Foreign Buyers After Lankan Dirt
With a number of well known companies particularly from the United States, Japan, China, Singapore and Korea coming forward to tackle the garbage menace in Sri Lanka, authorities expressed confidence that the government is on the right track to put an end to the growing problem in the city.
Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe expressed confidence that the country would not have any garbage issues in two and half years time.
He told The Sunday Leader that 119 bidders have submitted proposals and suggestions with regard to recycling garbage in Colombo.
He said that they would evaluate recommendations and proposals and select two bidders for the Gampaha and Karadiyana sanitary sites.
Steps would also be taken to take Meethomulla to a separate location in Arawakkadu in Puttalam.
New location in Puttalam
He says that the new location is two kilometers away from the Wilpattu National Park. He said earlier this week that they visited the area
Together with the Director of the Wildlife Department and Conservation.
However, he stressed that they would decide on it after the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
He said that they have government funds to the tune of Two Billion Rupees to proceed with the project.
Rupasinghe says that 26 are foreign organisations and he is confident of the removal and recycling of the garbage dumps in Karadiyana and Meethotumulla within the next three months.
He also said that given the green light for a Western Power Company in a 10-acre land in Muthurajawela to convert 10MW. According to Rupasinghe the day-to-day solid waste collection estimated to be around 700 Mt will be transferred in sealed containers by train twice a day.
“The garbage will be used to fill up craters spanning an area of three kilometers following the removal of limestone used for a private cement company,” he said.
He also said that earlier there were plans that garbage was to be dumped in the Puttalam district in an area bordering the Wilpattu National park; however, the decision was reversed due to pressure from the environmental lobby on the adverse environmental impact.
It is also understood that a railway loop laid between Meethotumulla and Orugodawatte will be linked to the main line. Twenty six sealed containers (20ft each) will be imported to transfer the garbage.The train will do two trips a day with 13 containers being transported at a time.
Before the garbage is transported it will compressed using a machine which will be fitted in Meethotumulla.However, the existing garbage dump at Meethotumulla will not be removed but will be left to decompose and thereafter a vehicle park will be set up there.
Garbage from other areas including Kandy and Anuradhapura linked by the railway services will also be transported to Puttalam.
In a related development, a committee looking into the garbage issue at Karadiyana, Kesbewa has proposed the setting up of a recycling plant either in the same location or in Muthurajawela. Some 109 companies have already put bids for the project.
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http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/05/01/foreign-buyers-after-lankan-dirt/
