SC halts garbage dumping in Muthurajawela
July 5, 2017 12:14 pm
The Supreme Court today issued an injunction order prohibiting the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) from disposing garbage in Muthurajawela till July 20.
A petition filed by several residents in the area seeking a court order against the disposal of garbage at the Muthurajawela site was taken up before a judge bench comprising Chief Justice Priyasad Dep and Justice Upali Abeyratne.
The petition states that waste collected from Colombo is being disposed in Muthurajawela despite the area being named an Environmental Conservation Zone and that this has resulted in several environmental and health issues surfacing.
The attorney appearing on behalf of the Municipal Commissioner of the CMC informed the court that waste disposal at the site had been halted since last evening. He also pointed out that the site in question does not belong to the Environmental Conservation Zone.
The court inquired as to why a sustainable method of waste disposal in Colombo has not been established despite it being a longstanding issue.
In response to this, the attorney stated that efforts are underway to establish suitable and scientific processes for this and that certain waste management programmes had to be scrapped due to objections from the public.
