Kandy garbage dump collapses : Another tragedy in the making?

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The landslide that occurred in the garbage dump in Gohagoda, Katugastota has worsened. The Gohagoda garbage dump is reported to be 70 meters tall with garbage. The west slope of the garbage dump is currently being cleared using backhoes of the Kandy Municipal Council. The News 1st correspondent noted that although the residents who are 10 meters away from the garbage dump are threatened with landslides they have no intention of moving. The residents near the garbage dump said that the authorities turned a blind eye on the issue despite many warnings. When News 1st inquired, Athula Senaratne, Senior Lecturer, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science at the University of Peradeniya, noted that garbage dumps tend to produce biogas and if it is to be pressed down with soil, pressure could build up and the garbage might blow out resulting in a landslide.

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