KOICA supports waste management system in WP

A site inspection and tree planting ceremony to mark the successful commencement of the project for Integrated Waste Management System implemented with a Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was held at Dompe on October 4,states KOICA release.

Advisor to the President and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Sri Lanka Choi Jong Moon, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Resident Representative Cho, Sang Woo, Western Provincial Councilministers, Environment Ministryn and Central Environmental Authority (CEA) officials were present on the occasion.

The project for Integrated Waste Management System project was launched in 2008 to help establish an effective integrated waste management model by introducing Korea's experience and technology in the field of waste management system. But, the project could not get off the ground due to the failure in securing an appropriate project location. Since then, the CEA and Western Provincial Council authorities and selected Dompe as the project location in July 2010.The CEA completed the preparatory work in June 2012 and KOICA took over started the main construction work.

This KOICA's 4.5 million US$ budget scale project consists mainly of designing and construction of the sanitary landfill site with a handling capacity of the collected waste up to 90 tons a day.

The construction of a leachate treatment facility together with provision of heavy equipment, including, vehicles; an arm truck, a backhoe and bulldozer for operation and maintenance of the facility tookplace.

Capacity building programmes, which were held in Korea, have been offered to the CEA and other local authority officials on waste management policy making and management of the sanitary landfill sites to facilitate the acquisition of skills and know-how for Lankan officials on the operation and maintenance of the project and to ensure the project's sustainability.

Once completed by the end of 2013, the project is expected to be the very first sanitary landfill facility of its kind in Sri Lanka. It will contribute to the replication of an efficient model of waste management across the country as a flagship pilot project. In addition to this KOICA's pilot project, another four large scale waste management facilities worth 33.5 million US dollars will be constructed in four provinces under the Korean Government' Loan programme to Sri Lanka.