Plans without proper SWDS will not be passed: Ranawaka

Legislation is to be introduced to make it mandatory to include a proper Solid Waste Disposal System (SWDS) in all future site plans, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. Minister Ranawaka added that no building plan would be approved without a SWDS included once the necessary laws were enacted.

“No plan to construct a private residence, condominium or any other type of building would be approved by the respective local government body, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) or the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) hereafter as solid waste disposal has become a major issue in the country.this piece of legislation has taken on even more importance as the failure to include a proper solid waste disposal system during construction has contributed to the catastrophic situation caused by the adverse weather which we experienced first-hand recently,” Minister Ranawaka stressed.

Minister Ranawaka said a bigger responsibility on solid waste disposal lies in the hands of the people as it was they who produce solid waste.

Local government bodies on many occasions instructed the public to segregate solid waste as perishable and non perishable waste before leaving their rubbish on the roadside to be collected by the garbage collectors. However, it was noted that many refuse to do that and rubbish collectors then refuse to collect nonsegregated rubbish.the result is that people throw their solid waste on the roadside creating huge piles of solid waste, which is both an eyesore and a health risk and also aggravates the situation during heavy rains, leading to flooding, he said.

Minister Ranawaka said the Meethotamulla tragedy was a good example of how politicians, government officials and even the law contributed to aggravate the solid waste problem.

A bigger responsibility on solid waste disposal lies in the hands of the people as it was they who produce solid waste

The Meethotamulla rubbish dump started out as a two-acre plot of land that was chosen despite huge protests by the people of the area. But the Supreme Court approved the dumping and it expanded into a 21-acre rubbish dump. When it collapsed it was receiving rubbish not just from the Colombo area but from other suburbs as well. Underworld gangs controlled the Meethotamulla rubbish dump and sold a lorry-load of rubbish for Rs. 8,000 after collecting it for Rs. 2,000. This is how it was politicized by officials and politicians. All these people protested every time when a scientific solution was proposed to dispose the rubbish that was dumped there for safety reasons.

Now the problem remains that the land occupied by the Meethotamulla rubbish dump is 21 acres in extent which is bigger in extent than the Galle Face Green which is only 18 acres in extent. Are we ready to waste a prime block of land worth over Rs. 160 billion in the middle of the city for a rubbish dump? Minister Ranawaka asked. Minister Ranawaka said people must realize the magnitude of the solid waste problem as a minimum of one kilogramme of solid waste was being produced by each and every Sri Lankan on a daily basis and about 30 metric tonnes of solid waste equals an 80-year

lifespan.