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Deegavapi garbage dump — a graveyard for elephants
The garbage dumping site at Deegavapi in Ampara is posing a health hazard to both residents and elephants.
Waste collected from Kalmunai, Sammanthurai and Akkaraipattu is brought here daily and elephants feed on the rubbish mound, resulting in health issues, sometimes fatal. The tragedy takes place largely becuase the garbage is not covered properly with soil, villagers say.
A local farmer said that these elephants feed on the waste at day time and when night falls they damage their crops and sometimes their homes.
Nihal Pushpakumara a veterinarian at the Wildlife Conservation Unit said six elephants have already died as a result of feeding on this rubbish. He said they found that the lungs of these elephants were full of polythene.
When Attalawena local council secretary M.I. Faiz was contacted about the issue, he directed us to contact the Wildlife Department for information.
