Navy retrieves Rs. 30 mn Doppler instrument trapped among flotsam after being carried away by raging Kelani waters

A successful salvage mission conducted by Navy divers on Tuesday (04) led to the recovery of an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instrument from beneath Hanwella bridge, according to Navy headquarters statement.

Amidst torrential rainfall, this valuable device, worth Rs. 30 million, owned by the Department of Irrigation, had been carried away by the surging waters of the Kelani River, the Navy said, adding that the device was entangled in dense bamboo sticks and river debris.

The ADCP, also known as “River Ray,” is used to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column. With surging waters, its GPS device became entangled in bamboo bushes and debris carried by the water, causing it to detach from the main unit. It is in this backdrop, the Department of Irrigation requested assistance from Navy Headquarters, seeking Navy diving support to locate and retrieve the lost GPS device.

In response to the urgent request, the Navy promptly dispatched a team from Western Command Clearance Diving & Salvage Unit to the Hanwella area early Tuesday morning. Despite the perilous conditions caused by the Kelani River overflowing due to heavy rainfall, the Navy diving team successfully retrieved the GPS device, which was entangled in underwater debris.