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Colombo city residents thrash municipal services breakdown
View(s):Residents of the capital city ranging from households to temples are demanding that the Colombo Municipal Council clear the mountains of garbage rapidly piling up on their streets and their doorsteps. People say the council officials are not even responding to calls.
Since the 10-storey high Meethotamulla garbage mountain created by the CMC collapsed killing 32 and burying homes in early April, garbage collection in the city has been irregular.
Swarna Rd,Colombo 6
The CMC will not comment on the state of dysfunction in municipal services. S. A. Somawathi, 68, a resident of Gnanawimala Road, Dematagoda told the Sunday Times: “I have shouted at many people who try to throw garbage on the road. But I cannot keep doing it day and all night.’’
Ven. Galle Gnanasiri Thera
She said that a week ago garbage piled up in front of the village temple and it was cleared only this week. “This was not the case before, garbage collection was prompt and efficient then,’’ she said.
Sri Gnanawimala Maha Viharaya’s Ven Galle Gnanasiri Thera, said he had been compelled to call the CMC Commissioner V. K. A. Anura to clear the piles of rubbish. “I called the commissioner and asked to clear the place. But this cannot always be done. Disposal has to be carried out on a regular basis. We cannot call officials all the time,’’ he said. There are those who bring their household garbage on to streets in their vehicles.
Walter Perera, a resident of Kolonnawa, said these people come at night. A garbage pile has been building up in Kolonnawa for over two weeks.
“We have told the municipal council but there has not been any response,’’ he said.
There is a huge pile in front of the Reception and Community Hall belonging to the Colombo Municipal Council on Khettarama Temple Road. The office of the Grama Niladhari of the area is also located near the garbage pile. An area resident said the pile had been growing since the Meethotamulla mountain collapsed. “Although garbage is collected once or twice a week, the pile is created in a matter of three days. Sometimes, in a day, the garbage adds up to a month’s volume,’’ he said.
Kolonnawa
S.A. Somawathi
Municipal authorities together with private cleaning companies like Abans and Carekleen are involved in sanitation services.
Senior operations manager of Abans H. M. S. S. Abeyratne, said the CMC had allocated them particular areas and that Abans is responsible for Wellawatte, Fort and Pettah. However residents on Swarna Road Colombo 6 complain that garbage collection in the area has been irregular in the past few week and a mound of garbage keeps piling up on the roadside.
Mr. Abeyratne said Abans had been asked to dump garbage in Muthurajawela. One lorry carries at least 10 tonnes of garbage every day and 40-50 lorries go to the site, he said. But the adverse weather had interrupted the work. “We also stopped collecting unsegregated garbage. We were strictly advised by ministerial officials to only collect segregated garbage,’’ he said. He added that in some areas people were not cooperating.
Meawhile Urban Development Authority Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe, said the Authority will not be offering sites for garbage dumping.
“We allocated two acres from the 20 acres of land in Muthurajawela on the orders of the Supreme Court. We only played the role of a facilitator,’’ he said.
Dematagoda
Walter Perera
Dr. Munasinghe added that the UDA has initiated a waste-to-energy project to generate electricity but it will not be operational until 2019.
The Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council V K A Anura declined to comment. Meanwhile answering a querry by the Sunday Times Kolonnawa Urban Council secretary A.M. Piyadasa said the council had to collect 35-40 tonnes of garbage daily and the council didn’t have sufficient tippers to transport garbage to the dump site.
“We hire lorries from outside to take the garbage to Muthurajawela,” he said. He also attributed the recent delay in collecting garbage to the fact that the Muthurajawela dumpsite was not always available and that the access roads were under repair. He said they have made a request to the Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry to provide more vehicles to transport the garbage.
Meanwhile, answering a querry by the Sunday Times Kolonnawa Urban Council secretary A.M. Piyadasa said the council had to collect 35-40 tonnes of garbage daily, and the council didn’t have sufficient tippers to transport garbage to the dump site. “We hire lorries from outside to take the garbage to Muthurajawela,” he said. He also attributed the recent delay in collecting garbage to the fact that the Muthurajawela dumpsite was not always available and that the access roads were under repair.
He said they have made a request to the Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry to provide more vehicles to transport the garbage.
Maligawatte: A man cycles past a growing mound of garbage. Pix by Sameera Weerasekara
In front of R.Premadasa Stadium
| Garbage dumps an eyesore on scenic route in the hills Nuwara Eliya, too, is reeling under a mounting garbage problem. Rubbish heaps, including rotting vegetable refuse can be spotted along the Kandapola – Ragala main route, posing a health hazard as well as ruining the scenic beauty of the area. Residents complain that the Nuwara Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha has failed to find a suitable plot to dump vegetable and other refuse from the area shops. Many motorists using the Kandapola – Ragala main road have also called on the authorities to find a solution to this eyesore.
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