• GM calls for practicality over circulars; no talks on relocating pipelines yet 

The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) said that it had taken possible measures to prevent trees and buildings being affected when locating pipelines in urban areas.

The NWSDB made these remarks in the wake of several related public institutions being blamed by many parties for not taking preventive measures to avoid buildings and trees being affected by their projects. 

Most recently, five passengers were killed and four were injured and admitted to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, for treatment when a robarosia tree growing on a banyan tree fell on a passenger bus on Duplication Road near the Liberty Roundabout in Kollupitiya last week. Following the incident, many parties – including the families of the victims – blamed the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and other responsible institutions such as the NWSDB and the Ceylon Electricity Board for not removing such hazardous trees that could cause a disaster.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (10), the NWSDB General Manager (GM) Dr. Wasantha Illangasinghe said that, usually, they did not locate pipelines in a way that such buildings and trees were damaged, but that sometimes a tree had to be cut down or removed when there was no alternative. She also said that the NWSDB is working to its utmost to protect trees found in urban areas, and is making every possible effort to avoid damages.

Dr. Illangasinghe also said that most issues were out of their control, and that therefore, such problems could not be solved by policy decisions. She also said that many such issues should be solved in a more practical manner rather than being framed into circulars. “The remedies we use depend on the context. Sometimes, we can use diverts to locate pipelines to avoid damage. Sometimes, we cannot do so. In such cases, we do what is more appropriate to address the issue,” she said.

Speaking further, she said that the NWSDB is yet to make a decision on the possibility of relocating the pipelines within the Colombo Municipality. She added that such decisions should be made after having discussions with all related authorities.