Meethotamulla garbage tragedy Promises kept in limbo – CHR

The government has not delivered most of the promises it made to victims of the Meethotamulla garbage dump collapse, the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) said yesterday.

“Experts from Sri Lanka and Japan were drafted to look into the matter. Politicians and officials promised the people that they will provide a solution to Meethotamulla garbage dump. But so far nothing has been done,” CHR Executive Director, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said.

He added that presenting their report on the Meethotamulla garbage dump to President Maithripala Sirisena in April Japanese experts suggested that the shape of the dump should be made symmetrical with a broad base to ensure proper distribution of gravity. Tennakoon stated that the government has not even carried out this simple step.

“The promises made by the Chief Minister of the Western Province and officials of Provincial Councils have also not been kept. When the dump collapsed the dumping of garbage stopped. But a sustainable solution to the issue has not been found. The garbage that went to Meethotamulla has now been diverted to four locations and there are protests at those four sites as well,” he said.

Over 30 people were killed when the Meethotamulla garbage dump came crashing down on 14 April. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said 1,059 people were affected by the collapse.