A leak in historic Nine Arch Bridge

• We noticed a crack in the  concrete structure. The water leak through the brickwork is possibly  owing to the obstruction of the stormwater drainage system 

By Prasanna Pathmasiri   

The Nine Arch Bridge at Demodara on the Colombo – Badulla  railway line has developed a leak that has drawn the attention of the  railway authorities.   
A main tourist attraction, the Nine Arch Bridge dates back  to the British rule in Sri Lanka and is a masterpiece of British railway  engineers.   
Director General of the National Building Research  Organisation Asiri Karunaratne said yesterday a team of officials of the  NBRO and the railway engineers carried out an inspection to decide on  remedial measures to prevent the water leak. He said they focused  attention on the endangered locations of the bridge that need immediate  attention.   
NBRO Director General said steps would be taken to prevent any possible damage to the bridge and to protect it for posterity.   
 “We learnt about it from the media reports about the danger  and carried out an inspection immediately. We noticed a crack in the  concrete structure. The water leak through the brickwork is possibly  owing to the obstructions of the stormwater drainage system. It is now  under observation. However, the bridge is not in danger.” He further  said.   
Chief Engineer - Road and Works of the Railways Department  D.M.S.P.P.K Deegala headed the Railway Engineers who joined the  inspection.