Sampling a garbage fair at Kadawatha

A fair ground has become a garbage dump for all and sundry

Although the Pradeshiya Sabah collected garbage regularly, it faced handicaps as the traders and area residents dumped garbage all over the fair grounds

Traders who visited the Kadawatha weekly fair were in the habit of strewing garbage all over the area making the place a dumping ground for spoilt vegetables and other rubbish.

The stench emanating from the place made people shun it, and traders lost business.

With leaking roofs and being exposed to the elements the temporary stalls put up for these traders were in a dilapidated condition. It was worse on rainy days as the entire area became muddy making it extremely difficult for both traders and the public to visit it on days the fair functioned. And because some of the galvanised roofing sheets had corroded, traders had covered the leaks with plastic sheets making the fair an eye sore. The goods that were brought by vendors for sale were also affected because stalls were not in a condition to store them. The lack of a storm water drains made the area go under water even after the slightest shower while toilets provided for the public were practically unusable. The supply of water was also not regular. Despite the action by the Pradeshiya Sabah to collect garbage from the fair premises, it faced many handicaps as the traders and the residents continued to dump garbage all over.

When this matter was posed to the chairman of the Biyagama Pradeshiya Sabah, Ananda Ganepola, he said that plans have been made to house this weekly fair in a building complex costing Rs 200 million, but that due to a legal dispute involving four trading plots, the project had been delayed. However, an early settlement of this case was expected and he assured that the proposed project would begin soon. Action was also to be taken with regard to the unauthorised dumping of garbage at this site.