Monthly Archives: April 2017

Kotikawatta Garbage Dump: Another Victim of Sri Lanka’s Garbage Epidemic

A little more than 3km from Meethotamulla, the towering garbage dump that led to the loss of 30 lives, is another stark example of Colombo’s urban solid waste mismanagement: the Kotikawatta dumping ground.  Kotikawatta – Mulleriya Pradeshiya Sabha began dumping waste in Kotikawatta in 2007, in the Kotikawatta cemetery which was located at a higher elevation, yet with time the garbage began to spread to the lower paddy fields that belonged to 15- 20 private landowners. While the extent of

Challenging the Destruction of Wilpattu Forest Complex: EFL Takes Legal Action

[mk_button dimension=”two” corner_style=”rounded” size=”large” url=”https://efl.lk/v2/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/efl_wilpattu-deforestation_sinhala.pdf” target=”_blank”]View Sinhala Press Release[/mk_button] Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Limited together with the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court (SC (Ref) No. 130/2017- pending support) objecting to the illegal clearing of Reserved Forests in the Wilpattu Forest Complex, on the 31st of March 2017. The respondents for the case include, among others, the Forest Department, Central Environmental Authority, Department of Wildlife Conservation, and the District Secretariat of Mannar. The grievances

Biofuel from ‘Kalapu Andara’ – Powering Sri Lanka and protecting its ecosystems

Kalapu Andara, Mesquite, or scientifically known as Prosopis juliflora, is a perennial shrub belongs to the legume family, family Fabaceae. Native to Central and South America and the Caribbean region, it has been introduced to Africa, Asia and Australia where it has been naturalized. In 1880 it was intentionally introduced to Sri Lanka as a shade and erosion control tree, in the Hambantota and Puttalam districts. Mesquite is a medium sized tree with an average height about 5m, with an ashy

Juice Factory Drying Wells in Kotadeniyawa

Ever since it set up in 2012, the juice factory owned by Dabur Lanka (Pvt) Ltd has been the cause of severe water scarcity in Kotadeniya and 15 other adjacent villages including Velinhinda, Erabandha, Galingbure, Dhiyagampala and Halpe. Even villages like Halpe, which are situated 8km away from the factory have not escaped the effects of this escalating depletion of groundwater that has been instigated by over-extraction of the factory. During a site visit conducted on the 28th of March, EFL’s investigation team