Garbage and other problems at Weli Park WELI PARK’S FOUL PLAY

Overflowing Bins and Stranded Crocs Shadow Urban Legacy  

Built under ambitious urban renewal plans, Nawala’s popular wetland park is collapsing into a public health hazard as fragmented state coordination leaves waste uncollected and local wildlife stranded  

• “Whatever his other deficiencies may have been, Mr Rajapaksa did a tremendous job in building a series of wetland and other parks as part of his broader urban renewal program, which is deeply appreciated to this day.”  

A reader of the *Daily Mirror* reached out to us to express deep concern regarding the alarming state of neglect at the Nawala Urban Wetland Park, popularly known as Weli Park. Originally constructed as part of an ambitious urban renewal initiative, the park serves thousands of residents across Nugegoda, Nawala, and Gangodawila. However, the lack of a centralized management authority has led to a breakdown in basic upkeep. Bins routinely overflow for days, posing serious public health risks through stenches and mosquito breeding grounds, while poorly executed infrastructure continues to disrupt local wildlife and undermine this public asset.  

There is a serious garbage collection problem at the Nawala Urban Wetland Park, better known as the Weli Park.  

The park is utilized by thousands living in the Nugegoda, Nawala, Gangodawila and other adjacent areas. It was opened in 2013 by the then Secretary of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa.   

Other deficiencies apart, Gotabaya  did a tremendous job in building a series of wetland and other parks as part of his broader urban renewal program, which is deeply appreciated to this day.  

Part of the issue with these parks is that different government agencies are responsible for different tasks rather than having a single central authority. From time to time, several of these agencies have been found lacking in basic upkeep.   

One of the biggest issues facing Weli Park is the lack of timely disposal of garbage. As such, for days and sometimes a week or longer, garbage bins have overflow and sometimes are found fallenon the ground due to their weight.   

Apart from issues of sanitation, hygiene and the unbearable stench, this invites dengue mosquitoes at a time the Government is doing its utmost to safeguard the public. The situation is no better across the narrow waterway where a wetland has been filled with garbage for months with only green undercover hiding parts of it.  

While “Gota” did a terrific job in establishing the much needed walking and exercise parks, he never established a coordinating mechanism, and solutions were based on his personal charisma. Now that he is no longer there, the lack of proper systems and enforcement is leading to many fissures.  

To give one more example, when fences were erected to safeguard the public from crocodiles, they were poorly executed blocking the underground animal tunnels. There is a lack of space for animals to crawl under. Some good Samaritans had cleared the pathways sometime ago during a shramadana at the park but since then it has been filled with sand and silt.   

A young crocodile who came from across the tunnel found himself stranded, unable to reach the water on the other side.   

After half an hour, he decided to return to where he came from.  

From a public interest standpoint, hundreds of millions of rupees were spent to construct these parks. It is important that the public gets the full benefit from them. A healthy public is a productive public. The Government should take immediate action to address the deficiencies including those at Weli Park.  

-Milinda Jayasekera  

Nugegoda