On President Maithripala Sirisena’s directive, hundreds of military personnel have been deployed to rescue the slum dwellers adjacent to the 300-foot (91-metre) garbage dump. “We had all plans in place to relocate the garbage dump at Meetotamulla. The residents near the dump had been protesting for months, demanding that the garbage dump be relocated. Sri Lanka’s Parliament was recently warned that 23 million tonnes of garbage at Kolonnawa dump was a serious health hazard. About 800 tonnes of garbage is being added to the dump on a daily basis.

Source: Mint April 16, 2017 12:33 UTC