“It Will Be Forgotten in a Week” No Longer Works: Colombo’s Floods and the Demand for Proactive Governance
From Tourism Billboards to Flooded Streets: By Mahil Dole Senior Superintendent of Police (Retd.) In recent weeks Colombo has sought to present itself as a capable host for international tourism and business events. Promotional efforts, including the Sri Lanka MICE Expo, brought together overseas buyers, operators and media to highlight the city’s hotels, convention facilities […]
Heavy rains hit Colombo on November 6, crippling transportation and flooding parts of the city. The rainfall was excessive, with some locations receiving over 100mm in less than an hour, and the city's outdated drainage system could only handle about 30mm. The Norris Canal, with its unauthorised constructions and improper waste disposal, was found to be a contributing factor to the flooding.
The National Hospital was particularly affected, with its Accident and Emergency Department, outpatient areas, radiology, operating theatres, and wards flooded. This disrupted patient care and caused delays due to inoperative lifts. While some people understand the economic constraints faced by the country, they no longer accept temporary disruptions being forgotten within a week.
Social media users are increasingly frustrated, expecting proactive measures from authorities rather than reactive ones. Key drainage and sewerage works are ongoing but have been delayed, causing daily costs to movement and productivity. Despite these issues, the public continues to rely on the authorities for basic services, but this dependence will not last if authorities fail to deliver a minimum standard of resilience.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.