Meethotamulla garbage mountain collapse:
Come next rains there will be more garbage landslides around 91-meter-high Meethotamulla mountain of trash in Kolonnawa, the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) cautioned yesterday.
“Even a minor flood can trigger a massive damage to lives and property in the region because of clogged drains,” said NBRO Landslides Research and Disaster Management Director R.M.S.Bandara.
The collapse of the Meethotamulla rubbish mountain last Friday has killed at least three dozen lives and buried 145 houses. The official death toll stood at 32 at the time this story went to press.
The region has been marked as “disaster prone” with tones of garbage still threatening to devour lives and property at its foot.
NBRO director Bandara said they identified two zones vulnerable to garbage landlslides in the Meethoptamulla region.
“We have identified the vulnerable zones and marked them with posts,” he said.
“We marked the zones with the help of satellite images. We have submitted a report of the same to the Disaster Management Minister,” he said.
“There are about 169 houses which are vulnerable to garbage landslides should rains hit the region as with blocked drains,” he said.
“The clogged drains are presently being cleared by divisional authorities. The Army has been of great help in the clearance work,” he said.
“The number of houses vulnerable to garbage landslides around the garbage dump could be more in the ground. We have identified houses in the vulnerable zones based on our satellite images,” he said.
Asked if they have any idea about damages on property caused by the disaster, Bandara said it is being studied by the Valuation Department.
Asked in what way their satellite image-based paper on the vulnerable zone could serve, he said,” it will serve as a paper for the determination of carrying out necessary evacuation measures.”