Indian Waste into Sri Lanka – Leave Them: Samurdhi Authority Says

In response to the query made by Lanka News Web regarding this issue, the General Manager of Samurdhi Authority Dr. P.B. Terni Pradeep Kumara said that a team has been sent to Puttalam to investigate the problem, and it is more appropriate for the people to avoid touching the garbage.

With the ruggedness appears in the sea these days, the waste from various places collected with the currents had been piled up in a 20 mile area, from Mundalama Thoduwawa beach to Norochcholai.

Dr. P.B. Terni Pradeep Kumara says that the significance of the waste collected in the shores is that plastic with Kerala Indian label engraved are piled up within it. Also, he stated that medical waste has also been piled up in it.  

He said that it was not a waste at large-scale, but due to climatic changes, these have been piled up on the coasts of Puttalam.

Dr. P.B. Terni Pradeep Kumara on this issue further added,

“We have previously observed the same sort of waste being piled up into the shores. Waste from India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia has been shored into our coasts; shoe heels, plastic bottles are some of those. But such situation like this has not been observed before. We can assume that someone from India put these into the Indian shores. Otherwise it is possible that wastes that are put into Indian rivers have flown into the Sri Lankan coasts through the sea.

Today evening (13) by now, we have sent a team to Puttalam to observe the waste. There is no reporting on any collection of large-scale waste here. We cannot avoid such incidents from happening as they naturally cross through the sea. A smaller amount could have been stopped by a Fisherman’s Net. We are capable of only removing such decay regularly when they are shored on to the coasts. But since it is a mass of clinical waste I suggest the villagers to not to touch them. Nevertheless, this is common scenario in other countries as well. Even Sri Lankan waste are known to shore into the coasts of other countries like India and Maldives. Fortunately so far no one had ever complained a Sri Lankan waste was ever shored into their coasts.

It is not humanitarian to throw garbage on to the seas. Despite the fact that this was caused by India, there is no proper systematic procedure to prevent this from happening. All we can say is not to implement any action as such via any international conversation.”