Environment Minister urges media to play pro-active role

Rasika SOMARATHNA

COLOMBO: Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka urged the media to play a more pro-active role in making the public aware regarding the importance of proper solid waste management and other relevant issues.

The Minister made these comments while participating in an awareness programme conducted by his Ministry at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., yesterday.

Addressing the ANCL hierarchy and a section of the employees the Minister stressed the importance of having a thorough understanding on the subject in order to alleviate mis-conceptions and to apply the best practices in garbage disposal, Reuse and Recycle.

The Minister urged the media and all relevant sectors to contribute without any affiliations in this endeavour to propel his Ministries vision of having a viable National approach in this regard.

He said that although it was the responsibility of the local government institutions to manage the solid waste, it was being poorly performed resulting in numerous environmental, health and sanitation problems.

Efforts by the Ministry to improve matters in this regard has payed rich dividends the Minister pointed out citing several examples including the Weligama and Bandaragama local authorities present improvement as prime examples.

The national approach plans to get all stakeholders at all levels including households, local authorities, Provincial Councils, Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils and private sector service providers involved in waste management, he added.

The Minister compared the Bloemendhal Garbage mountain to a ticking time bomb saying that the trapped methane within it could do more harm than LTTE bombs if released to the environment.

Authorities efforts to clear the mess has had many impediments due to a variety of reasons the Minister said while pointing out that awareness was the best way to up the public opinion to get rid of such hazards.

While pointing out that the Authorities were spending Rs.5.5 billion on garbage disposal annually the Minister stressed that a proper mechanism in waste management would not only lessen the burden on the public in this regard but ultimately progress as a profit making venture.

The Minister said that a proper taxation programme in this regard was necessary to make large scale garbage producers foot their own bill regarding disposal matters.

He also added that his Ministry had initiated a well co-ordinated network to buy waste and the important thing for the public was to categorize garbage accordingly and sell it to the Authorities earning a good income in the process.

He added that proper waste management could produce 1\3 of compost requirements in the country which would eventually save Rs.18 billion for the Government.

The Minister added that his Ministry was concentrating on the 3R concept of Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle in making waste management effective.

He further said that the current awareness programme would target groups such as State and Private sector institutions, Hospital staff, Schools and religious places\public gatherings.