The people of Meetotamulla finally have something to smile about
Helping hand: The little ones of the Ansay family chip in to build their home. Pix by Amila Gamage
The mountain of garbage in Meetotamulla, Kolonnawa stretches 16 acres. This landfill has caused huge issues for the people in the area, struggling to live amidst the air, land and water pollution caused by the toxicity of these 16 acres. The canal next to the ‘kunukanda’ gets blocked with waste, while crows and other scavengers drop pieces of garbage picked up from the landfill while flying over their homes.
The stench of a 16-acre ‘kunukanda’ is ever present while the polluted soil causes sores, skin rashes and respiratory ailments. Yet the residents have no choice but to call this area home.
Right next to the ‘kunukanda’ lies the Dahampura Gramasevaka division. The residents survived amidst all this, only to face an even worse fate when the sudden floods of May 2016 inundated their humble homes. They watched helplessly as a deluge of toxic garbage-ridden water swept through their homes and destroyed their few belonging, leaving them destitute.
Now after months of despair has come a light of hope. On September 29, through the able hands of Sarvodaya and Give2Asia, construction began of temporary homes for them.
Give2Asia, a US-based grant making organization which strengthens communities throughout Asia by building trusted networks for charitable investment has been helping Sri Lankan communities over the years. Following the appeal by the Kolonnawa Urban Council to several organizations to help the residents of Meetotamulla, they were approached by Sarvodaya for funding. Together they have helped 33 families in the area rebuild their homes as temporary wooden structures. As the land the residents occupied belongs to the government, permanent housing is not an option. Under Sarvodaya’s self-help model, the residents received the raw material required to build the structures along with the necessary technical assistance from Sarvodaya.
Sarvodaya Colombo Co-ordinator Indunil Priyanga says that the organization hopes to help not only the 33 families who were given materials already but the entire community “We hope to build a community centre and help all the residents in the area build houses and clean the area,” he says. Indunil has a difficult job– he could be seen explaining to some residents why they chose the worst affected householders with the limited funds they have while the residents of the remaining houses implore that he helps them.
“Almost no one will help us,” says D.N.D. Ranasinghe who used to sell iced drinks with a small fridge she owned. Today she has no income because the floods destroyed her fridge. She is one of the few lucky ones who managed to rebuild her home.
Divisional Secretary A.U.K. Dodanwela outlined the extent of the problem. “148 houses in this area were badly damaged and the people of the area were greatly affected by the floods,” she said. The flood waters mingled with garbage and caused unsanitary conditions which forced everyone to move to a temporary camp. While some were able to rebuild in some way, others were left without a place to live until this programme, said Dodanwela. Most of the residents work as trishaw drivers, sanitation workers and housemaids in the surrounding area, but many have been unable to work as the security of their belongings and families is a problem.
One of the existing houses in Meetotamulla
September 29 was thus a happy day. The 33 families receiving housing watched the ceremony with smiles on their faces at the thought of finally having a safe place to live after months of uncertainty.
Roshan Ansay, a resident of Meetotamulla, who lost both feet in a railway accident works at a tailoring shop to support his wife and children. Standing long hours in the bus hurts his legs, but if he misses work even for a day, his family goes hungry. After losing their home, they have been living in his sister’s house. “What they are doing for us is a meritorious deed,” he says with deep sincerity. He and his family were happily planning the rebuilding process, with his small children attempting to lift heavy shovels and building equipment in their excitement at the prospect of a ‘new home’.
Anyone interested in donating money towards the Meetotamulla housing project can do so by contacting the Sarvodaya main office on 011 264-7159.