News
Kandy’s 10-day garbage pile a lingering headache for council
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
The Kandy Municipal Council is still grappling with the segregation of nearly 500,000 kilograms of garbage, after a 10-day exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
Over 10 days, 630,000 kilograms of waste was left behind
by pilgrims.
Kandy’s Municipal Commissioner, Indika Abeysinghe told the Sunday Times that efforts have been intensified to segregate the garbage and manage it in Kandy itself.
A final decision is due in upcoming weeks.
She said that due to the huge amount of unsegregated garbage that accumulated, assistance was sought from the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), as well as that of the Clean Sri Lanka task force.
The waste collected during the exposition period
Ms Abeysinghe said she had several meetings with CMC, which agreed to support by coordinating with the waste to energy power plant in Kerawalapitiya which operates under the Western Power Company.
But, transport costs would be huge, she admits. So there is an attempt to segregate the garbage at the dump site at Gohagoda and separate the non-degradable garbage, while using the degradable waste to make compost.
She said 20 labourers have been assigned to segregate the waste at the dump site.
Senior officials of the Kandy Municipal Council (KMC) have estimated at least Rs 75,000 for a container of garbage (over 100 kilometres) from Kandy to Katugastota.
CMC’s Director Engineering (solid waste management) Shahina M Mysan said that they have coordinated with the Western Power Company to incinerate the waste.
The company has an agreement with the CMC to incinerate
their waste.
Several rounds of meetings were held and transport costs were discussed. At the moment, the KMC is attempting to segregate its own garbage, she said.
The Managing Director of the Western Power company Leel Wickremarachchi said the company agreed to incinerate the waste free of charge at Kerawalapitiya, considering it as a national responsibility.
Mr Wickremarachchi said despite complications such as the incapability to incinerate glass bottles as well as tin cans, they agreed to incinerate.
The KMC meanwhile, used fire trucks to wash and sanitise the streets.
Kandy Lake getting a cleanup as the exposition ended
Food waste, empty water bottles, human excrement in streets, urine filled bottles, bags of garbage with faeces were among the litter. Garbage bags had also been tossed into the Kandy Lake.
Kandy Municipal Council’s Chief Public Health inspector Chandana Abeyaratne said that a cleaning campaign began after Sunday.
He said that waste tossed into the lake was cleaned, the streets were washed with chemicals, the toilets in schools which hosted pilgrims were given gully
bowser services, and bus stands were cleaned.
“There were garbage bins and washrooms, but crowds had tossed waste everywhere. In schools there were sanitary pads, and garbage scattered near washrooms. KMC and volunteer organisations cleaned all of it,”,
he said.
Kandy residents said that despite the cleaning, the stench of urine and smell of waste and faecal matter remained in some areas.
KMC officials said they will consider cleaning outside city limits if complaints are made.
| Littering puts burden on others KMC’s Municipal Commissioner Indika Abeysinghe said people should properly dispose of waste during pilgrimages. They should at least think that when they dump waste another person has to clean it up. KMC’s Chief Public Health inspector Chandana Abeyaratne too, said people should not litter, in a manner that inconvenience others including the cleaners. Garbage dumping could cause health complications to residents.
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