News
Peradeniya Gardens recovery could cost Rs 120m
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens will not know with certainty whether the plants in its nurseries will survive after floodwaters swept through the gardens. The overall damage to the gardens is estimated at more than Rs 120 million.
The gardens are open to the public while the cleanup continues.
Employees said that some damaged orchids in the nursery had been named in honour of female foreign and local dignitaries.
Recovery efforts are underway. Large plants gifted by foreign dignitaries as endemic plants, as well as showhouse orchids, have not been affected.
However, the same could not be said about the hanging bridge, the outdoor plant nursery, the orchid nursery, the foliage nursery and a part of the Anthurium plant nursery, as well as the compost yard, which are damaged.
-
- The overall damage to the gardens is estimated at more than Rs 120 million
-
- The historic hanging bridge: Hanging by a thread
Apart from that, the floriculture research laboratory, where tissue culturing and treating of infected tissue culture plants is done, was also affected by the floods.
The Sunday Times has learnt that the documents and the instruments had been lost.
The Deputy Director of Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya, Ruvini Gomes, told the Sunday Times that about Rs 120 million would be needed to repair the hanging bridge and rectify the damage to plant nurseries and the floriculture research lab, as well as the compost yard.
The gardens are bordered by the Mahaweli River on three sides, so flooding does affect them.
“The plant nurseries, including the orchid nursery, were affected. The orchids were covered with mud. We are cleaning, treating and repotting them,” she said. Not all the orchids would survive the ordeal, as the specific conditions required for them to thrive had changed.
“We have to wait a few weeks to see the damage to orchids, foliage plants and Anthurium plants left in nurseries. There could be root rot and fungal infections. Still, we are treating the plants and taking measures to save them.’’
She said orchid plants would be purchased from outside if certain species in the nursery failed to survive.
The hanging bridge is severely damaged, and the Government Factory has estimated a Rs 70m repair cost.
The Director General of the National Botanical Gardens, H.C.P. Jayaweera, told the Sunday Times measures to treat and recover plants are being taken. Ornamental plants will be re-established in the gardens.
Most roads that stretch through the gardens have been cleared, and sediment has been removed from ponds.
Ms Jayaweera admitted that orchid nurseries were the worst affected and explained that orchid species had diversified and adapted to specific conditions. When the conditions change, the plants could get infected with disease.
She pointed out that visitors had not been allowed on the iconic hanging bridge due to maintenance work, but flooding severely damaged it. Repair costs could be high.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!