Clean the Blocked Canal Near Bandaranayakepura immediately!

Right next to Bandaranayakepura in Rajagiriya lies what can only be called a *”Dengue Farm.”

A key section of the canal is completely blocked with garbage, silt, plastic, and overgrown weeds. Water flow has stopped entirely. It is now a stagnant green, mosquito-breeding swamp. This is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a public health emergency. 

We are in the middle of a high-risk dengue season. While our doctors and health workers are struggling in hospitals filled with dengue patients, and while the government tells us to “destroy mosquito breeding places,” this massive breeding ground is being ignored by authorities in the heart of Colombo.

The location makes it worse. It is right beside a densely populated residential area with schools and commercial zones. 

The risk to children and the elderly is ten times higher. With the next heavy rain, this blocked canal may also cause flooding.

Therefore, I urgently call upon the Colombo Municipal Council, the Irrigation Department and the Ministry of Health to act immediately. Fumigating the Bandaranayakepura housing cluster must be urgently done to control spread.

This is a fight to protect the lives of our children and elders. We demand immediate action, not another committee.

- Sumith de Silva