Attorney and Actvist Nuwan Bopage
When the issue connected with the Kollonnawa-Meethotamulla garbage dump was getting dragged on without any solution, the anger of the residents directed towards the authorities led to the formation of a People’s Movement Against the Meethotamulla Garbage Dump in 2011. This movement was in the forefront of several public agitations facing suppressions from the past and the present governments. The people’s retaliation was led by activist and attorney-at-law Nuwan Bopage.
In an interview on this burning issue, Bopage charged that the garbage dump was a gold mine for the authorities of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and a number of local politicians in the area. Excerpts:
Q How did this issue of the Meetotamulla garbage dump come about.
About 30 years ago there was a beautiful paddy land known as Pothuvil Kumbura. In the canals that bordered it people even used to bathe. In 1989 under the land reclamation policy, this land was filled up. Afterwards towards 2000-2001 this paddy land was further filled up by soil and garbage. This was done with the intention of some development activity. Around 2008-2009 garbage collected from Colombo was dumped at Bloemendhal dumping yard. There was a fire in that dump yard and people filed an action.The Chief Justice at that time Sarath. N. Silva decreed by an interim injunction, to dump garbage at the Meethotamulla filled up land in two acres of land, without making a scientific appraisal. This order was made in 2009 and the CJ further ordered that anyone opposing the dumping of garbage in Meethotamulla would be charged for contempt of court. This order also violated the people’s right to engage in protests. Even though the court order said to dump the garbage only in 2 acres of land, in due course it extended up to a land in extent of 20 acres with the daily dumping of garbage amounting to 1200 tonnes.
QWhen did the residents of Meethotamulla organize themselves against this dumping of garbage.
By 2011 people began to feel this issue. First it was the temporary closure of Meethotamulla Rahula College which was about 75 years old. A row of houses built with planks got destroyed. We organized this people’s movement towards the end of 2011 against this garbage dump. Our first protest was held in January 2012. The former DIG Anura Senanayake and the former Municipal Commissioner Bhadrani Jayawardene who visited the scene assured us that this issue would be resolved within three months. It did not happen that way. In April 2012 we organized a massive protest by blocking the road for 3 days and not allowing the garbage carrying trucks to enter the site. The officers went to courts and obtained a court order against me, Keerthirathne and Hemapala. We declined to accept the court order and continued with the protest. A large convoy of troops then arrived at the site and after assaulting the protesters they made way for the trucks to move in. The court case against us continued and protests were launched in December 2012 and in January and August in 2013. We continued with the protests. In 2014 we held a decisive protest where we were baton charged, but however we got an opportunity to discuss this issue with Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
QWhat happened at the discussions?
Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured us that within six months he would resolve this matter. But as there was no solution even after six months, we launched another protest in August 2014.
QWith the change of government in January 2015, how did you draw the attention of the rulers to this issue?
With a view of creating an awareness of the new government we staged a protest in February 2015, by blocking the roads. The yahapalanaya government as its first offensive used water cannons on us. Few of us including me were hospitalized. We then got the opportunity of discussing this matter with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in March the same year. At this discussion the Premier appointed a committee headed by the chairman of the UDA. Advertisements appeared in the papers calling for interested parties for projects. Sixty companies presented their projects and an assurance
was given that the issue would be solved within six months. But nothing did take place. We sought court action to prevent the dumping of garbage in Meethotamulla. We filed two cases seeking an interim injunction. The cases kept on dragging. When there was no solution from the Legislator and the Executive, we went before the Judiciary hoping for relief, but it is a pity that even the judiciary failed to see justice been meted out.
Q What was the impact on the residents at that time?
By that time the issue had spread like an epidemic. There were thirty deaths recorded owing to the effects of this garbage mountain as a result of various sicknesses caused by the garbage. In a survey conducted by the GMOA at that time it was revealed that 60% of children in the vicinity are suffering from mental disorders owing to the influence of the garbage dump and 65% have contacted skin diseases. It became very difficult for people to live there.
QHad anyone foreseen that this garbage mountain could collapse at that time?
No one had said so, but some environmentalists and a Professor of the Peradeniya University had said that the mountain can collapse. But the government failed to pay any heed and never made any warnings. Cracks appeared in walls and in some houses. Some obtained compensation, but our prolonged agitations did not bring any results, and as there was no alternative people became used to living here. When 60 companies presented project plans, the Colombo Municipality in some way or another blocked them. Some companies were willing to pay Rs.1000 to the CMC for every tonne of garbage. This revenue would alone have helped the CMC to maintain itself. The CMC did not allow any of these projects to be undertaken. There was a reason for this, because the tender of the garbage was a gold mine for CMC staff. A former council member filed action in the Supreme Court charging that this entire tender procedure was a fraud. It was apparent that some of the former Mayors and Municipal commissioners had been thriving on this tenders given to some companies.
While this was going on the former chairman of the Kolonnawa UC, its Vice Chairman and certain Opposition Council members had formed companies and started to transport garbage to Meetotamulla. Not stopping at that, their brothers and relatives were used to collect the discarded bottles from the dump and using the environment around this dump yard a racket in propagating 
drugs, which continued without any obstacles. So the garbage dump became a safe haven for these Councillors and their henchman and an ideal site for their filthy lucre. In December 2015 when we again launched a massive protest, the former Chairman Ravindra Udayashantha came with a group of about twenty persons at about 10pm and mercilessly assaulted the protesters. An hour earlier to this incident the police who were at the site were stealthily removed. As a result of this attack Keerthirathne suffered a broken finger and was warded at the hospital. All governments whether SLFP or UNP thrived on commissions paid by the companies and were never interested in solving this issue.
In March this year we organized another protest. Few days earlier MP Marikkar and UNP Councillors of Kotikawatte and Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabhas got together with about 200 people staged a false protest, giving media coverage. Marikkar need not involve in protest as he had been sent to the Parliament by the people. It is the UNP government that is in power and the CMC is also under the UNP. What he did was staging media shows and disrupting the protests by people who are really victimized.
We expected that something serious would happen if the issue is not settled timely. People never realized and they were also not warned on time. On two earlier occasions some were informed to vacate the area. About three hundred houses were vacated as Rs 1.5 million were paid to them. Most of them were unauthorized settlers. But those who lost houses in the recent collapse of the dump are permanent settlers and their houses are worth Rs. 8 to 9 million. They were promised as compensation Rs. 1.5 million, therefore there is a reluctance on their part to vacate.
(Courtesy irida Lankadeepa)
