Badulla hospital waste storage : Catastrophe if toxic waste mixes with Badulu-oya

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Two garbage trucks which were headed to Aruwakkalu terminal from Colombo had collided with each other at around 3.45 am in Madurankuliya, Puttalam today (August 14). News 1st correspondent stated that an injured driver is being treated at the Puttalam Base Hospital. The correspondent added that the collision might have occurred as one of the trucks attempted to overtake the other. Our correspondent went on to add that none of the trucks involved in the accident had number plates on them. When an attempt was made to transfer the garbage into two other trucks, locals protested that it should not be carried out at the location. However, the garbage was loaded onto other trucks with the intervention of the Munnadalama Police Division. Meanwhile, area residents protested when waste from the Batticaloa General Hospital was being dumped at the Senakaladi village. A tense situation arose when the District Secretary and hospital officials arrived at the scene. Eventually, hospital officials temporarily suspended the dumping of garbage at the Senkaladi village, bowing to the public outcry. The clinical waste which was brought to the Sevanagala area in Samagipura, Kiriibbanara is currently under Police custody. The area residents opposed the dumping of clinical waste yesterday(August 13) and engaged in a protest as well. Our correspondent mentioned that the clinical waste had been dumped at a private land and when it was revealed, the waste had been taken to the Hambantota area. As the garbage was attempted to be dumped at Hambantota, the residents of Hambantota had opposed the dumping of the clinical waste and therefore it was returned. Meanwhile, according to the Police, the owner of the private land had not made a statement as to the origin of the clinical waste. The relevant individual was summoned to the Monaragala District Office of the Central Environmental Authority today to make a statement. Meanwhile, News 1st reported yesterday(August 14) regarding a stock of hazardous medicine which was to be given to cancer patients at the Badulla General Hospital, being stored at a storage unit owned by Sathosa, in an unsafe manner. Upul Karunaratne, Director of the Badulla General Hospital noted that the vials were stored in the hospital as they were to be incinerated at a controlled temperature. He added that the company assured they will transport the medicine within a week. Dr Palitha Rajapaksa, Deputy Chairman of Government Doctors' Association of the Badulla District was rhetorical about the director's comment and stated that the private contractor would not transport them and demanded the director to remove them if the medicine is not even toxic. The resident of the area made a bone-chilling revelation as they stated that the Badulu Oya flows right behind the Sathosa warehouse and if the hazardous medicine are to mix with the water stream it would lead to a catastrophe.

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