The Colombo Mayor promises grand “short, medium and long-term” fixes for floods, but for now, the city’s big rescue plan is… community centers doubling as shelters.
The Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, has once again assured citizens that solutions are on the way for the city’s never-ending flood crisis. She announced that a program is being drawn up with the support of other government institutions to tackle the chronic rainwater problem plaguing Colombo. According to her, Colombo Community Centers have already been converted into emergency shelters to accommodate people displaced by adverse weather conditions.
Balthazaar outlined a strategy that includes short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures to finally put an end to the waterlogged misery. Yet, residents of North Colombo and Central Colombo, the areas worst hit by rainwater, have heard similar promises before and remain skeptical. The mayor insists the Colombo Municipal Council will coordinate with the Disaster Management Center to deliver relief, claiming that the groundwork has already begun.
While floods continue to submerge streets, displace families, and paralyze daily life, Colombo’s citizens are left to wonder how many more “plans” will be drafted before actual solutions take root. Until then, it seems their main consolation is knowing that the city’s community halls are wide open—ready to be the lifeboats in a capital that still cannot manage its rainwater.
