Living dangerously

Two bomb blasts within the space of 10 hours on Wednesday shocked the nation particularly after one of the suspected LTTE-triggered bombs targetted civilians.

In recent times, the Tigers have been targetting politicians and military personnel and military commentators believe the attack on a civilian target would have come as an act of desperation.

Tourism authorities scrambled to put out a statement assuring the world that Colombo and other areas are still safe for travel and not a single tourist has been targetted, so far, by the Tigers in their nearly 25 year-long bloody campaign.

This commentary however, is more about living dangerously in terms of health with the stinking garbage that surrounds us, clogging our roadsides and drains. Garbage collection and disposal is a perennial problem and The Sunday Times FT survey, reported in this section, reflects the desperation in which residents are placed in. No sooner a simple questionnaire went out, the responses flowed in; some angry, some frustrated and some with practical recommendations. Residents also vent their anger on the media with one saying, sarcastically, “Thank God this has become a media issue.” This is because the media, despite its on-and-off exposure of the garbage crisis, has failed to move authorities (the opposition should also share the blame) to come up with a permanent solution.

How do you force politicians and policy makers to make a change? Maybe if we use garbage as a burning issue at local and national polls. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was ousted at last month’s poll over many issues one of which was – Global Warming and Climate Change. Garbage collection and services was in fact an issue at local government polls some years ago and people voted for a better service. But nothing has changed since then.

Perhaps the worst reminder of the plight of the people is the ‘garbage mountain’ at Bloemendhal Road, a collection of 12 years of garbage. The mountain is some 190 feet tall, the height of a 18-19 storey building and unlikely to crumble easily given that to our modern-day politicians this is just a ‘mountain in the molehill’ as against other bigger chores like solving the conflict or awarding tenders to cronies.

Our survey slams the authorities for their lethargy on the garbage issue. On the more humourous side, there were those who suggested turning the Garbage Mountain into a money spinner.

“A mountain in Colombo? That’s very rare. Why not turn it into a tourist stop; safari driving, skateboard riding and surfing, or even mountain climbing,” said one ‘enterprising’ respondent.

On a more serious note, the dump site is a serious health hazard with residents in the area suffering from respiratory problems and other ailments.

Another potential danger is the prospect of chemical fumes emanating from the dump. A recent report in the Readers Digest international news magazine on the garbage crisis in Asia spoke of how people at a new commercial complex in Mumbai complained of gases and fumes coming from the ground. The site was apparently an old, untreated garbage dump.

Garbage dumps across the city are eyesores and doesn’t reflect well on Colombo’s once-proud status as the “Garden city of South Asia’.

Garbage, essentially due to ‘siri siri’ bags clogging drains and poor construction, is the cause of flooding in the city even for the slightest shower.

Several attempts have been made to solve the garbage crisis in the past but these have lacked political will and foresight. On the other hand, the existing garbage dumps outside the city have been closed following protests from NGOs and residents. Some call it the ‘Not in my backyard’ syndrome. Although the survey revealed that residents are willing to share responsibility in garbage collection and disposal, many are only concerned about clearing garbage from their own backyard. It doesn’t bother them if it is dumped in the neighbour’s garden. A familiar sight is affluent motorists driving down by-roads and throwing garbage onto the sides just in front of other people’s homes.

Their excuse when confronted: “What can we do if there is no garbage collection?”

Our analysis this week is not going to provide a quick fix solution to the garbage problem nor are we are running away with the idea that we have solved the country’s biggest problem.

We however hope this report will trigger some thought, concern and action from the authorities.

We also invite residents to write in on this issue to ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk to keep the ‘pot boiling (issue alive)’ in coming weeks and months. Constant vigil and persistent attention from the media is the only salvation for residents.