Blocked drains, broken pumps: Pettah traders blame officials for flooding

Shops at the People's Park commercial complex in Pettah, Colombo, have been badly affected after being submerged in floodwater. Traders accuse officials of failing to maintain the drains and are demanding action to prevent a recurrence.

Rain that fell over a short period caused widespread flooding across many parts of Colombo. At People's Park, the water reached the shops within two hours of the rain starting, and traders said it rose to five feet in the ground-floor shops.

People's Park shop complex association president Loganathan said the rain began at about 6 pm and the water reached the shops by 8 pm with no prior warning. Although the complex has four water pumps, they were useless because the drains and gullies are blocked, he said.

Ramachandran of Yoosuf Foods, who has traded there for 35 years, said this was the tenth or fifteenth such flood. The shops sit about five feet below street level on a ground floor originally built as a car park. This time the water rose about five feet, and every shop, including food and book shops, suffered losses of at least Rs 100,000, he said. Even an inspection by an engineer produced no solution, so he called for government intervention.

Dilshani of Senevirathne Enterprises said water suddenly rushed in from the main road and 'because it all came at once, nothing could be done'. She said officials must act to manage the drainage system properly so this does not happen again.

Another trader, A.B. Polithine, said there was no flooding during the period when Beira Lake was cleaned. The building management could have maintained the pumps better, and the Municipal Council should have cleared the blocked drains, he said. Traders are pressing the council for a permanent solution to the long-standing problem.