Govt. rejects allegations of disposal of hospital waste in Muthurajawela

• Faiszer says survey underway to convert existing dumps into sanitary landfills 

 The Government rejected allowing any party to dump human body parts collected from hospitals and mortuaries along with standard garbage at the Muthurajawela waste disposal site. 

Making a ministerial statement yesterday in Parliament, the Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Faiszer Musthapha assured the House that human body parts were cremated under the strict supervision of health authorities at a special crematorium in Welisara and there was no possibility of them ending up in Muthurajawela.

Addressing issues relating to garbage disposal, the Minister said: “It is now a known fact that the Government authorities have failed to implement a proper garbage disposal system and also to maintain the existing systems. As a result, garbage is mounting in many parts of the country. It is not only an environmental issue but also a health hazard. Recently, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith also expressed his displeasure and requested the Government to stop dumping garbage in Ja-Ela, an area with a considerably high population density.”

“As soon as the Meethotamulla disaster occurred I proposed that the Government delay local government elections. Local governments should not suffer from not being able to take effective measures on garbage disposal. The country is in difficulty as the local government bodies do not perform their duties properly. The Government should think of bringing in a sustainable solution to recycle garbage at the divisional secretariat levels,” he added, assuring to introduce a proper mechanism to dispose garbage. 

According to the Minister, the Government plans to construct a sanitary landfill and compost plant at Muthurajawela. Another sanitary landfill would come up in Aruwakkalu in Puttalam with trans-substation and railway connectivity. “As an immediate measure, my ministry is carrying out a detailed survey of existing dump sites to see the possibility of converting them into environmentally friendly sanitary landfills. We need to resolve land issues and construct at least two sanitary landfills in every district. We have planned to purchase 100 garbage compactors from local funds and another 151 through Korean soft loans to improve the waste transportation facilities of LG authorities,” he explained. (AH)