Biggest waste management project begins today

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

The largest waste management project of Sri Lanka , encompassing all its Local Governments and Provincial councils, will be inaugurated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat today.

The Treasury has released Rs.600 million for the project. The Government of Korea has pledged Rs. 400 million as aid for the project, the Director General of Central Environment Authority(CEA) Pasan Gunasena said.

An officer has been appointed from the Korean International Credit Agency(KOICA) for the project, said Gunasena.

The project, “Pilisaru” is expected to address the problem of solid waste in Sri Lanka with a national approach by integrating local governments to function as participatory units in the process of waste disposal.

The Central Environment Authority will be the implementing Agency, sources at the Environment and Natural Ministry said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will officially launch the Pilisaru project on the invitation of Environment and Natural Resources Minister Champika Ranawaka and Local Government and Provincial Council Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon. Environment Minister Ranawaka, founder of the project said, the project has been designed to make Sri Lanka, a country free of solid waste by 2012. The process involves capacity building of Local Governments, he said.

The CEA Director General said, they have recruited staff for the project.

Gunasena said that they expect employment generation as the project develops with its composting and construction components.

“The project will make clusters by connecting several Local Government bodies to form single units so that they have to work together in managing waste disposal in their respective provinces,” he explained.

We expect to improve the waste management situation in Sri Lanka and thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the country. “If we could discard the garbage dumps located at Bloemendal Road, Mattakkuliya, Kandy and Kalutara, this would mean a reduction of Methane emissions to the environment. This would enable us to buy carbon credits for our efforts,” he said.

He said, they plan to introduce new legislature to deal with garbage collection and dumping among other things.