During the past several years, many roads and expressways have been built in Sri Lanka in the name of development. Several of these new roads and expressways were built filling our precious wetlands using sand dredged from the seas. While Environmentalists sounded the alarm and requested the authorities to consider sparing the wetlands due to their importance in flood control among the many ecological services these wetlands provide, these cries went unheard and in no time, the roads were in operation in place of the wetlands. Then came the rains, causing massive floods. 

Alas, it is extremely unfortunate that our decision makers repeatedly make the same mistake of taking the cheap and destructive route instead of sustainable road design. The public is now left to deal with the floods while the contractors who built these cheap roads enjoy their rewards.

It is not rocket science to understand that filling wetlands with sand to build roads through wetlands such as Muthurajawela obstructs the natural storm water flow, thus making the surrounding areas highly flood prone. 

Sri Lanka being a small island with just a few natural wetlands left, these roads could have been easily built as elevated roads/expressways when they crossed these critical wetlands. Many environmental organizations including RPSL brought this issue to the attention of RDA, UDA, and even the President. As many of these carpeted roads now fall apart, it is clearly evident that the initiative was to build cheap roads at all cost to the environment.

We sincerely hope that the authorities at least learn from the recent floods and take immediate steps to undo the damage already done and follow sustainable guidelines when designing future road networks. 

Man is part of nature and unless we learn to co-exist, environmental catastrophes such as the recent floods will only get worse.  

- Rain Forest Protectors of Sri Lanka