Author: TELO Admin

As the northern peninsula of the country, Jaffna District is renowned for its natural beauty and historical significance. But in recent years the area has been facing a new crisis that has caused a real stench. Our investigation can reveal the ever-growing improper disposal of harmful medical waste and the dangerous consequences it has for residents across the district.

Mrs. Dushiyanthan, a 34-year old mother of one, lives close to a disused limestone quarry in Keerimali, Nallinakkapuram. The site is vast, surrounded by small villages and a lush green landscape. Under the jurisdiction of Valigamamn North Pradeshiya Sabah, the area was known as an industrial pioneer when the country’s first cement production factory was established here in 1950. Long since abandoned, the backdrop of its now dilapidated steel structure is a constant reminder of a bygone era. But for Dushiyanthan, the present use of the site is far more pressing. The quarry has over time become a dumping ground for medical waste that’s mixed surreptitiously with household garbage, leading to a personal health crisis that has taken its toll on the Dushiyanthan family.

Dushiyanthan and her son stand outside their home, close to the Keerimali quarry where medical waste is dumped.

“My five-year-old son suffers from a variety of diseases one after the other. These days, he has increased wheezing and a severe cough. Last week we had him admitted to hospital, where he remained for several days”, her emotions seep through as she recollects her struggles since relocating to the area.

“It has been five years now since we moved to this house. For the last three or four years, they dump garbage in the quarry close to our house. Since that day our life has become a neverending shuttle from the house to the hospital and back home.”

Dushiyanthan lives in a ‘Reconciliation Model village,’ established as part of the resettlement process for families that had been housed in welfare centres across Jaffna. The homes were handed over in 2014; but in 2019, life changed for this fledgling community.

The Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha created an ambitious land-filling plan for the nearby quarry, collecting household garbage from all of its 17 local government councils and disposing of it on the site. As part of the plan, rubbish would be first graded and only harmless waste would be allowed to be dumped on the land. The villagers weren’t consulted about the plan and what subsequently transpired has had a suffocating effect on their lives.

Dushiyanthan isn’t alone in feeling trapped in a situation, not of her making. Her neighbour, 63-year-old Rasaiyah Pushparanai, has no idea what kind of waste is dumped on her doorstep, yet the effects have tainted her golden years.

“Garbage tractors, vehicles and gully carriers dump all types of garbage and waste materials into the quarry. Unable to bear the foul smell, me and my grandchildren spend most of our time away from our village, only returning home in the evening. This has become routine for us now” says Pushparani with an air of resignation.

Unbeknownst to her – hospitals, the very institutions that have been charged with protecting the health of these villagers, could be contributing to their misery.

Jaffna District has five hospitals that discharge infectious medical and surgical waste that can cause serious health risks: Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Thellipalai Base Hospital, Point Pedro Base Hospital, Chavakachcheri Base Hospital and Oorkavatthurai Base Hospital.

Through a Right to Information request (October 2022) we have obtained data that reveals the three biggest producers of medical waste have a combined monthly total of over 23,000 kilos. Jaffna Teaching Hospital: More than 18,000kg; Thellippalai Base Hospital: More than 3,500 kg; Point Pedro Base Hospital: Up to 2000kg

Medical infectious waste from the Jaffna Teaching Hospital being transported into the premises of Thellippalai Hospital

Hospital waste is categorised into eight types: Infectious, disease-related, sharp, chemical, medicinal, microbial poisonous, radioactive and harmless waste. The Jaffna Municipal Council only accepts harmless waste, the rest should be incinerated in keeping with the regulatory guidelines set out by the World Health regulations and recommended by the Environmental Protection Authority of Sri Lanka. This potentially hazardous waste must be burned at 1000-1200 Degrees Celsius and sharp waste (including used syringes), must be crushed and neutralized using a machine called a Metamizer.

However, after visiting these hospitals, we can reveal that these guidelines are not being systematically followed in the processing of Jaffna’s burgeoning medical waste as the capacity of existing infrastructure creaks under the weight of expectation.

Jaffna District’s only operational large-scale incinerator working overtime at the Thellipalaya Hospital Complex

The mathematical equation is simple. For the whole of Jaffna District, there is currently only one operational incinerator, capable of processing 50 kgs of waste per hour. Other operational incinerators have either been decommissioned due to environmental concerns or remain in disrepair.

Under the current strain this one incinerator, which is located on the Thellippalai Hospital site, needs to process waste for at least 20 hours a day just to cope with Jaffna Teaching Hospital’s current levels of waste. Yet it can only remain functional for 10-12 hours per day, due to the need for intermittent cooling, leaving a shortfall of thousands of kilos of hazardous waste that is literally left to rot with nowhere to go.

Backlog

Hospitals have turned to store medical waste due to the lack of processing facilities.

To compound matters, Thellipalai hospital’s Metamizer, which is used to break down and sanitize sharp waste, is decommissioned at present. With no alternative methods available, staff are now turning to incinerate these ‘sharps’ with other materials.

This ‘temporary’ solution not only breaks set guidelines, it also affects the recommended incineration temperatures., resulting in operational temperatures falling over 200 degrees Celsius. Jaffna’s only incinerator has now lost its capacity for effectively incinerating waste. During our visit to the site, we observed a lot of partially-burned waste being discharged, including sharps.

Partially burnt waste discharged due to lower incineration temperatures

We approached, the public health department of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital to ask where this partially burned waste was being taken after discharge. They claimed that vacant land earmarked for their eye treatment unit in the Ariyala area, 19 km away outside Jaffna city, was being used to dump all partially burned waste.

However, after visiting this location we found no traces of waste. Wanting answers, we requested clarification from Jaffna Teaching Hospital’s management regarding their initial claim. Information Officer, Dr. S. Yamunanandal, retracted the first statement claiming he was now “not sure about it”.

But Jaffna Teaching Hospital isn’t alone in facing accusations of improper disposal of their waste. During our investigation, we were informed that open burning of medical waste was allegedly taking place on the grounds of Chavakachcheri Base Hospital in the dead of night.

Residents who live in close proximity to the hospital complained about finding it difficult to breathe due to the foul smell emanating from the hospital grounds. They also claimed that they have witnessed medical waste being burned. However, the director of the hospital denied the allegations when approached.

Returning to the Keerimali quarry, we find the villagers’ concerns have found support from Sanmugalingam Sujeevan, a member of Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha. He insists medical waste is being dumped surreptitiously into the quarry close to Nallinakkapuram without any grading – as promised in the initial landfilling plan. Sujeevan seems to have taken on the role of spearhead in voicing residents’ complaints about the dumping of medical waste.

Keen to prove his claims, he enthusiastically directed us to the mountain of garbage that has engulfed the quarry, pointing out where remnants of medical waste are dumped. We can verify his claims, having witnessed surgical waste submerged within the decomposing vegetation including syringes, used tubes and glass vials.

The Prime Minister’s Office has categorically rejected recent claims that Premier Dinesh Gunawardena is preparing to resign from his post owing to pressures from certain political parties.

Issuing a statement on the matter, the PM’s office stated: “There is no truth behind the rumors that are being spread claiming that Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena is going to resign”.

The PM’s Office further assured that no such requests have been made by any political party thus far.

The statement further noted that the spreading of such false claims are all part of an elaborate conspiracy to disrupt the efforts of the current administration.

The former Chairman of the Election Commission and current Chairman of the Delimitation Committee Mahinda Deshapriya in an interview with The Sunday Morning asserted that he was against the postponement of elections and that he believed the Election Commission was in the right in the current controversy.

“My personal opinion is that I’m not for the postponement of elections according to the schedule. Already this election has been delayed more than a year,” he said.

He also revealed that the interim report of the Delimitation Committee would be submitted next week. “We are going to hand over the interim report first because we have to ask for another one month extension,” Deshapriya noted.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

What is the status of the delimitation report?

We are going to hand over the interim report first because we have to ask for another one month extension as we faced some problems with regard to district committees. One problem is that three Government Agents were promoted and two retired.

The ex-officios of the committees are the District Deputy Secretary or Assistant Election Commissioner, Senior Superintendent of Surveyors, District Statistician, Area Commissioner of Local Government or Assistant Commissioner of Local Government, and another member nominated by the Government officer nominated by the Local Government Minister. Of these ex-officio committee members, 17 statisticians have been transferred from 2 January, so 17 out of 25 districts had problems. They had worked only for two months when they were transferred.

Additionally, more than 10 senior survey superintendents were transferred, retired, or promoted. Due to the busy workload of the Assistant and Deputy Election Commissioner we couldn’t get their full support.

Normally these delimitation committees are supported by the Survey Department and the Election Commission, but this time, due to the election schedule, the Election Commission was not available to support fully. Another issue is that in Sri Lanka we don’t have enough Sinhala-Tamil and Sinhala-English translators.

Has the number of councillors been reduced by about half as requested?

The Government has asked us to reduce the 8,400 members to about 4,000. We have told the Prime Minister who is the subject Minister for Local Governments and the President that if we are going to reduce the number to 4,000, it would mean the elected members would come to 2,400 and the return members to 1,600. Right now we have 5,092 elected members so if we are going to reduce the total number of councillors to 4,000-odd, we will have to reduce these 5,092 elected members by more than 50%. This is very difficult.

Another matter we discussed was to secure, as much as possible, the representation of numerical minorities. We also discussed securing a minimum of 25% compulsory female quota. It is very difficult to do all these things if we are going to reduce the total number of councillors to 4,000. The ideal number is the number proposed by the 2012 delimitation report which was 6,000 members. However, the Government wants to keep it at around 4,000 which means less than 5,000.

Therefore, we reduced the wards to between 2,850 to 2,900 – the total members will then be 4,800 to 4,850. We have completed five districts. Of the remaining 20, we have finalised the numbers, boundaries, and other things in another 19 districts. In the final district, Kalutara, we have finished more than 60% of the work. We only have to finalise around six to seven councils. We also have to prepare ward maps afresh.

When will the report be concluded?

The difficult part is preparing the gazette notification. We have to prepare it in all three languages. That means around 3,000 wards including the parts of the ward, number of wards, names of the wards, and the boundaries of that ward must be included. This process would take around six months but we are working very fast so we think we can finish the gazette notification.

The issue is the translation to Tamil and English. We also have to write the report. Now we are preparing the interim report and will hand it over next week, on 27 or 28 February, to the Prime Minister and the President. It will also be available to the recognised political parties.

Our final report will be handed over to the President in April. Then the minister can appoint the review committee. The review committee can only change the names, the numbers of the wards, and the boundaries of the wards. They can’t change the number of councillors. This will take another three months.

For Colombo, there are 66 elected members and 44 return members and eight members as overhang – a total of 110. We have reduced this to a total 61 members of whom 37 are elected and 24 are return members. Overhang members will only be known after the election has been held. My point is that we have to eliminate this overhang.

How will the delimitation report affect the current Local Government Elections?

This report does not need the approval of the Parliament. My personal opinion is that I’m not for the postponement of elections according to the schedule. Already this election has been delayed more than a year. The minister has the power to give an extension to all the councils, this is very wrong. The Government must change this rule. It is not democratic. So if they don’t hold the elections before 31 August and the Government wants to go for this report, I have nothing special to say.

I’m against postponing the election. The Government has to pass a bill to annul the current nomination papers and that is the only way this delimitation report can have an impact on the current Local Government Polls. On three previous occasions, our Parliament has done that.

Considering the financial restrictions of the country, should the Election Commission have proposed a later date for the Local Government Elections or were their hands tied?

They could not have given a date later than 9 March because the elections were already delayed. Their hands were tied. Now the election is almost dead; there is no chance of having it by 9 March. So the Election Commission must issue the gazette notification under Section 38(3) to postpone the election and announce a new date. However, before that, it must consult with the Treasury and find out when it can release the money.

The most recent reason given by the Government Printer for failing to print the ballot papers for the postal vote was because Police protection was not provided. Do you think her explanation is acceptable?

Normally they need Police security to transport the ballot papers under Police protection. But that issue could have been resolved through discussion between the Election Commission, the IGP, and the Government Printer. This is not the duty of the Election Commission alone. All Government offices and the State must work together to conduct elections as soon as possible.

Do you feel the Government should have done more to provide the funds given that Rs. 10 billion was allocated via the Budget?

The commission doesn’t ask for Rs. 10 billion in one go for the Treasury to oblige. Also, the entire Rs. 10 billion will not be needed. I think they could have managed with Rs. 8 billion. They need at least 50% of the money to conduct the election. If the Treasury doesn’t give the funds, then the commission cannot conduct the election.

You were the Chairman of the Election Commission for a decade, have been a part of the Election Office for more than three decades, and have overseen historical elections such as the 2015 Presidential Election. Do you accept the postponement of the Local Government Polls for the current reasons that are depriving the masses of the right to franchise?

All elections are a part of sovereignty. The Supreme Court has given a judgement that every election is a right of expression. Therefore, postponing this election cannot be justified under any circumstances. We have to conduct the election.

Do you think the behaviour of the Government regarding funding and timing of the Local Government Polls sets a bad precedence?

If it continues like this there will be serious problems. However, I hope that even in this election the problem will soon be resolved. The commission can discuss the matter with authorities and conduct the election. I’m always thinking with a positive mind.

A gazette notification was published by the Election Commission announcing the election. So is it correct to say that elections have been officially called?

Yes.

Today (23) in Parliament the President said that the Elections are not legal. Is that correct?

I don’t know. I listened to the President’s speech and that must be clarified by the Election Commission. The Election Commission must definitely address the doubt of the people because we are in the dark.

As the former Chairman, if you were in this position, what would your opinion be?

Why should I put my bat forward to these types of balls? This question is an out-swinging ball so I’m not going to bat and answer the question. Let the commission answer.

The Commissioner General of Election has informed us that they cannot respond to what the President said in Parliament because it is privileged but with regard to the election being called it is fully legal and pointed out that even the United National Party (UNP) had submitted nominations. So what is your view as the former chairman?

If the President said these things, who can say who is correct? The commission must prove through the documents. They must show the minutes of their meetings and disprove the claims and show how they decided the election dates, etc. They have four members available from the commission so at least three of them must come together and have a press conference because everyone is in the dark. I personally believe that the Election Commission is correct. However, the President made some claims that must be clarified.

What lessons can the Election Commission learn and what changes can be done to ensure such behaviour is not repeated in the future?

Not only the commission but all the citizens of the country from top to bottom must be responsible. There is a saying: ‘All citizens are politicians.’ They have a duty. They think that ‘we need,’ then how can they stop postponing the election? Everyone must work together from all sides.

Belarus and Sri Lanka have explored the possibilities of developing business contacts, BelTA learned from the National Center for Marketing of Belarus.

Representatives of the National Center for Marketing held an introductory meeting with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (Sri Lanka).

The parties agreed on steps to raise awareness of companies of Belarus and Sri Lanka of cooperation opportunities.

“Despite the focus on export promotion, the interaction of such structures is mutually beneficial. It helps invigorate business contacts, which will eventually materialize into contracts,” the National Center for Marketing informed.

The center plans to hold a webinar for Sri Lankan companies to tell them about promising avenues of cooperation with Belarus.

The center will also tell the Belarusian business community how they can benefit from cooperation with Sri Lanka and provide an online platform for direct negotiations.