President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said that numerous small-scale road construction projects across Sri Lanka have been delayed due to difficulties in importing the bitumen required for road development.
Addressing a public rally in Anuradhapura, the President said the government had allocated funds and resources for the projects, but construction could not begin because of the prevailing shortage of bitumen.
He explained that the type of bitumen used for Sri Lanka’s roads is mainly imported from the Middle East, while supply routes have been disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to the President, alternative bitumen sourced from other regions cannot be used because it is unsuitable for Sri Lanka’s climatic and environmental conditions.
He added that although cost estimates for many projects had already been finalized, construction had been delayed due to the difficulty in procuring the required material.
The President emphasized that the issue was not unique to Sri Lanka, but part of a wider disruption affecting countries around the world as a result of the Middle East conflict.
