By The Pulseline News Desk
Colombo’s ongoing garbage collection challenges have once again come under scrutiny, with Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazar saying the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) cannot resolve the issue alone and calling for stronger cooperation among State agencies and the public.
Her remarks come at a time when public complaints over uncollected waste are rising in several parts of the city, alongside renewed concerns about public health risks, particularly the spread of dengue.
Colombo has historically been vulnerable to dengue outbreaks, with stagnant water collected in improperly disposed waste and unmanaged dumping sites creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Health officials have repeatedly warned that lapses in waste management directly contribute to spikes in dengue cases, especially during monsoon periods.
In a statement shared on social media, the Mayor said poorly maintained vacant lands have increasingly become illegal dumping sites, while weak waste segregation at household level continues to undermine the city’s waste management system.
“While waste collection is a service provided by the CMC, keeping the city clean is a shared responsibility,” she said, adding that agencies managing public land must ensure vacant properties do not become dumping grounds.
Discussing setbacks
To address the issue, the CMC convened a meeting with representatives from the Urban Development Authority (UDA), National Housing Development Authority (NHDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), Presidential Secretariat, Clean Sri Lanka programme, Commissioner General of Railways (CGR), Waste Management Authority (WMA), Environmental Police and other institutions involved in urban management.
The discussions focused on improving coordination among agencies to prevent illegal dumping and strengthen citywide waste management systems.
The Mayor also highlighted operational disruptions in recent months, noting repeated partial and full shutdowns of the waste-to-energy plant since the end of January. These interruptions, she said, have affected Colombo’s ability to process waste efficiently and placed additional pressure on municipal collection services.
Despite these setbacks, she said CMC workers continue to operate under difficult conditions to maintain essential services.
Balthazar identified poor waste segregation as a key structural issue. The waste-to-energy facility requires properly sorted waste, but much of what is collected remains mixed, reducing processing efficiency and causing delays.
She said improving segregation at source would not only enhance waste management but also help reduce illegal dumping and associated public health risks, including dengue transmission linked to unmanaged waste sites.
The stakeholder meeting concluded with agreement on practical measures to reduce illegal dumping, strengthen inter-agency coordination and improve enforcement across the city.
“A cleaner Colombo is only possible when institutions and residents work together,” Balthazar said, thanking those involved in ongoing clean-up efforts.
CMC’s waste management issues
However, her comments were challenged by former CMC member Sharmila Gonawela, who said the municipal council must retain a leading role in garbage collection and waste management.
She pointed out that funds had already been allocated in the CMC’s budget for waste management improvements, including the purchase of additional garbage collection trucks, and argued that institutional coordination should not replace core municipal responsibilities.
The debate comes as Colombo continues to grapple with long-standing waste management challenges that have persisted for years despite reforms following the 2017 Meethotamulla landfill collapse, one of Sri Lanka’s worst environmental disasters.
Health experts warn that unresolved waste accumulation, particularly in densely populated urban areas, continues to contribute to the spread of dengue, reinforcing calls for both improved municipal services and stronger public compliance in waste disposal practices.
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