Solution to solid waste disposal through Korean Technology

The Megapolis and the Western Development Ministry is to introduce a ‘Metro Colombo Solid Waste Management Project’ (MCSWMP) through which it intends to carry out ‘Sanitary Land Fills’ with Korean technology as a safe and sustainable solution to the solid waste disposal in the entire country.

Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told the media yesterday that Cabinet approval had been granted for the US$.125 million (Rs.19 billion) project of which solid waste, treated and compressed into blocks at a plant in Kelaniya will be transported by train to Aruwakkalu in Puttalam to fill huge abandoned pits of limestones which had been dug for decades to excavate lime for the Puttalam Cement Factory. “We will provide a long term sustainable solid waste management system that is socially acceptable, environmentally friendly and economically feasible,” Minister Ranawaka stressed.

The project would envisage to develop the worked-out limestone quarries in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam into a Sanitary Landfill for disposal

We will provide a long term sustainable solid waste management system that is socially acceptable, environmentally friendly and economically feasible

of solid waste generated in Colombo with waste transfer, using rail transportation from Colombo to the proposed Sanitary Landfill.

Solid waste collected from Colombo Metropolitan area, Dehiwala – Mt- Lavinia MC, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte MC and Kolonnawa UC area will be used for disposal at the initial stage of the project and will be expanded to cover other municipalities and cities. The extent of Sanitary Land Fill site at Aruwakkalu was 45 acres and the transfer station at Kelaniya was about 8.4 acres. The Aruwakkalu site could be expandable further if need arose since no families or houses were located near the site.

Two trains daily from Kelaniya to Aruwakkalu would transport 1,200 metric tons of compressed blocks of solid waste in 13 rail wagons and 26 containers of 20 foot in each train .

PIX BY KITHSIRI DE MEL Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka explains a point to the media at the news briefing yesterday. Project Director Mr. Jayavilal Fernando is on far right of the picture.