Trucks begin turning up at Arawakkalu dump

Pix and text by Hiran Jayasinghe

Despite adverse weather conditions, trucks carrying garbage have been taking Colombo’s rubbish into the Aruwakkalu dump site in the Puttalam district over the past two days.

Transportation of waste commenced from the full-up temporary Kerawalawapitiya tip to Aruwakkalu using a private contractor’s trucks.

With the roads in a bad condition after heavy rains, the transportation of the heavy loads has been difficult.

The move came after the Appeal Court on Friday issued an interim order that garbage disposal at Aruwakkalu should not be interrupted by the municipal authority there, the Pradeshiya Sabha of Wanathavilluwa.

The order was issued after the Pradeshiya Sabaha Chairman Samantha Munasinghe said he would not support garbage disposal at Aruwakkalu until the garbage was disposed in a scientific method.

Mr. Munasinghe told a press conference that the minister in charge of the project, Patali Champika Ranawaka, had assured him that dumping at Aruwakkalu would involve the use of state- of- the- art technology used in developed countries.

The Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman said he had protested several times about the garbage works not being built as claimed by Mr. Ranawaka, the Minister of Megapolis and Western Development.

Mr. Munasinghe claimed construction at Aruwakkalu had not been carried out to claimed standards.

He added that although the minister had said the garbage being taken there would be dry and segregated to reduce environmental damage, non- segregated and wet waste was being dumped at the site.

He said damage caused to local roads by heavy trucks would cost Rs. 100,000 so far to repair. “We did not request a payment but also would not refuse the money either,” Mr. Munasinghe said.