Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament yesterday that the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) had warned that a planned chemical blast at the Kadugannawa landslide site, on the Colombo–Kandy Road, could further destabilise the already fragile terrain, amid the ongoing bad weather.
Updating the House on the situation, where a landslide claimed six lives, the Minister said a depression had been detected near the 98km post and urgent repairs had been planned. “On NBRO advice, we aim to reopen at least one lane for traffic,” he said.
Rathnayake noted that a more extensive overhaul was required and that the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) had been consulted. A drone survey of the affected slope was also in progress.
“This is a serious situation. We expect to reopen one lane within a day or two, but there are deeper issues. We will brief the President once the final reports are in,” Minister Ratnayake said, adding that the authorities had initially considered a chemical blast to clear massive boulders at Pahala Kadugannawa, following Saturday’s landslide, stressing that the closure of the Colombo–Kandy highway could not continue indefinitely. The debris-clearing plan, to be carried out with the NBRO and Road Development Authority was expected to take at least two more days, he said.