• Dirt Park!
• Ideal Vesak reading - Bookshelf
• Take note of her
• Death: Is it an effective deterrent?
• The verdict is given
• Lying low to fight storm waters
• Saffron-robed people's crusader
• Snake, snake, everywhere… - Cobra: Part Four
• A view from the hills
• Tattered remnants, shattered lives
• No more muddy walks
• Foul: The air that we breathe
• Smooth dash
• Kachcheri talk and the good old days - Kala Korner - By Dee Cee
• Who were the first vegetarians?
• Manika's beauties
• From rugged to the formal
• Letters to the editor

Dirt Park!

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

'Bird Park. A few kilometres away from the Talawathugoda junction, in close proximity to Colombo. 25 luxury houses in a plush residential area. Running alongside is a large green belt, now a luxury in many urban areas which offers a fresher, cooler and cleaner environment.

This is probably how an advertisement enticing prospective buyers of houses in Bird Park would sing its praises. And some of it is certainly true. The area is definitely plush and residential, the houses certainly luxurious. A large green belt does run alongside. But the truth ends there.

What the advertisement won't tell you is that any buyer will be a neighbour to hell. That they will have to put up with a permanent stench, flies and mosquitoes, keep their windows closed, and that their children will be more at risk of diseases such as dengue, malaria, cholera and asthma.

And hell comes in no less a form than that of a huge, steaming garbage dump at Bird Park situated not more than 20 yards away from the houses.

The site of the dump once used to be a large marsh.

The only marshland that now remains however is on the borders of the dump. The entire area is filled in with garbage, piled more than eight feet high in some places. The dumping area is on the very border of a protected bird sanctuary. Consideration for the ecological balance has literally gone to the dogs. Once home to many species of birds, the area has been overtaken by cats, dogs, crows and the occasional water monitor.

Ironically enough, not less than about 10 and 50 yards away from the dump respectively, are two large signs which state ''Please do nto put any garbage'.

The Maharagama Pradeshiya Sabha is responsible for the garbage. The Vice Chairman of Maharagama PS, Bandu Jayasinghe said they did indeed dump their garbage at the Bird Park site, but declined to comment on the legality of the situation. With an efficient garbage disposal system in the country yet to materialise, the authorities are finding it increasingly hard to deal with an ever increasing load of garbage generated by a fast growing population.

Director of the Environment and Landscape Division of the Urban Development Authority Mrs. H.M. Basnayake confirms that the dumping is illegal and that the Maharagama PS had been asked to stop it about six months ago. 'While the marsh which is being used for dumping is outside the sanctuary, it is on its very borders and the dumping is unauthorised,' she said.

She says that all the local authorities have been sent letters advising them on safer garbage disposal systems. 'What we advise is that the authority lease a piece of highland, not a low one like a marsh, excavate it and stockpile the soil. Each time a layer of garbage is dumped, a layer of soil should cover it.' This is nowhere near the ideal, but at least it is a compromise. If more efficient systems are beyond the reach of the authorities, it is not clear what prevents them from practising such basic safety standards.

Such safety measures are totally lacking at Bird Park. People in the area complain that their children suffer from asthma because of windows having to be closed the whole day, and the unhealthy stench which assails them every minute of the day. They say that during rainy seasons the residents are prone to cholera and other water borne diseases, and worry that the ever present mosquitoes due to the stagnant water may be carrying the dengue or malaria.

A resident of the area K. Premawathie has just returned from hospital after a severe bout of dengue. 'Merenne nathuwa witharai berila ave,' she says, but laments that with all the mosquitoes around she is afraid of getting another attack. When it rains heavily her house gets flooded with upto five feet of water. The water recedes after days, leaving the house and garden strewn with filth from the garbage dump, not to mention the unbearable stench.

She remembers a time when the marsh was lush and pleasant and there were no end of birds circling the area. 'Those days you could go for a walk along the marsh and enjoy the scenery, now we only go past that way when we have to go to the main road,' she reminisced.

But there is little they can do when the relevant authorities are either totally unaware of the situation, or when notified are pleasantly ineffectual. The bird sanctuary comes under the Wildlife Conservation Department. While the dumping is carried out just beyond the designated sanctuary itself, the effects reach far into the protected area.

Legal red tape at this point has made sure that solving the problem will not be easy. Wildlife Director Mr. B.J. P. Jayasekera said he had no knowledge of the dumping and would call for a report on the matter. However, the Department can admittedly take no action if the dumping is outside the sanctuary, no matter how close. Numerous letters from residents to the Pradeshiya Sabha have been ignored.

The dumping began with the promise of a playground and the excuse that the land had to be filled before a playground could be built. As the marsh also adjoins a large shanty settlement, the idea was enthusiastically accepted by the youth, while the residents of Bird Park felt they could not justifiably protest under such circumstances. But the plans for a playground have long since been abandoned.

The Pradeshya Sabha has been dumping garbage in the marsh for the past two years. Truckloads of rubbish are hauled to it about six or seven times a day. The garbage is piled over eight feet high, blocking the water flow and has submerged an entire road, handicapping the residents. Dogs tear open bags of dirt and strew the area with the contents. Flies abound.

In an effort to provide an exit for the stagnant water a Pradeshiya Sabha member had reportedly attempted building a mini canal, but this was abandoned half way. No move has yet been made to remove a bulldozer which got stuck in the mud during the operation about three weeks ago.

Another resident from the area remembers the time about three years ago when the marsh was a proper bird sanctuary and water retention area.

"Schoolchildren were brought here in busloads by their teachers, and would spend time observing and studying the wealth of bird life,' he said. 'When I first came here about four years ago I used to sit on the back lawn and enjoy watching the marsh, but now I have had to put up a wall and that pleasure has been denied. I do not even do any proper maintenance because I will probably knock the house down and move somewhere else, simply because it is impossible to live here with the stench now,' he complained.

Residents also said that waste from the Maharagama Cancer Hospital is brought to the dump. Yet bare footed children hunt for treasures among the dirt, possibly radiation soaked waste and all.

"I cannot even invite my friends here because of the embarrassment the dump is causing. I can't entertain anyone in the garden because of the smell, the flies and the mosquitoes and even if they are inside the windows have to be kept closed. When there are power cuts it becomes unbearably hot and stuffy,' said one disgusted resident. I really can't live with this anymore."

The residents are doing all they can to avoid contributing to the problem.

Garbage collectors are paid about Rs. 100 monthly by each resident to collect the garbage once a week. Those who cannot wait this long have to take the garbage to other garbage dumps where the garbage is collected soon. The irony however is that the garbage is probably dumped back into the marsh anyway.

Even if a safer and cleaner garbage disposal plan cannot be formulated, can such a blatant disregard of a fundamental right to live a healthy life and the deliberate exposure of the public to such health hazards in any way be justified?

World Environment Day was duly celebrated by concerned environmentalists and government agencies yesterday June 5. This year's theme, 'our earth-our future' carried with it an appeal that every one of us cherish and respect the planet that sustains us. For the residents of Bird Park, the irony is that the very officials who should be safeguarding their environment are defiling it.

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