ENVIRONMENT:Urban Perfection



The most popular cities in the world have one important similarity, among others: a pleasant user-friendly environment. One of the greatest challenges faced by urban auhtorities is the disposal of the garbage produced by its ever-increasing population. Unfortunately, this is a challenge Colombo is yet to overcome. Shifani Reffai investigates with respect to public accounablity and private responsibilty.

Mounting problem

Mounds of sludge float down canals adjascent to schools, heaps of plastic and metal containers among bags of waste are carelessly left on roadsides for stray cats, dogs and cows to topple over, and plastic bags litter the pavements. Garbage has become a seemingly permanent resident in Colombo as it has progressively gotten worse over the past decade. Environmentalists and the authorities have much to protest about despite the lack of much change at present.

Most fingers have been pointed at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), some even from inside its own walls. "The CMC is stagnant in their current duties due to lack of proper management and funds," claims one senior CMC member. Another officals adds that "we do have the infrastructure to make Colombo cleaner but the absence of proper organization and motivation is a hindrance..". Much drama has surrounded the CMC over the years regarding manipulation of funds and political rivalries, hindering its functionality, at the cost of the citizens of Colombo.

"The garbage left out in the open is not only pungent in odour but is breeding ground for disease and a hazard to pedestrians," social worker and environmentalist, Dr. Mareena Reffai explains.

However, since the dawn of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the President H.E. Mahinda Rajapakse in allegiance with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and other government bodies have set off a progressive project to eradicate the 'Waste Mafia' on the island.The project, titled 'Pilisaru', involves recycling, compost management and increasing public awareness on maintaing a clean environment. It is being implemented in districts islandwide, beginning with Gampaha, and there is hope that Colombo too will soon be under firm garbage-free management.

The recent growth in the seriousness of garbage hazards in Colombo has also spurred on a special program issued by the CMC, which goes on from April to May of this year, during which prisoners and CMC staff will participate in cleaning up the city.

Discipline and constant motivation is necessary to cultivate any great city towards near perfection. Singapore and Bangladesh once took Sri Lanka as inspiration to turn its cities into the spotless tourist hubs they now are. Sri Lanka however, has now unfortunately fallen victim to careless slacking in matters of environmental hygiene; nevertheless, as with the Pilisaru project and with enough public awareness, change is inevitable.

The greatest problem currently faced by the CMC and citizens alike is the location for dumping garbage. The Supreme Court passed an injunction this year that ends the contract between the CMC and Burns Pvt. Ltd., the company responsible for transporting garbage to a large dumping ground at Colombo 13, as the company was allegedly dysfunctional in its obligations. Resultingly, garbage accumulation has doubled in size, and has become a major hazard for people living elsewhere. The CMC has now resorted to dumping garbage in a series of places out of desperation: Mattakkuliye, Sedawatte, Pettah and Nedimala to name a few, all of which are filling up fast as more than 1500 metric tonnes of garbage is deposited on these grounds each week.

Most of these places are land on which shanty huts have been built, and in addition to garbage accumulating into literal mountains, the shanty families suffer grievously healthwise from the environmental pollution. Adjascent homes and schools, too, have numerous complaints to lodge about the mountainous compost heaps nextdoor.

"The short term solution is that the government should provide secure homes to these shanty families, Burns Pvt. Ltd. should be made to pay compensation for its mistakes, and the CMC should independently reacquire the land at Colombo 13 for compost," says Ajantha Perera, the founder of the National Program on Recycling of Solid Waste.

Reports of Dengue, Cholerra and Dysentry are just some of the complaints lodged by the neighbors regarding the danger of these inconvenient dumping grounds. The Bird Sanctuary in Nedimala also suffered from the heaps of garbage disposed on its property, angering local animal rights activists.


What is the solution?


In her expert opinion, environmental activist Ajantha Perera says the root of Colombo's notorious garbage issue is lack of awareness and motivation.

Once public awareness is established, the main priority would be an efficient alternative means of garbage disposal than forming mounds of it across the island; all activists agree on one solution: recycling.

President Ilyas of the Colombo Recycling Society stresses that although the CMC may have 'failed in its responsibility', it is now truly up to the people and the government to take proper initiative to implement firm action.

TV, public seminars, newspapers and pamphlets are just some of the many ways that the citizens of Colombo can be educated about recycling and the importance of disposing waste. Many humans rights activists and environmentalists are now banding together to gather funds, centrally provided by the government, to initiate these methods.

"Separate your garbage into perishables and non-perishables. Use Fertilizer Barrels (available at Arpico outlets) to decompose the perishables and take your collection of paper, metal and glass to the nearest Recycle Shop," is the advice Dr. Mareena Reffai offers to the public.

Ajantha Perera adds that once sufficient land is found to dump city garbage at present, it is crucial to the city's environmental progress that CMC uses its assets to fulfill its mandate to take care of garbage responsibly and independently. This combined with public awareness, she promises, will definitely end the garbage crisis.

The infrastructure of Colombo as the Urban Central of the island is steady on the rise despite the global economic recession and environmental pollution is one of the factors that is keeping it from moving smoothly. It is already a popular tourist destination and it would be piteous to see it descend from its current status over matters of garbage. A firm hand by the authorities, an awareness created in the people and public education on the environment, are simple solutions to a venomous problem.

Adjascent towns to Colombo, Dehiwela and Mt. Lavinia, with their relatively cleaner pavements and unabused land, stand as proof that collective organization and knowledge about environmental pollution goes a long way. Although Colombo's current garbage problem may seem intimidating and menacing, with its great stinking mounds and its array of flying plastic bags, it is not a problem that cannot be overcome.

A garbge free future

Steps are being taken by the government to reactivate the CMC and to construct methods of mass education based on maintaining a clean environment. In addition to much attention given to this issue by the media, organizations like the Recycling Society and the National Program for Recycling in alliance with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources are fully aware of the enormity of the city's garbage problem and are united in efforts towards making Colombo cleaner.

Sri Lanka's capital may be littered with garbage today, but it a show of the beginning of progress that the authorities are aware and that the government and the Ministry are participating in programs to solve the issue. However, for any great city to prosper, it is its people who hold the key to substantial difference.

Environment-based education to children and adults, and garbage disposal in the form of Fertilizer Barrels and Recycling Shops will clear the city of giant mountains of rubbish and carelessly strewn plastic and sludge; with collective determination, discomfort to city dwellers and garbage dumping issues could irrevocably become a thing of the past. Only time will tell if enough awareness and effort enforced over the following years by the people and the authorities will wipe the busy streets of Colombo clean.


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