Lack of funding, machinery leave Colombo vulnerable to falling trees, warns CMC

• On October 5, 2023, a tree fell on top of a bus in  Kollupitiya at 4:30 am, tragically resulting in five casualties
• Following inspections in May, the CMC removed 100 of the 200 trees identified as at-risk

By Leenah Wahab   

Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) lack equipment to detect trees at risk of falling, an official said yesterday.   

Municipal Commissioner J. M. Bhadranie Jayawardhana said  that CMC doesn’t have specialised machinery needed to assess the  internal condition of trees, and it limits our ability to detect decay  and assess risk. 

“We bought a machine in 2016, but the report was not accurate, so we rely on expert researchers instead,” she said.   

On October 5, 2023, a tree fell on top of a bus in  Kollupitiya at 4:30 am, tragically resulting in five casualties. Since,  there have been 59 incidents of tree falling amid inclement weather  conditions, with the Colombo Municipal Council removing 100 of 200 trees  identified to be at risk following inspections in May. According to an  EU funded Project in South Asia that surveyed 800 trees in Colombo, 227  trees were removed, 344 trees were trimmed and the total number of  healthy trees were found to be 229.   

She said the CMC face other challenges relating to long  term storage of woods and cutting materials. “We don’t have enough funds  to keep our logs. We call outsiders for quotations and technical  evaluations,” she said.   

Jayawardhana said the CMC are currently in talks with  experts from the forest department and National Building Research  Institute, have hired botanical specialists from the University of  Peradeniya and have support from the Timber Corporation in tree hazard  management. “There have been no recent incidents, but we (CMC) have  taken many steps to protect the city by cutting branches to balance  trees and felling decayed trees,” she said. “We need public support-  people must be vigilant. If they are pulling at the root surface, we urge  people to dial 011 to allow CMC to take necessary action immediately.”