Vavuniya said facing big stink

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 September 2004, 15:41 GMT]
Vavuniya is on the verge of a big stink as its Urban Council (UC) struggles to find a place to dispose the northern border town's garbage and waste. ''We have had to completely stop collecting garbage for the last three days. There are more than fifteen tons of garbage from the town to be disposed daily'', said a UC official Monday. The council stopped dumping garbage outside the town after villages in the area protested last month.

Vavuniya UC obtained land for a dump in an uninhabited area in Pampaimadhu, 8 kilometres west of Vavuniya after it was compelled to stop dumping garbage near Rasenthirakulam.

''It will take some time to clear the jungle and make a path to dispose garbage in the place alotted for the purpose in Pampaimadhu'', says Mr. Nadarajah koneswaranathan, a UC official. It will be a crisis until then, he says.

''There are about 60000 people and 20000 Sri Lankan armed forces personnel in Vavuniya town. At least 62000 persons are in transit through the town every week. This creates a lot of waste and garbage. This is why this crisis is acute'', he said.