News
Even more garbage piles up on streets
Here a garbage, there a garbage,everywhere a garbage: Jinthupitiya (above) and (below) Mulleriyawa. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Uncollected garbage has been piling up on the pavements of Colombo over the past six days, while municipal officials struggle now even more with disposal issues following the human-made tragedy at the 10-storey high Meethotamulla waste mountain.
The odour emanating from rotting garbage is overwhelming people, and is worsening the health risks.
The frequency of garbage collection in Colombo and the outskirts has been reduced following the dozens of deaths from the Meethotamulla avalanche.
M.S.M. Shibly, a resident of Maradana, said there are only three houses on the lane on which he lives and a lot of garbage was collected in five days.
“From the time of the garbage pile collapse in Meethotamulla, the garbage collection was not done in our area and now the load of garbage from every household has increased.’’
In Avissawella, a resident said garbage would be collected on Monday and Tuesday but not anymore. “People from other areas dump garbage on bare lands and in front of our houses.’’
A pile has grown on a road leading to the Maradana market down Deans Road.
S.R. Rupasinghe has poured a mixture of TCL and Pynol on to the pile to help make the odour bearable.
“This garbage dumping site is only for the people from the market but now area residents and people from the surrounding shops also dispose their garbage here.”
The pile also disrupts loading and unloading of goods at the market.
“Although civil defence look after the dumping of garbage on the lane, the area residents throw garbage,” Rupasinghe said. Now the market has become a dumping place for everyone.
The streets of Ginthupitiya are kept clean by workers of a private firm. But despite sanitation services have worsened.
Worker Sunil Perera explains that garbage is collected once a day in the mornings, but by evening, another load piles up.
The garbage collection can only be done once because the lorry lines up for a long period at the dump site to offload.
“This situations has risen due to the incident in Meethotamulla. Now many of them come to dump their garbage in Karadiyana and as a result of this it takes a longer time to dump garbage now.”
At day’s end every day garbage fills up at least five or six carts, he said.
“People come and throw garbage early morning at four or at midnight when no one is around. Those people may not be from the area but they still come and dump their garbage in our carts and flee.”
Residents, meanwhile, keep their doors and windows shut to keep out the odour.