Potholes on Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha (Kandy) — Why Can’t Authorities Repair this Vital Artery?-by Dr Harold Gunatillake
By Dr Harold Gunatillake OAM, Kandy
Potholes on Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha have gone unrepaired for months. Far from a minor side street, it is one of Kandy’s busiest arterial roads, linking the city and serving school buses, office traffic, ambulances, thousands of daily commuters and tourists visiting the Commonwealth War Cemetery beside the Mahaweli. Each day, drivers must swerve or brake sharply to avoid these long-standing craters, risking accidents.
Why are these repairs so difficult to carry out?
The inconvenience is severe:
Potholes damage tyres, rims and suspension systems. Motorcyclists and three-wheeler drivers face serious injury risks, particularly at night when rainwater conceals the holes. Traffic slows, causing long queues on an already congested road.
Rain fills the potholes, creating hazards for drivers and pedestrians. Because Kandy’s roads were not built for current traffic volumes, prompt maintenance is essential.
Months of neglect on a main road point to a lack of accountability, not funding. The Road Development Authority and Kandy Municipal Council must clarify who is responsible for inspecting and maintaining Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha, and explain the lack of action.
A city that welcomes tourists and promotes its World Heritage status should not have roads resembling rain-soaked paddy fields. As a 98-year-old Kandy resident who still drives along this road, I see young mothers carrying children on scooters, school vans filled with children and elderly pedestrians facing these hazards every day.
Patching these potholes takes resolve, not a major project. A few loads of asphalt, a roller and a day’s dedicated work would make the road safer for thousands.
I respectfully call on the authorities to repair the potholes on Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha without delay.
Publish a regular maintenance schedule for Kandy’s arterial roads Fix street lights along this stretch so hazards are visible at night Small things matter. After 2022, we learned that. Safe roads are not a luxury — they are a basic duty of governance.
Dr Harold Gunatillake OAM George E de Silva Mawatha Kandy, Sri Lanka
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