The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member and Hon. Members, I thank the mover. As Hon. Nizam Kariapper noted, the Adjournment debate gives Members like us a vital opportunity to speak.

¶ 02 Though I was not raised in Kelani, I lived in Colombo South between 2015 and 2018. Even there, during rains, floodwater entered homes and forced people to move.

¶ 03 Similar issues arise elsewhere. In Kilinochchi, when the Iranamadu tank overflows, nearby residents are displaced. The ADB funded a project of about USD 1,350 million to raise the Iranamadu bund from 35 to 37 feet to route excess water to Jaffna, but to date no such conveyance exists; funds have been wasted and certain towns are said to be receiving water instead. Jaffna’s Nallur lacks proper drainage infrastructure. We view these as major corruption episodes.

¶ 04 I just returned from the Commission of Inquiry into Bribery or Corruption regarding another serious matter at Tellippalai Base Hospital, where a consultant allegedly diverted around Rs. 30 million of cancer-related funds to a private facility without proper authorization—again highlighting governance failures.

¶ 05 Back to the motion: Like Kelani, many areas—Eastern Province, Anuradhapura, and others—face recurrent flooding or water-management failures. We should not bring adjournment motions focusing on one locality alone. As Hon. Kariapper suggested, form a special committee to study and address these issues islandwide. We support the motion in that spirit. Thank you.