Four sanitary landfill sites to be constructed

Disna MUDALIGE

Four sanitary landfill sites would be constructed for the first time in Sri Lanka with the assistance of the Korean government, Central Environmental Authority chairman Charitha Herath told the Daily News yesterday.

He said that lands have already been selected for this move in Udu Nuwara, Hikkaduwa, Anuradhapura and Panadura. He said that the Korean government and the Treasury would sign an agreement in this regard within the first quarter of this year. He noted that feasibility studies have been completed at these sites and therefore the designing and planning of them are now in progress. The construction of the four sites is to be completed within four years. The Korean government is funding USD 33.5 million for this project while the Sri Lankan government is undertaking a counterpart funding of about USD 4.6 million.

This project is carried out under the Pilisaru National Solid Waste Management Project of the CEA. Non degradable and non recyclable parts amid the garbage such as ceramic, marble, rubber parts, construction materials, contaminated plastic etc would be deposited in these landfill sites.

The landfill sites also consisted of leachate collecting pipes and leachate treatment plants. When the site is filled to the top, the land can be utilized as a park, playground or even as a forest land. The chairman observed that this mechanism is being used by many developing countries and is very suitable and viable for Sri Lanka.