Sophisticated sanitary landfill for Dompe
By Kurulu Kariyakarawana
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Geotextile being laid across the cell
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Managing waste could be a grave issue for a newly developing country
such as Sri Lanka. Lack of a proper waste management system and
irregular garbage dumping practices have not only created an unpleasant
atmosphere but the sanitary issues that may lead to instances of public
unrest and tensed situations. Following the recent experiences of the
turmoil caused by civil unrest due to a polluted water problem that
claimed lives, the need to establish a suitable waste disposal system is
immensely felt.
In answer to the woes, a solid waste management system is emerging
from Dompe, in the form of a sanitary landfill project that will address
the age-old garbage problem with an environment friendly solution.
The first ever state-of-the-art sanitary landfill in the country
introduced by the Central Environment Authority (CEA) with technical and
financial assistance from the Korean International Corporation Agency (KOICA)
will be completed and ready for operation by early November.
Located in a remote forest land near the Kirindiwela town, the site
will provide a state-of-the-art garbage dumping ground for residual
waste collected within the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area.
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Managing Director 21st Century Property
Development (Pvt) Ltd. Channa Ruberoe explaining the on-going
work process said the secondary construction commenced in
January 2013 and about 80 percent of the work has been completed
now. Construction work is running round the clock despite the
rainy weather that prevails almost every other day of the year.
The construction has been done in a swift
manner and is targeted to be completed by early November. It was
not an easy task to continue work uninterrupted due to the bad
weather conditions that prevailed in the area since it is
situated on the boundary of the Sabaragamuwa Province. It rained
throughout the year except for five days which is not a healthy
atmosphere to conduct land excavation and related construction.
Despite these hostile conditions the labourers worked day and
night to achieve our target. And with utmost commitment we have
managed to tackle all obstacles that came our way, Ruberoe said.
Apart from the main construction, we have
engaged in developing the surrounding environment as well. Trees
that emanate pleasant aromas such as the ‘Araliya’ will be
planted around the site premises to prevent the stench of solid
waste being spread to the surrounding populated areas.
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A wide extent of land excavated into a pit which is called a cell,
laid with layers of different material to protect the soil from
pollution and extract the waste water separately, has a capacity to hold
an estimated 20, 000 metric tons of solid waste within a targeted period
of 10 to 15 years by the time the landfill is completed. It is expected
to be handed over to the public as a recreational ground when the
landfill is complete.
The project will come as a solution to the unregulated, open dumping
of solid waste by local authorities and will be the first sanitary fill
to be used with modern technology to avoid pollution of soil, ground
water and waterways in the surrounding area.
Although the project was launched in 2008 by the CEA it could not
move due to obstructions by the residents in the surrounding areas who
protested in the belief that it would turn out to be another open
garbage dumping site in the neighbourhood, similar to the Bloemendhal
garbage dump. Amid various public protests suspected to have been
initiated by interested parties, a court order was passed in 2010 to
continue the project and take action against all hindrances and
obstructions.
The initial excavation was commenced by the CEA on several acres. A
big cell was dug using heavy-duty machinery and land vehicles such as
backhoes, bulldozers and tippers that removed mounds of earth to
different portions of the land. The preparatory groundwork lasted about
one and a half years and on completion KOICA took over the construction
in June, 2012. The pilot project came under the inspection of Senior
Presidential Advisor and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa
and Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa in 2012 with the
participation of many dignitaries including the Ambassador of South
Korea, Jonmoon Choi.
The project was commenced with financial assistance from the Korean
government through KOICA with a grant of $4.5 million and $1.5million
funded by the Sri Lankan government. Technical expertise was granted by
the Korean government to set up the first ever sophisticated landfill in
the country. The construction of the entire site including the cell, a
floor control tank to collect the Leachate and a Bio-reactor tank is
handled by the leading local contractor, 21st Century Property
Development (pvt) Ltd. under the guidance of KOICA.
The cell is designed to receive 90 tonnes of solid waste a day,
estimated to be filled in seven and a half years. The collection of
garbage in the Dompe Pradeshiya Sabha area a day is expected to be
around 7 to 10 tonnes, and therefore, the filling of the land is
expected to run up to at least 15 years.
The cell which is about 20 feet in depth is designed according to a
special formula of Korean waste management skills. The natural ground is
based with layers of gravel, quarry rocks, polyethylene sheets and
Bentonite soil covered with Geotextile material as the top layer.
Polyethylene pipes will be laid at the bottom to extract Leachate
which will be directed to a separate floor control tank on the other
side of the site. Bentonite soil will act as an absorbent. A separate
project is under way to extract biogas from the Leachate that will be
collected in Bio Reactor Tank. It will be purified to be used as fuel.
A multi storied building is constructed to instal the maintenance
system which will be fully automated with a comprehensive computer
system where data related to the maintenance of the cell and the site
will be collected along with the data of the bio gas levels. The dump
trucks that arrive with loads of garbage will be weighed in giant scales
prior to the dumping and the entire operation will be conducted at this
building.
On completion it will be the most sophisticated sanitary landfill in
the country that will act as a model to the other solid waste management
projects to be implemented in the future. However, an important fact
that cannot be ignored is to have a proper maintenance system alongside
the landfill activity to monitor the garbage dumping activity throughout
the coming years and attend to any technical needs that may arise. |
