The Urban Development Authority is expected to remove nearly 10,000 unauthorized structures in Colombo and suburbs following the Wellawatte catastrophe.
Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the UDA has identified 10,000 unauthorized structures in Dehiwala-Mt.Lavinia and Kolonnawa areas in their initial study. A seven-storey building in Wellawatte that was under construction collapsed on Thursday killing three and injuring 21.
However, before any demolition work, a second study is to be conducted by the UDA with the Census and Statistics Department to earmark such unauthorized structures and buildings that are not fit for occupation.
He said the UDA conducted their initial survey on February 1 this year and came up with 1,800 unauthorized structures along the stretch from Wellawatte to Bambalapitiya.
“The structures that are blocking canal ways, wetlands as well as environmentally sensitive areas in the city will all be removed under this project,” a Ministry official said adding that they will review structural flaws of the small housing complexes that were hurriedly built during the final phase of the war to accommodate Tamil families fleeing the North to Colombo. “Such small housing complexes mushroomed in the Wellawatte stretch and there were no proper monitoring mechanism or safety regulations at the time,” he said.
Meanwhile 18 people were injured after a building under construction collapsed in the premises of the Arayampathi Muttumari Amman Kovil in Batticaloa last evening.
Thirty people had been working at the site when the incident took place at around 4 p.m. yesterday.
Structural faults and substandard construction work were highlighted as the reason for the collapse. The 18 who sustained injuries were taken to the Aryampathi District Hospital, seven of whom were transferred to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital.