Rs.6 billion allocated for solid waste management

Chamikara Weerasinghe

The Government has allocated Rs. 6 billion to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources for stepping up its countrywide waste management programme aimed at a litter free Sri Lanka by 2012, Environment Ministry sources said.

Pilisaru is envisioned to end the country’s protracted problems centred on solid waste disposal with an enhanced participatory action plan on waste management, the first of its kind to have been introduced in Sri Lanka.

The Pilisaru waste management programme stipulates the integration of Local Government bodies, provincial councils and provincial ministries with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry for effective and efficient waste management. This involves collecting , transporting , processing, recycling and disposing of waste materials, ministry sources said.

The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Champika Ranawaka on Thursday handed over Rs. 17 million among officials of 18 selected local government to activate the initial phase of Pilisaru. This took place at the Auditorium of Central Environment Authority, which will be a main actor in supervising the programme.

The Chairman of Central Environment Authority, Udaya Gammanpila was also present.

The 18 local bodies are expected to manage 65 tonnes of solid waste in their respective localities and thereby to reduce 16 tonnes of environmentally harmful methane or waste gas from being emitted to the atmosphere thus establishing methodical control over Carbon emissions to an estimated 352 tonnes, said the sources.

The ministry is taking steps to put up seven mega composting facilities in districts Kalutara, Colombo , Gampaha, Anuradhapura and Kandy under the programme, sources said.

Minister Ranawaka said, he will take steps to provide necessary funds to all the 330 local government bodies in the country to start composting facilities.

He said, if the Pilisaru project is successful, the Government could save one third of its fertilizer subsidy, which is Rs. 17 billion.