PAYAGALA DISTILLERY FACES CLOSURE FOR POLLUTING RIVER

A distillery at Payagala that allegedly caused environmental pollution by releasing waste-water and Goda into the nearby river was ordered to immediately suspend its distilling by the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha and the health authorities.

This step was taken after an inspection carried out by the officers of the Kalutara National Health Institute and the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha on Monday afternoon on public complaints regarding the haphazard removal of waste water and Goda into the river.

During the raid the officers detected the waste-water pipeline running from the distillery to an invisible location in the river through the shrub jungle. Resi- dents of the area pointed out that the flow of Goda polluted the river used by thousands of people in the area and caused the death of fish and other aquatic creatures.

During the raid the officers detected the waste-water pipeline running from the distillery to an invisible location in the river through the shrub

Kalutara Divisional Administrative PHI, R.J.Sinhabahu said during the raid they found that the distillery management had failed to adopt an environmental friendly method to dispose of waste-water and Goda and that it had created a serious health hazard affecting thousands of people who used the river.

Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Prasanna Sanjeewa said he organised this raid with the help of the officers of the National Health Institute and ordered the distillery management to suspend the distilling until they introduced an environmentally friendly method to dispose of waste water and Goda.