Minister of Environment and natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka’s remarks at a media conference reported in The Island of October 13 deserve serious study. Unlike other problems like housing shortage, transport etc; this one builds up slowly like cancer, affects everyone without distinction and, worst of all, is impossible to reverse or undo.

The Minister’s pointed comments on specific instances of sabotage are very welcome, but apart from listing things that happened in the past he does not state how he proposes to tackle the problem. Two of the problems mentioned sadly point to the utter helplessness or negligence of the government. They need close study.

First, he states that some NGOs have funded ‘so called environmentalists to the tune of Rs. 3.7 million to block the disposal facility at Dompe and proceeds to challenge them to come for an open debate.

Then he says he will not allow anybody to politicise the problem of garbage while mentioning the Meepe, Padukka project of 1994, whose implementation has been delayed because of sabotage. He requests saboteurs to co-operate with the government instead of spending monies on other activities. This gives rise to a number of questions.

When the government has its own Central Environment Authority how did any outside body manage to fund the ‘so called environmentalists’ to sabotage its projects? What is the role of the ‘so called’ CEA in this matter? Did the government officials, by any chance, connive with the saboteurs?

If the 1994 Meepe project has been similarly delayed due to some underhand work, simply mentioning it alone won’t do; questions arise. For 15 years since 1994, the two major political parties (along with their coalition partners) have been in power on four occasions, yet they couldn’t complete this major all important project. What is the guarantee that they will succeed this time around?

The impact of this problem can be gauged by the fact that during provincial council polls almost every candidate prominently carried in his manifesto his/her intention to tackle the environment problem.

The amount of garbage on either side of any public road, say, the Kandy-Katugastota Road bears testimony to the sheer magnitude of the problem.

Large culverts and drains, even the surroundings of Municipal garbage bins where stray dogs are usually active, motorways, railroad embankments are so full of garbage - in heaps not just spread out and this makes people wonder whether separate dumping grounds are necessary.

The only fresh hope is that there is now a Minister in charge of the subject and the problem seems to have caught his special attention.