Massive protest against Aruwakkalu landfill project

A crowd of protesters estimated to be about 1000 forcibly entered the construction site of the Aruwakkalu Sanitary Landfill Project in Wanathavilluwa, Puttalam yesterday (Sept 10) to demand a halt to what they claimed were plans to dump all of Colombo's garbage in the area. 

The protesters, who were from Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities and led by area religious leaders, carried placards against the project. They said that this project was yet another addition to others that were already causing serious enviornmental damage to the area. 

After the protesters entered the construction site, authorities at the site took measures to evacuate the Chinese and local construction workers who are working at the site. Building equipment were also removed from the site and stationed elsewhere. 

However, tension escalated later when some protesters voiced anger that no officials involved in the project came to speak to them. Several glass windows of a building at the site were subsequently smashed by some of the protesters, though protest organisers and police quickly moved to control the situation and urge them not to cause damage to property. The protesters were cleared from the area by last afternoon. 

Text and Pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe in Puttalam  

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