Aruwakkalu garbage disposal site relocated?

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Residents of Aruwakkalu, Puttalam claim that the accurate details of the proposed solid waste sanitary landfill disposal facility are being concealed from the public. Upon investigations carried out by the News 1st reporters into the matter, it was revealed that steps have been taken by the government to introduce a project to shift garbage collected daily in Colombo by train to Aruwakkalu in Puttalam. The construction of the project is now underway. News 1st reporters were also able to find out that the garbage fill is not located in Aruwakkalu and that instead the garbage is planned to be dumped in the Serakkuliya area. The villages of Serakkuliya and Karaitivu are located close to the Puttalam lagoon where many depend on fishing as their means of income. According to the initial plan it was decided to dump the garbage in Aruwakkalu near the Gange Wadiya village. The villagers claim that they had shown no disagreement to this plan as there was no effect on the village or the people. However, since the garbage disposal site project was shifted to  Serakkuliya, 5 km away from Aruwakkalu a number of problems have emerged. Serakkuliya is located only 100m away from the lagoon. Locals fear contaminated material from the dump-site would pose a threat to the lagoon and their livelihoods. Villages have also focused their concern on the harm that would befall the salt production of the area.