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| Sunday, 24 August 2003 |
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How do our waterways get contaminated? by Shanika Sriyananda Our special report on August 10 explored the contentious issue of riverwater pollution, where many environmental activists alleged that haphazard disposal of industrial waste into rivers, was contaminating the Kelani, Maha Oya and other significant waterways, posing a serious health hazard to millions of people who depend on these rivers for their supply of drinking water. However, industrialists counter the allegations by claiming that it is unplanned city development and haphazard dumping of garbage that is polluting the rivers. In the second of our two-part series on riverwater pollution, we take a look at measures taken by the relevant authorities to minimise riverwater pollution, and safety measures adopted by the BoI to ensure that industries do not dump their untreated waste into the country's waterways. Our rivers are contaminated - there's no gainsaying that fact. But how our rivers get contaminated, has become a contentious issue, with the eco groups accusing the industrialists of haphazardly dumping industrial effluent into rivers, and both the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) and the Board of Investment (BoI) attributing it to haphazard dumping of domestic waste. Officials of both the NWSDB and the BoI stress the urgent need to implement a well designed garbage disposal system for the benefit of the residents along the river basins. They allege that unplanned human settlements and illegal encroachments had resulted in riverwater pollution to a greater extent. Most of the dwellings do not have proper latrine facilities and some of the lavatory pits are connected to rivers, they claimed. Poor ad hoc city designing, which lack proper sewage and drainage systems have also contributed to riverwater pollution. However, the polluted water of the Kelani River brings up another relevant question - the role of the NWSDB. The river supplies drinking water to significant numbers of Colombo's population. Is the NWSDB doing enough to purify the water, before pumping it? Water Board officials claim that water samples from Ambatale, Labugama and Kalatuwawa are checked according to water quality standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Sri Lanka Standards Institute. Laboratory tests are also done in the NWSDB, the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and the Colombo Municipal Council laboratories. But, purification of riverwater, officials claim, is difficult and admit that there is a continuous trend in riverwater contamination owing to the addition of harmful chemicals to the water. "A Cabinet Paper for the mitigation and control of pollution due to industrial effluent in the Kelani and Maha Oya basins was approved by the Cabinet. The Task Force, which was set up under the directive of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Economic Policy, appointed three working groups to monitor river basins, review standard and siting and approve procedures for industries to study these aspects in detail", the official said. He also said that a separate environmental unit of the Attorney-General's Department will be set up to deal with environmental prosecution. Facilitating the river basin monitoring activities, an industrial data base for the Kelani River and the Maha Oya basins has already been developed by the NWSDB. "A detailed industrial survey of these two riverwater sources will be initiated by a gazette notification declaring the Kelani River basin an environmentally sensitive area is being finalised", he said. Meanwhile, the Task Force has recommended that the Cabinet Sub Committee implement the National Water Supply and Drainage Board Act to deal with the pollution of water sources directly. " With the assistance of the Department of Customs Control, a mechanism will be developed to assess the hazardous chemical imports to the country", the officials said. "We need the help of all concerned parties including industrialists to keep our rivers free of chemicals to achieve the NWSDB's goal - to provide every citizen a clean glass of water free of harmful substances.", he pointed out. Amara Beling, Director, Environment of Board of Investment (BOI) said that environment safety measures were one of key areas that the BOI looked into before approving a BOI industry. "A well organised procedure is adopted to check whether the industries are environment friendly. Prior to the registration the investors have to submit project, manufacturing and site details and also details about machinery and fuel consumption to evaluate the environmental problems that are likely to arise from the industry. Then we carry out site inspections and if it is a high polluting industry, get the assistance of a senior CEA official to check whether the site is suitable to accommodate the project. Inside the Export Processing Zones, the BOI takes the decision of accommodating the site but outside the zones the concurrence of the CEA is needed", she said. According to her, site clearances will be given if the industry has completed the stipulated environmental conditions and it is checked once again in building applications. "If it is a waste water generating activity it should have a proper waste water plant and for the dust generating activity a dust extractor has to be installed. Before the approval for the construction, if these standards are not upto the required levels, we ask them to revive the standards", she added. To commence business, the industry needs to get an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) from the BoI in consultation with the CEA. The EPLs will be renewed once three years. " The effluent samples will be tested in the BoI laboratory in Biyagama. If the system is a success with the concurrence of the CEA, EPLs will be renewed", she added. Beling confirmed that the BoI has a strict monitoring system where the industries inside the zones are monitored regularly and the others once in three months, " we believe that new industries need some guidelines to improve the standards and, if necessary, we guide them how to improve and how to rectify them. A timeframe will be given to industries where the treatment plants are not upto standard to rectify the failure", Beling said. "No industry can keep the treatment plant as a 'showpiece'", Beling said, adding that there was a misconception among the public about industrial effluent from each industry been discharged to the river directly. " Industrial effluent treated in-house is sent to a common sewer system in the zone. Treated waste water is then discharged to canals and then to the river. For a example, treated effluent of the Katunayake EPZ is discharged from the common sewer to the Raggahawatta Ela, and then to the Kelani river", she said. The list of chemicals to be used as raw materials should also be given to the Director (Environment Management) BoI for the approval before importing them, she said. |
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