At the end point of tolerance

Battered Meethotamulla residents demand their lands

The time was not at all auspicious for residents of Meethotamulla area back in 2017 on April 14th when the entire country was getting ready to welcome the Sinhala and Hindu New year. The garbage mount which covers a vast area collapsed without leaving a trace of property and 31 lives.   

The Meethotamulla garbage mount received the attention of authorities in January, 2013 when Meethotamulla Sri Rahula Vidyalaya closed down. From then many protests were staged urging the authorities to halt garbage dumping in the area. At that time around 800 tons of garbage was dumped daily in the area which covers approximately 17 Acres.   

The residents pointed out that it was a tragedy which could have been prevented. Under the Supreme Court order SCFR 218/2009 the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had limited authority to dump garbage. However, contrary to the order, CMC continued to dump garbage in this area.   

Despite the many campaigns held with the aim of eradicating dengue none of them was applicable to Meethotamulla. The area was a breeding ground for mosquitoes and there were many residents who contracted dengue. Residents in the area suffering from skin diseases and respiratory issues was common. Irrespective of the number of pleas, protests and the campaigns the authorities turned blind eye to the issue.   

The loss of lives in April 2017 was an eye-opener to many. Some lives had to be sacrificed for the authorities to notice the issue and put a stop to the permanent dumping of garbage in Meethotamulla.   
A year has passed and there are residents in this area without homes. This is despite promises made to them by the authorities.    Shantha Jayasinghe, a resident who lost his house and vehicle due to the collapse of the garbage mount, said that he was born and bred in the area and that the residents possessed deeds for the land they lived on. “We are not illegal residents despite some of the Media saying so” he said.   

He said that an estimate of forty Lakhs was made for the houses, but no estimate had been made so far regarding the value of the land.   

Housing in flats   
The residents said that they were given Rs. 50,000 per month as a rent for three months. But this payment was halted after August 2017. During this period some of the residents were evacuated as they were living in areas which were identified as danger zones. Also some of the residents were evacuated considering the fact their houses were half or fully damaged. Some even got housing in flats.   

They point out that the basis of the valuation is not fair. And they again had to make requests regarding the balance payments.   

“We had to go to Divisional Secretariat requesting for the balance of the compensation. Following a few meetings and requests being made, arrangements were made to give us the money due from August 2017,” the residents said.   

The garbage mount still stands tall. The monument gives the indication that it is trying to relate a story about a section of the society that has been battered and betrayed

Kapila Perera, another resident who lost his house, said that there is another sect of residents who didn’t receive compensation. “Yes, we managed to receive compensation, but there are some residents who didn’t receive anything. There are residents who do not have title deeds, but a card instead which was given during the period of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. But this card is not accepted anywhere nor is any guidance given to those residents,” he complained.    Perera further said that although the media portray that 90% of the issues of the residents were solved this news is far from the reality.   

Fighting for what they deserve   
“It is indeed sad how some of the media portrayed this whole incident. Some of the people got the idea that the collapse of the garbage mount was a blessing in disguise as some residents got houses in flats. This is not true. We were left only with what we wore at that moment. Since then life has been a constant battle. We have not been given a permanent solution for the housing issue. We have to fight even to get what we deserve,” he said.   

The residents said that none of the Members of Parliament who represented the area followed up what had happened after the collapse of the dump. Adding to their woes none of the Non Governmental Organizations approached them to offer help. They live in constant fear as to what 
would happen next.   

“Many promises were made. One of the promises made was to make this a green zone, but nothing has been done even after the lapse of a year. There is no plan for the next step. True, now they do not dump garbage here, but what are they going to do to the mount? It is still there. Sri Rahula Vidyalaya is still closed. Our Children faced not only health issues, but also had to deal with social concerns. Once the school was closed they were given new schools but were looked down by other students,” they said. They said that compared to other similar situations that developed in the country they were not offered any help to uplift their mental status.   

“When other disasters struck the country many steps were taken on behalf of the people’s welfare. During past disasters there was also psychological support for those affected. There were children who were to sit for the Grade five Scholarship Examination. This is one opportunity which a child gets to join a school that offers better facilities. After the devastation the children could not perform at the exam in keeping with expectations as they did not have books nor other psychological support. As parents we could not support them as we too were devastated at that time,” they said.    The residents further said that if they aren’t provided with a reasonable solution by the Government the only option they have is to return to the area close to the garbage mount and build houses.

“We were born and bred here. All our lives evolved here. If the Government is not going to dump garbage they can clear the area, improve infrastructure and give the lands back to the residents,” the residents said.   

Furthermore they said that although a committee had been set up, the only action taken so far was the removing of the Commissioner of the CMC.   

“It is not just the Commissioner who should be responsible for this. There were many people who are responsible. What is the use of removing just one official? It does not make any difference to our lives” the residents argued.   

The garbage mount still stands tall. The monument gives the indication that it is trying to relate a story about a section of the society that has been battered and betrayed.    When the Daily Mirror contacted Navin Mannapperuma, Director Western Province Waste Management Authority, he said that measures had been taken to make the garbage mount less active. “There are many garbage mounts like these in the world. Although many claim that the garbage here can be recycled, in reality we cannot use the entire mount for that purpose. What can be done is to make it inactive. There is a plan executed by University of Moratuwa along with the Ministry of Megapolis with regard to Meethotamulla,” he said.