MULTI-FACETED DEVELOPMENT PLAN UNVEILED
Area surrounding Beira Lake
The multi-faceted development plan for the area surrounding Beira Lake, to be known as ‘Ranmasu Pura,’ was unveiled by the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry yesterday.
The land surrounding the lake will be reclaimed and will be one of the five areas that will be developed by the government to create a corridor connecting the Colombo Harbour, Viharamahadevi Park, Colombo Port City and Galle Face.
Speaking of the project, subject Minister Champika Ranawaka said the aim of the project was fivefold and included programmes to increase the productivity of the area, clearing out and maintaining the lake from being used as a dumping site and making the site as a recreational area for locals and foreigners. The minister went on to say that the government hoped to introduce special regulations for the area.
Under the programme, the government has allocated 55 hectares for development, 30 hectares for State offices, 27 hectares for the Sri Lanka Railway Department, 26 hectares for warehouses -- a majority of which will come under the purview of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) -- 24 hectares as residential areas and 20 hectares as public area.
The government has already relocated families living in 500 unauthorised structures, mainly constructed in the Western bank of the lake, to new housing units constructed under the urban regeneration project.
The government has also looked into establishing new infrastructure facilities such as the Light Railway Transit System by 2023 while developing the existing railway system. Also, the construction of expressways is scheduled to be completed and connected to the main transportation system that is to be constructed in Fort.
Speaking of the project’s progress, the minister said close to 19 hectares had already been cleared for the mass development programme and construction had already begun in several areas.
Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of the ‘Beira Lake Intervention Area Development Plan,’ Minister Ranawaka said nobody would see Beira Lake as an urban backyard or sink, but would instead appreciate the enormous potential that it offered in improving the quality of infrastructure, environment and enhancing the economic value of the properties in the vicinity.
After several decades, from the 1990s onwards, the authorities began to see the importance of this water body in the city from several perspectives
“Today, we embark upon yet another initiative in our drive to develop the city of Colombo as a vibrant economic centre as part of our Mega Development Programme – Western Megapolis. The development plan we launch today represents a vital element of the master plan to develop the central business district of the megapolis.
The minister went onto say that many facets of the overall urban landscape in Colombo underwent major change during the British rule in Sri Lanka, and that Beira Lake was no exception.
“On the one hand, a good part of the water body was reclaimed to accommodate the military, commercial and administrative facilities of the establishment. On the other, the banks of the Northern Beira were turned into docks. The waters became anchoring yard for barges that carried goods from and into the island. The area was made the logistics hub of the city. The port infrastructure, railway hub and an extensive warehouse complex were all sitting on the banks of the lake. The remnants of such infrastructure from the British era are visible to this very day. The present Beira Lake is part of a much larger internal water body known as ‘Kolong Ganga’ that spread across and connected most parts of what is present day Colombo and Sri Jayewardenepura. It was flowing onto the sea at ‘Kolong Tota.’ Kolong Tota is precisely where the Colombo Port was, before expanding to what it is today. This was the sea port through which the Kingdom of Kotte maintained trade relations with China and Arab, before the eras of successive invasions by the Portuguese and the Dutch.
“During the subsequent phase of expansion of the Port of Colombo, the Beira Lake got relegated to a backyard facility. For about half a century, until the 1990s, this water body did not attract attention of authorities, except for drainage purposes of course. The role of Beira Lake was seen as that of assimilating waste of the mainstream activities of the city, so much so that it gave rise to a Sinhala adage meaning ‘All Dirt to Beira Lake.’ And gradually, as would inevitably happen under the congestion pressures of messy urbanisation, the lake started losing its water cover to unauthorised reclamation. After several decades, from the 1990s onwards, the authorities began to see the importance of this water body in the city from several perspectives.
“Firstly, it was identified as an important resource in augmenting the drainage network that is essential to sustain the upcoming largescale developments in the city. Secondly, it was seen as a vital resource in improving the environmental quality in order to assure a livable, hygienic and
Today, we embark upon yet another initiative in our drive to develop the city of Colombo as a vibrant economic centre as part of our Mega Development Programme – Western Megapolis
attractive atmosphere in Colombo. And thirdly, it was viewed as a possible mode of transportation to mitigate increasing traffic congestion in the core area of the city.
“Since we embarked upon this mega development drive called the Western Megapolis two years ago, in order to bring about the strategic spatial transformation called for by the development trajectory envisioned by our nation, I am happy to tell you that we have managed to gradually develop the Beira Lake and its surroundings into an attractive place,” Minister Ranawaka said.
The ‘Beira Lake Intervention Area Development Plan’ is a joint venture of the Singapore Corporation Enterprise, Centre for Livable Cities and Temasek Foundation.