Solid Waste Management Project Karadiyane

It was the 2^nd day of our clerkship appointment and after a quick briefing at the MOH office in boralasgamuwa we were taken to the Karadiyane waste management project located in the Aththidiya marshy land in boralasgamuwa MOH area.

As we approached the site we were taken away by the scenic beauty which was enhanced by the lush greenery and by the picturesque Bolgoda lake which made us to think whether “is this one of those nature club field trips”. However, our promising thoughts about nature and wildlife was quickly shattered without a trace as we encountered dozens of tractors and trucks loaded with piles of garbage lined up to empty onto the 25 acres of marshy land.

 Under the solid waste management program launched by the central environment authority, Karadiyana Waste Management project was re-opened in January 2011 by the Ministry of Environment. It receives an average of 400MT of solid waste daily from 7 municipal areas around Colombo which include Boralasgamuwa, Kesbawa, Panadura, Moratuwa, Dehiwala, Mount lavinia and Kotte.

When considering the solid waste management strategy in sri lanka there are several methods of effective solid waste disposal methods adopted by different municipal councils island wide. In Karadiyana the main method of disposal is a system known as “sanitary landfills”. 

Source -  UN-HABITAT/solid waste management strategy       

As the truck/tractor enters the site the gross weight of garbage will be measured by the use of computerized measuring system. (Total weight - weight of the vehicle). After the measuring procedure is completed the garbage will be dumped into a “cell”.

 In sanitary landfill system waste is deposited in thin layers and compacted by heavy machinery (e.g., bulldozers); several layers are placed and compacted on top of each other to form a cell (150m*150m). At the end of each week the compacted cell is covered with a layer of soil from a decomposed area to prevent odor and spread of debris through air.

Even though Karadiyana project adopts most of the ideal techniques there are so many environmental and health care issues that should be addressed. Firstly when considering the marshy land it’s not the ideal soil for such a project, the bottom should be sealed with impermeable material to prevent contamination of ground water. In Karadiyana none of these issues have been taken into consideration. This will cause long term negative effects on the balance of the eco-system around this area and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to outbreaks of vector-borne diseases.

There are about 30-40 ramp diggers working at the site. Their main task is to sort out materials like metal, plastics, paper etc out of the garbage, and these materials will be sold to the highest bidder on the market and they earn quite a considerable income (85% of the total income). Also they are provided with safety and protective equipments like gloves, boots, uniforms, masks etc and once in every three months a medical clinic will be held to address their medical problems. There is also an immunization program for these workers which include vaccinations like tetanus, typhoid, JE and hepatitis B. Welfare facilities for these workers will also be provided.

According to the current rate of garbage disposal at karadiyana the total ground area will only be able to withstand the amount of solid waste for another 2 years. Therefore the central environment authority has taken initiatives to suggest long term strategies for proper management of solid waste. Already they have started infrastructure development for the implementation of a compost plant, which once completed will be able to take up 100MT out of the daily amount of solid waste. By the end of 2013 a new power plant will be established converting almost 200-300MT daily. Also it’s necessary to establish a national policy for garbage disposal even at community level. Ideally the separation of material for recycling should be done at the level of source and households should be encouraged to minimize their total solid waste output, home solid waste composting methods should be introduced and new strategies for garbage disposal should be implemented.

If they can achieve these targets Karadiyana will be able to serve as a successful modern state of the art sanitary landfill facility for the next generations to come, if not it will be yet another “Bloemendhal” as we can see in the heart of Colombo even now.

Sachith Perera 

20/08/2012

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