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31st October 1999

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Now, beach dumps

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

Here a dump, there a dump, everywhere you go a dump, is an often heard refrain in Sri Lanka these days one would think, judging by the dirt and the stink piling up in the country.

If you're lucky, your household garbage may actually be collected once in three days, when the garbage collectors heave the polythene bags into their big green trucks. But that's really not the end of the stink.

Colombo's roads have been spruced up somewhat, but don't be fooled, it's only a facade. Where do Imageyou think all that garbage goes?

One thing's for sure. It's not hygienically disposed of or at least dumped in an area where it would not affect human, plant, bird and animal life.

Those big green trucks don't disappear into some huge recycling plant. Although a massive operation, there is no professional direction or plan behind the collection of the country's garbage and its disposal.

It seems as if the authorities are determined to clog up every wetland they can by stockpiling what garbage that doesn't spill out on to the roads during transportation, in these ecologically important areas.

Mayors say they are aware of the health hazards and the eyesores caused by garbage dumps all over the country. But they claim to be helpless as there is nowhere else the garbage can be dumped.

The mayors say choosing the best possible places where the least number of residents are affected to dump the garbage is the best they can do.

But the Urban Development Authority has suggested a more environmentally friendly though still damaging method which none of the councils seem interested in implementing. Environmental and Landscape Director of the UDA Mrs. H.M. Basnayake says a suggestion which has been passed on to all the Municipal Councils is to excavate a large area, and then layer it with alternate layers of garbage and soil so that the damaging effects are at least partially allayed.

Three large garbage dumps in the country are the ones at the Thalawathugoda junction in an area known as Bird Park which the Maharagama Pradeshiya Sabha is responsible for, the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia dump at Attidiya and the Kandy MC dump at Guhagoda. But dumping is not confined to wetlands alone.

The stretch of beach between Bambalapitiya and Dehiwela has been given a new look. Not so much a face lift as a phase down. Gone are the golden sands, replaced by a host of decomposed plant life, dead fish, carcasses of domestic animals such as cats and dogs, rats, snakes, plastic bottles, regifoam containers, lone slippers, light bulbs, cigarette packs and much more. Worst affected is the stretch near the Wellawatte canal outlet, home to popular clubs and restaurants such as the Kinross and the Beach Wadiya, a formerly popular bathing spot and literally a watering hole for many. The main problem seems to be caused by the residents.

The canal adjoining the beach is apparently a convenient place for daily garbage disposal. A 10 minute vigil at the bridge and we were witness to no less than two polythene bags full of garbage being thrown over the walls, bursting once they hit the water. What garbage doesn't get trapped on the sides of the canal is washed out to sea from the canal and then immediately washed back onto the beach. Those living in the unauthorised structures alongside the canal are in a way a blessing to some of the restaurant owners as they are the only ones willing to clean up the place for a small sum of money. While residents complain of mosquitoes and the stink, tourist visitors to the area are heartily disappointed at the gross sight that greets them and the inability to take a dip in the sea or just a walk along the beach.

Colombo Mayor Omar Kamil said the CMC hoped to receive a good response to the Council's advertisements asking for companies to come forward with more efficient and hygienic garbage collection and disposal systems, when bids close in mid-November.

Meanwhile, he said the Mayors Chapter of Sri Lanka had submitted a proposal to the Presidential Commission on Reforms on Local Government Laws which they hoped would help ease the problem.

Mr. Kamil said they hoped to introduce a new system of fining those who throw garbage on the roads or anywhere else.

As the current law regarding fines requires two witnesses to the offence, a court appearance and a maximum fine of Rs. 100, the proposals suggested spot fines to be imposed by Public Health Inspectors, Rs. 500 for a first offence and Rs. 1000 for a second offence.

"We are sure that this will act as a deterrent to at least some extent," he said. Meanwhile, Director of the Coast Conservation Department H.N.R. Perera said a lot of discussions had been held by the CCD and the CMC as to the cleaning up of the beaches. 'The best way to clean up the beaches is to start a voluntary scheme where interested persons and organisations contribute to cleaning up the beach. But many proposals forwarded by us to various organisations have been rejected," he said.

Mr. Perera also said that the CCD could only play a co-ordinating role due to the lack of manpower and finance to take the project on themselves. "But we have promised to rebuild the broken groynes, (stone structures which jut out into the sea) to their earlier level, which will ease the problem somewhat. We hope to start work on that next year."

The delay in implementing the proposals, however, stems from the lack of response both from residents in the area and the relevant agencies.

David and Clayre Fenton were a disappointed couple at not being able to get married at the Beach Wadiya to which they have been regular visitors for the past four years. The couple who got married two weeks ago at the Galle Face Hotel made do however with having their wedding lunch at the Wadiya, wedding clothes and all. 'We would have loved to get married here, but it just wasn't possible with all this muck,' Clayre said. He said...{tc "He said..."}

Tourism Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake in his speech to the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organisation (he is Chairman of the WTO's Executive Council) earlier this month stressed the importance of sustainable development of tourism. He referred to the problem of dumping of garbage in city centres, the physical and ecological degradation in coastal areas as a critical issue.

"Therefore the support programme drawn up by WTO taking into serious consideration the value of preserving both the natural and physical environment of the member countries for planned development is commendable," the Minister said. Yet back home, tourists shudder when they see some of these so-called 'golden beaches'. Will the action be too little, too late?

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