Meethotamulla Shifted to Muthurajawela - What after July 20 ?

The Supreme Court suspended the dumping of garbage at Muthurajawela following an interim order issued on July 5. The interim order is valid till July 20. This order was issued following a fundamental rights petition filed by a group of concerned villagers on June 14. Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), CMC Commissioner, Urban Development Authority (UDA), Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha, Commissioner General of Department of Agrarian Development, Director General of Department of Wildlife Conservation, Director General of Irrigation Department, Assistant Divisional Secretary, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau and the Attorney General were cited as respondents.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Priyasath Dep and Justice Upali Abeyratne issued the interim order on the Colombo Municipality which was supported by Dr. Sunil Cooray together with Keith De Mel.

Attempts made by a team of journalists from the Daily Mirror to enter the garbage dumping site were foiled at three guarded entryways. However the villagers had already warned us in advance that the unofficial guards present wouldn’t let us in. Somehow, we were led to the nearby office, just to be ignored by an official from CMC. This official spoke in a strict manner and said that they were advised not to allow anyone in without CMC’s permission. We somehow managed to take a few snaps secretively. While we were observing the garbage dumping site, more than 10 lorries arrived with garbage. The villagers were concerned about the pressing they do with garbage.

"The school has been affected so much by the prevailing rotten smell that it is reported that some students had fainted. But nobody had been brave enough to comment on the injustice caused to them"

The garbage is pressed, but no mound is made and the dirt is then invisible to the unsuspecting eye. Even though the CMC had asserted that they are dumping only decaying materials to the yard at Muthurajawela, the villagers maintained that there’s no such separation of garbage when its released into the garbage dump at Kerawalapitiya. Garbage was dumped in places like Delathura, Kerawalapitiya and Pamunugama before the ban was enforced. Now Kerawalapitiya is the only site that permits the dumping of garbage.

Negombo Road, Wattala, Mahabage, Nagoda and Kandana areas were polluted with the odor of garbage. A school adjacent to one of these garbage dumps is Nagoda Maha Vidyalaya. The school has been affected so much by the prevailing rotten smell that it is reported that some students had fainted. But nobody had been brave enough to comment on the injustice caused to them.
The Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, had issued a statement critisizing garbage dumping in to Muthurajawela, citing that dangerous clinical waste was mixed with other garbage. Fr. Ananda Vithana from the Bopitiya Church also filed a petition.

A reliable source told the Daily Mirror that certain environmental service units of reputed companies are collecting garbage from around Colombo and are carrying on the dumping of garbage to Muthurajawela from midnight till morning. The villagers were unaware of the secret disposal of garbage taking place at midnight.

Our team spoke to villagers of Kudagaspitiya. This village is plagued by flies after garbage dumping started in Kerawalapitiya.   

“We can’t stand others dumping garbage in our village”

- Dilini Kanchana, a shop owner from Kudagaspitiya

“We are facing grave dangers with a polluted environment around us. Swarms of flies are invading our shop, hence protecting food from flies is such a burden. The drivers and construction workers here used to have food from our shop, but now there’s a sudden drop in our clientele after the rains that triggered the fly menace.

No food can be kept outside because it attracts flies within seconds. Little ones are frequently getting sick. Even if we are able to shoo away flies, little ones can’t and they are always falling sick. The unbearable odor drifts in with the wind and this problem has gathered momentum after the heavy rains. We experienced floods this year and the flood waters took a long time to recede.

This is because the drains were affected by the filling of garbage at Muthurajawela. We can’t stand others dumping garbage in our village.” 

“All of Colombo’s garbage is here”

- H. Malkanthi

“We have been living in a hell for the past two weeks. The garbage dump stinks and flies are intolerable. My three grandchildren are always suffering from fever, indigestion and vomiting. Doctors are advising us to keep them away from flies, but how in the world can
we do that?  An year ago, an attempt was made to dump garbage from the Wattala Municipal Council here. The villagers objected fiercely with support coming from local politician Jagath Jayathunga. Now they are dumping all of Colombo’s garbage here.

“After the change of government the dumping started”

 - D.N.P Gayashan

“Nearly 40 or 50 lorries arrive to dump garbage here. This happens from around 8 in the morning till 5.30 pm. The Municipal Council’s lorries and tippers are seen transporting garbage, dripping smelly juices in the process. They say they are filling the land with soil. As a result when there are floods, the water doesn’t drain fast as in the past. Dengue and Filaria are spreading unlike before. There have been attempts to dump garbage here in the past, but those attempts were successfully blocked. Garbage dumping commenced after the change of government.” 

“Releasing harmful chemicals into Muthurajawela kills fish and is a public nuisance.”

- Jagath Gunawardena - Environmental lawyer

“The EIA report should have been compiled before initiating any waste management project in over one hectare of land, whether the filling happens in wetlands or in a forestland. In Muthurajawela, both rules were broken by not doing an EIA. The Basic Environmental Impact Assessment report should contain the permission of environment officers for the project to be approved. Otherwise legal action can be taken under the 24 B section of National Environment Act.”
he clarified.   

“It’s a punishable offense to pollute the water. The release of polluted water in to a wetland spreads it all over and pollutes the wetland. Dead fish is proof that the wetland is already polluted. This is classified as an offense and is mentioned in section 23 H, in National Environment Act. Under the section 27 in Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, releasing harmful chemicals in to any habitat is a punishable offense, if the lives of aquatic species are threatened. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department should take action for the impact made on fish.

Releasing harmful chemicals in to Muthurajawela in a way brings death to fish and has become a public nuisance. The Municipality in the area is the first institution responsible for not taking action regarding this issue because it has the power to throw its weight behind the health of the people in their domain. The others responsible are the PHI and thirdly the police. The municipality is bound to take action against the public nuisance in their area that comes under Urban Council Ordinance or some other relevant ordinance.

The Municipal Ordinance specifies that the garbage collected in the municipality should be disposed of in a way, that doesn’t disturb the public. Therefore, the Wattala Municipality, which has allowed other municipalities dump garbage on its domain is at fault.” he noted.   

“The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources should take action against this. The provincial councils, Wattala Municipality and CMC are responsible. There is a law and order crisis due to the poor attitude of the officials. These institutions have contravened public trust and the responsibilities of public institutions. The public won’t respect the law, when it doesn’t apply in the same way for everyone in the country.” he explained as he highlighted the reasons for the development of this unfortunate situation in the country.

“There is a potential threat in the future”

- P. Nimal Chandraratne - Director General, National Aquaculture Development Authority in Sri Lanka (NAQDA)

“We aren’t the ones who dump garbage there. There is a potential threat to the resources of fish in said area in the future, if garbage dumping continues long term, like in Meethotamulla. And there are some issues regarding the quality of water. We have sent a group there and compiled a report and informed about the situation to the Mayor.”   

When inquired about the “dead fish found from Muthurjawela in the rainy season” the DG explained, “ There is a heavy organic load in the rainy season and it is natural. With the increase of Nitrogen, Pottassium and Phosperous in the water, an algae forms using all the available oxygen in the water, resulting in the deaths of fish. The garbage problem in Muthurajawela will be sorted out soon. As a professional related to this matter, my opinion is that the ornamental fish breeding centres are harbouring fear because the water is being spoiled there, as a result of the garbage problem.”  
The DG rejected commenting of the effect on Negombo Lagoon and fisheries there. 

Preview of IUCN - Occasional Papers of IUCN Sri Lanka, No. 4, January 2003,

- Lucy Emerton and L. D. C. B. Kekulandala

“Muthurajawela is the largest saline peat bog in Sri Lanka. Together with the Negombo estuary it forms an integrated coastal wetland ecosystem spanning 6,232 ha. The estimated economic value of the wetland is around Rs 726.5 million per year and the benefits mainly come in the form of flood attenuation and wastewater treatment. The marsh supports livelihood activities such as fishing and to a lesser extent agriculture. The location of Muthurajawela in a rapidly developing and highly populated urban area makes it an extremely valuable, yet vulnerable ecosystem.”

According to the findings of Lucy Emerton and L. D. C. B. Kekulandala,
The Ecological features in Muthurajawela: The marsh plant community is unstable and represents one of the final stages of succession towards dry land formation. High-levels of human disturbance have led to significant change in the composition of dominant plant species over the last ten years, which in turn had an effect on the faunal composition. The vertebrate fauna includes 40 species of fish (4 endemic and nationally threatened), 14 species of amphibians, 31 species of reptiles, 102 species of birds (including one endemic and 19 winter migrants), and 22 species of mammals.  

Out of the 209 species of vertebrate fauna documented, 17 (9%) are endemic, while 26 (12%) are nationally threatened. The endemic fish species include Puntius singala, Esomus thermoicos,Channa orientalis, Clarias brachysoma and Aplocheilus dayi. Among the amphibians, Bufo atukoralei, Lankanectes corrugate, Rana gracilis and Polypedates cruciger are endemic to Sri Lanka.

 “I cannot take garbage home”

- The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Commissioner V.K.A Anura

“We are issuing separated and decaying garbage in to the compost yard in Muthurajawela. Recyclable cardboard and paper sent to Valaichenai, polythene bags to Dompe and mixed garbage collected from roadside to Kerawalapitiya briefly highlights the present system being operated. Dumping garbage at Kerawalapitiya isn’t banned.” he specified.   

According to the Commissioner, 120 lorries are transporting garbage to the Kerawalapitiya garbage yard daily. He said that garbage dumping at Muthurajawela was started long ago by the “Land Reclamation Corporation”.

Responding to a query whether the EIA report had been compiled, he said the Land Reclamation Corporation is dumping garbage there. The Commissioner replied angrily to the question by saying, “Where does the CMC dump garbage after the ban limited the sites available? ” in the form of a question and asked, “Can I take the garbage home?”.   

“Garbage is being used as a filling material which is not 100% eco friendly”

 - Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLR & DC)- Chairman - Asela Iddawela

“ We are managing 90% of the municipal solid waste from CMC. And the rest from Wattala and Kaduwela municipalities were used to start the project on June 1 this year. We recieved 400 tons of vegetable garbage per day.”   

Replying to the question how they managed the waste after the courts order limited access only to Kerawalapitiya, he said that some part of the portion is sent to a sanitary land filling in Dompe. The garbage is being used as a filling material for the land to be developed, which is not 100% environment friendly alternative, he added.   

Explaining whether they have an EIA report, he said, “We don’t have any EIA report, but we’ve got approval from the Central Environment Authority (CEA).”   

Commenting on the tender notice issued by SLLR & DC to “off shore sand mining and pumping for reclamation and stock piling at Kerawalapitiya and Muthurajawela, under the procurement No/ S/ 183/ 17” he opined that they have received permission from CEA to develop the area. They are going to build a 60 hectare shelter for compost making in Kerawalapititya. 

“Dissolved garbage enters the canal and affects the whole eco- system”

Chaminda Muthukuda  - An information officer at the Muthurajawela Visitor Centre

“The garbage dumping sites at Muthurajawela are naturally marshes. Dissolved garbage drips into the canal and affects the whole eco- system. It’s alleged that Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka (DCSL) is releasing unrefined waste water in to Dandugam Oya.

The company is allegedly taking cover behind the flood season to continue with their nefarious activities. Schools of fish died due to poisoning. People collected the fish and sold them during the first three days, being unaware of these development. Thus, people have been selling and consuming fish unsuitable for human consumption.

This has been allegedly happening regularly, as the above company had been releasing unrefined waste water during a period of four years. It’s easy for them to spare themselves of blame. They won’t accept their fault. Those who play tricks use political influence to dump garbage at Muthurajawela.” he lamented.   

“People assume that piling garbage remotely won’t affect the sanctuary. Yet this area consist of marshes and everything is interconnected. Therefore, existing toxins and toxins that are produced from the garbage seep in to the marsh, creating complicated long term issues.” he said.   

“The public has been invading the sanctuary, filling and building houses. They won’t speak up immediately against the illegal activities here, as they also have filled the marsh and built houses in the area. The filling of land is somewhat under control now, but the biggest problem is the garbage. Sometimes politicians forcibly occupy the land. Some time ago, a brother of former minister Kingsley Perera tried to build a hotel, but with the media spring into action, the situation came under control,” he explained as he spoke of a problem now having deep roots.   

“The Ja - Ela municipality used to dump garbage in the sanctuary. The marsh was filled with garbage and the houses were built on those. The rotten garbage, dripping in the form of juice, dripped into the lagoon and contaminated with Muthurajawela marsh. The water drainage system in Muthurajawela was affected by the highway because they filled every other canal except the major canals. Highways have to be built on piles not disturbing the waterways, like they have done here.

Water transportation in and out of marshlands is crucial. Garbage disposal has been happening here for a long time. Even the Ja Ela municipality was dumping garbage here. The affect of garbage doesn’t stop harming the environment or people.” he said filling us with the background to the story.