2014 01:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

At the halfway mark only 25% of the $ 213 million loan has been spent, with major projects still ahead
Two new pumping stations in planning stages, third pumping station proposed
New Baddegana park will be open by March 2015
Beira Lake Park will be open soon
Work has begun on the new Crow Island Beach Park

By Senuri De Silva The World Bank last week revealed that the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project has now reached its halfway mark, with 75% of the loan still available to be utilised for development in the next two and a half years. The plans have been carried forward with a loan of $ 213 million which was granted to the Sri Lankan Government by the World Bank in 2012 for a five-year plan aimed at complementing ‘the urban regeneration program’ of the Sri Lankan Government. As World Bank Senior Urban Specialist Rosanna Nitti said, the objective of the loan was to, “complement the urban redevelopment program of the

Government of Sri Lanka by reducing the economic and socio-economic impact of the floods in the Colombo basin.” She added: “The project was designed to reduce flooding and to help the Government increase the capacity of the agencies that manage the canals and the floods and also the local authorities that are in charge of some of the maintenance of the smaller canals and some of the recreational areas created around the canals.” Projects that have been completed thus far include the building of public toilets, carpeting of roads, refurbishment of Town Hall and Vihara Maha Devi Park, creation of pedestrian crossings, installation of LED lights, wide sidewalks and seating arrangements as well as a removable center lane that can be used to further widen the road. In addition to this, work is nearing completion for two more parks being built in Baddegana and around the Beira Lake while a third park on Crow Beach is seeing its initial stages. The Baddegana park will include a boardwalk and a bird watching tower and is expected to be opened to the public enjoyment as soon as March 2015. Both the Baddegana and Beira Lake parks aim to preserve and protect the ecosystems of that area while giving people access to natural wonders. The park on Crow Beach will come complete with a picnic area, a sand area for beach games, a safe swimming area with measures being taken to protect swimmers from the current, a boardwalk, a jogging trail, a wetland park and a restaurant that will generate income for the CMC while creating numerous employment opportunities in the community. The main objective of the loan was to provide a solution for the flooding situation in the city. Therefore the most important upcoming project will be the construction of two pumping stations that will feature local engineering talent and import state-of-the-art technology to be located at St. Sebastian canal and Gothatuwa. While the construction of these pumping stations is still in the planning stage, a third pumping station has also been proposed and is currently being considered. Furthermore, the loan is managed by the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development with the task of implementation being handled by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, UDA, CMC as well as three local authorities from the Kotte-Sri Jayawardenapura, Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia and Kolonnawa areas.