Design of Sewerage System in Kirulapone for Colombo Municipality

The sewerage system in the Colombo city had been laid by the British a few centuries ago and whatever development that is presently being done is augmentation of the whole system. Frequently a few additions have also been made to the system but due to financial constraints these additions are being done at a very slow pace. Discharging sewage is also important as collecting sewage. However, the method of discharging sewage to the ocean without any treatment whatsoever had been practised from the very inception and this has continued up to the present time. Although there had been environmental pollution from the beginning, due to the fact that the population and volume of sewage being extremely small at that time, the level of pollution had not been significant. However, with the enlarged population as well as increase in the volume of sewage over the years, there should be some form of sewage treatment before discharging same into the ocean. However, as the authorities are finding it extremely difficult even to finance expansion needs, it is very unlikely that sewage will be treated in the near future before discharging into the ocean and this may pose a problem that may have to be faced by the authorities as well as environmentalists for a long time to come. ENGINEER, Vol. 47, No. 04, pp. 87-94, 2014