Posh people worst litter bugs
City beautification - A collective effort:
By Nilma DOLE
[email protected]
‘Keep our city green and clean’ is a small notice near the curb of a
busy junction in Colombo. But nobody seems to pay attention to it
because there is litter strewn almost under the very board. Every
morning, on our way to work or school, we see the roadside cleaners
laboriously picking and sweeping rubbish and disposing it in their
collection boxes. However, everybody litters just after the cleaners do
their jobs thinking that the authorities don’t see them committing the
‘sin’.
 The
garbage problem is prevalent in all major towns in Sri Lanka but more
so, in the capital city of Colombo.
“Even though we clean the city as best as we can, it is mostly the
so-called educated people in their posh vehicles who throw the rubbish
onto the roads”, lamented one cleaner. Despite privatising the cleaning
work in the city, what is important is education and sticking to ‘clean’
rules that will make the city beautiful. It is also sad to note that Sri
Lankans living abroad will stick to clean rules in their foster
countries, but when they visit their beautiful homeland, they are the
first to throw litter around.
“Many don’t think that rubbish on the roads are unsafe for drivers
and pedestrians which can cause accidents” one concerned citizen pointed
out. “Many people will complain about the state of roads and garbage
strewn all over the city, but nobody accepts the responsibility,” said
the newly-appointed Director Engineering - Lands and Development, Lalith
Wickramatunge of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). Director
Engineering (Works) M. Fazal said, “The public is ready to blame the CMC
for every negative aspect, but they overlook the good work we do. This
was very evident when we completed the reconstruction of T. B. Jayah
Mawatha, when the incomplete reconstruction of Ward Place was
pinpointed”. He said that work on Ward Place was temporarily halted
because it required bitumen to cement the road properly and this had to
be done in dry weather conditions. “If it was done in wet weather, the
road would be
unstable and it would eventually wash off within a year and the money to
reconstruct it would be wasted” he said.
There are allegations by the public that several old trees are being
cut down by the CMC as a result of reconstruction of roads especially
during the SAARC Summit making it a factor for climate change. With
regard to this, Lalith Wickramatunge said, “Trees within city limits
should maintain an optimum growth because if they are hazardous to the
public, then cutting is a must”.
However, he said that the CMC has tree-planting campaigns around the
city and trees have been spruced to prevent accidents. “I hope to
introduce a policy where the employment of ‘tree surgeons’ will be done.
They determine the growth of city trees in a proper manner not only to
make the city beautiful but also to prevent pollution and make them
non-hazardous.”
The Acting Colombo Municipal Commissioner Ms.Bhadrani Jayawardena
said, “By removing illegal hoardings, we did our best to beautify the
city and also after 16 years, we renovated the water fountains at the
Vihara Maha Devi Park as well as constructing new ones during the SAARC
Summit”. She advised that people should work together with the CMC if
they are to make Colombo a clean and green place. They should think
twice before littering or spitting at every nook and corner. Advertising
through posters and hoardings should be done in a controlled manner like
the private companies authorised to beautify the roundabouts in the
city. “We hope we get the public’s support because making our city
beautiful is a team effort” she concluded.n |
