The heart of Sri Lankan tourism, Colombo, is perhaps the only place in the island which gives a total Sri Lankan urban experience to the tourists. However, the boast of Colombo tourism is based on selected areas such as Cinnamon Gardens, Colpetty, Thibirigasyaya and other such areas.. Green and stunning scenery and high rise shopping malls are the tourist hotspots of the city. Not only tourists, but even the public is unaware of the dark areas of Colombo. Last week, the Sunday Observer went on a journey to find the dark corners and forgotten parts of Colombo.
Modara (Colombo 14) and Mattakkuliya, (Colombo 15) lag behind most other parts of the city when it comes to development. Poor road conditions, shabby houses and a heavily industrialised environment show a completely different picture as compared to the rest of Colombo.
The Kelani river borders the right side of the road. The river water is a blackish green, a clear indication of the amount of pollution in it.
Pokunuwatta
With a five minute drive on Ferguson road, we reached a construction site. which seemed like an abandoned project site. People in the neighbourhood came to us after seeing our camera.
“This is one of the main pump stations in Mattakkuliya area which carries drainage water” said Izzadeen who lives in Pokunuwatta. “The pump house of this Mattakkuliya- Pokunuwatta area has been a project initiated more than 10 years ago. The project was assigned to a new contractor four years ago but it still stagnates without completion”, he said.
Pokunuwatta is a village in the Mattakkuliya area consisting of around 150 families. All these families are affected by the incomplete pump station. Some houses are cracked and showed signs of a gradual sink.
“Municipal Councillor Roy Bogahawatta and the Mayor came and promised to finish this work in 18 months. It has already been 5 years without progress. The project has cost Rs. 67 million, we were told”, Izzadeen said. He added, “You should have come on a rainy day. The entire place is covered with drainage water. Some houses have directed their toilet sewage into the main drainage system. As a result,sometimes faeces is also mixed with this water”.
According to Colombo Municipal Council officials, the construction work at the pump station has been temporarily halted due to a technical issue. However, the contractor had not even bothered to communicate the issues to the Colombo Municipal Council until an officer in charge contacted the contractor, when the Sunday Observer queried the matter.
Bokkuwatta
About one kilometre ahead from the Pokunuwatta is Bokkuwatte, another neighbourhood affected by unplanned urban development.
The entrance to Bokkuwatta was a tiny passage built over a culvert, and small houses were built beside the culvert. One side of the village belongs to Modara and the other side to Mattakkuliya. The culvert is the demarcation between Colombo 14 and 15.
“One side of Bokkuwatta comes under the purview of a Municipal Councillor named Wasantha and the other side belongs to another Councillor, Roy Bogahawatta. Under the allocations of Councillor Wasantha, they recently cleaned the larger canal which goes behind the village and then left the excavated garbage on top of the bank” complained Athula, a resident of Bokkuwatta. He said, “It is hard to live here as the surroundings stink due to the polluted canal. Sometimes, even toilets spill over and muck come inside the houses”.
Gnanawathi is also a resident of Bokkuwatta. She complained about the inefficiency of the Colombo Municipal Council and the politicians of the area. “Engineers do not come here on rainy days. If they come on rainy days they would see the actual problem. They do not know how rain water flows”, said Gnanawathi who has been living in Bokkuwatta for 38 years.
Sri Wickramapura
The last king of the island, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe also had a strong connection with Mattakkuliya, (a fact perhaps not everyone is aware of). When he was captured by the British and was brought to Colombo from Kandy he stayed overnight in Mattakkuliya, before his exile from the country. The mansion he stayed in is now a massive warehouse.
Despite the historical importance, Sri Wickramapura in Mattakkuliya also faces the same consequences of unplanned urbanisation as Pokunwatte and Bokkuwatta.The canal going through Sri Wickramapura is also the root cause of many issues.
Nishantha, a resident of Sri Wickramapura had come to the area more than 20 years ago after his marriage. Now, he, his wife, and two children live in a small house built on a land less than one perch in extent.
“The canal next to the house has been a big problem for us for years. Sometimes faeces is also mixed with the canal water. Luckily, the Army cleaned all that recently. So, now it is a bit pleasant” he said looking at the green coloured water body. Flies are another issue they have to contend with due to the unhealthy environment of the area. “We were initially told that a jogging track will be constructed along this canal but it never happened. If I had a better place to live I would definitely move. I am staying in this place as I do not have anywhere else to go”, he said.
CMC responds
The Director, Engineering Works, of the Colombo Municipal Council Eng. M.A.C.M. Fazal told the Sunday Observer that lack of coordination between utility agencies has created most of the development related issues within the Colombo city.
“Our main problem in the city is that there is not much coordination among the utility agencies. We have brought this to the notice of ministries whenever we have meetings, that there is nobody to handle this coordination. Maybe a steering committee can be set up to handle all utility agencies”, he explained. He added, “When you take other parts of Colombo, Colombo North needs a lot of development. We have about 1,600 settlements without basic facilities and most of these settlements are situated in Colombo North (Modara and Mattakkuliya areas) and Colombo Central (Pettah and Hulftsdorp areas). The CMC has a separate program and allocations from Municipal Councillors to upgrade these people’s living standards. However, most of the areas do not have sewer line facilities like other parts of Colombo”.
Most of the canals are also situated in Colombo North. Thirty to forty years ago Colombo North had many marsh lands which functioned as rainwater retention areas. The water slowly flows into the canal, then into the river, and finally to the ocean. But with the rapid development of the city and the scarcity of land,the tendency is to develop most of these lands.
“But we cannot dedicate funds to Colombo North alone. We have to look after everything with the funds we receive” said Fazal.
(Several attempts by the Sunday Observer to contact the Chief Medical Officer of the Colombo Municipal Council - Dr. Ruwan Wijeyamuni,failed)