Failure to heed PM’s directive worsened Colombo floods: Patali

United Republican Front leader Patali Champika Ranawaka criticized the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and other officials for ignoring Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya's directive to clean canals and drainage systems in Colombo, which exacerbated the devastating flood that struck the city on Friday. Amarasuriya had issued the directive on October 13, 2026, at a meeting in Narahenpita, aiming to complete the clean-up within two years.

The Prime Minister's Office, along with local government representatives, confirmed that MP Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi and Samanmali Gunasinghe were present during the meeting. Ranawaka dismissed Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar's claim that the drainage system couldn't cope with 129mm of rainfall on November 6 as a "blatant lie," asserting that the system was designed to handle 30mm of rain.

He questioned why the CMC hadn't acted on the Prime Minister's specific directive, noting that no action had been taken since the NPP won the CMC during the May 2025 local government elections. Ranawaka pointed out that Colombo hadn't experienced such heavy rainfall before and that the National Hospital had never been flooded before.

Furthermore, he emphasized that the Fort Central Bus Stand hadn't been so severely impacted before, stressing that the crisis was primarily due to the CMC's failure. During the October 13 meeting, local authorities, including Divisional Secretariats, the Department of Agrarian Development, and the Provincial Irrigation Department, cited a shortage of technical officers, difficulties in drafting plans and cost estimates, and long-standing maintenance gaps as reasons for the failure.

Ranawaka called for adequate compensation to be paid to the business community and ordinary people affected by the flood. He also criticized the much-publicized 'Clean Sri Lanka' project for not intervening in Colombo, attributing the disaster to the poor performance of the CMC's top management. Instead of taking tangible measures to improve the canals and drainage systems, the Mayor appeared to be running a social media campaign to deceive the public, Ranawaka claimed.

He compared the CMC's response to the weather warning issued by Athula Karunanayake, the Director General of the Meteorology Department, on November 12, 2025, regarding the impending cyclone. The warning was made during an appearance on TV Derana's Big Focus programme, and hundreds died in Cyclone Ditwah in late November, 2025. Ranawaka concluded by stating that the incumbent administration's lack of vision in taking major projects was evident, and those who believed in good governance and accountability now understood that the ruling party was on the wrong path.