The European Union and UNOPS provide support for Solid Waste Management in the Batticaloa District
The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) handed over two newly constructed compost facilities to the respective Paradeshiya Sabhain the Batticaloa district on the 6thof May. The compost facilities, located in Arayampathi and Kaluthavelai, were built at a cost of LKR 7 Million and 8 Million respectively, and each of them has the capacity to process 12 tons of biodegradable solid waste per day, with the new facilities benefitting more than 32,000 people in the Manmunai Pattu Pradeshiya Sabha and 61,000 people in Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu Pradeshiya Sabha.
These facilities were constructed from the financial assistance that is being provided through the European Union Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) with a total financial envelope of EUR 60 million. The programme aims at supporting the Government of Sri Lanka’s thrust for economic and social development in 7 conflict-affected districts covering half a million people.
The handover ceremonies were attended by the Assistant Commissioner of Local Governmentof the Batticaloa District Mr. K. Sithiravel, the Senior Environmental Officer of Central Environmental Authority for the District, the Divisional and Pradeshiya Sabha Secretaries, the EU Delegation’s Programme Manager for Infrastructure & Reconstruction Mr. Jaime Royo-Olid, and UNOPS’ Program Manager Ms. Simonetta Siligato.
Speaking in the context of EU’s financial support to Solid Waste Management, Ms. Libuse Soukupova,Head of Cooperation for the European Union said “An efficient solid waste management system is vital to the general prosperity and health of a city. If managed correctly, waste can be seen as a source of income. As raw materials become scarcer and climate change becomes a global challenge, cooperation and innovative thinking becomes key. In this regard, I am thrilled that people of Batticaloa and in particular the Local Authoritiesare devising more ways of making efficient solid waste management a priority.”
Besides ensuring that environmental safety standards were maintained during the construction,UNOPS alsosupports Local Authorities to ensure that the compost produced receives necessary approval, through quality testing, in order for them to sell this as a source of income generation. UNOPS also works closely with the Local Authorities to build necessary institutional capacity to operate these facilities and solid waste management services in their areas. So far, a total of 85 staff from ManmunaiPattu PS and another 62 staff fromManmunaiSouth and EruvilPattu PS have received necessary training on the integrated solid waste management process, including the operation of the compost facilities.
In Batticaloa, under the EU-SDDP programme, UNOPS works closely with eight Local Authorities to establish an efficient and cost effective system to collect, transport and treat all solid waste generated in the district in an environmentally sustainable manner. The solid waste management component of the project assists in construction of infrastructure, capacity building, and operational support. A cluster landfill, four compost facilities and associated structures are the key construction work under the project. Local Authority capacity building, implementation of legal provisions and the introduction of transparent and equitable service charges are also integral parts of this project.
