Garbage attracted to garbage

The Island editorial (28/12) titled ‘Muck, bucks and impunity’ made me sad and even angry. Sad because this little land of ours cannot take it anymore. It is being battered from all sides: deforestation, serene beaches are turned into hotels, rivers are losing their precious sand, wildlife is threatened by encroachments into their natural habitats for the sake of development, and garbage and rubbish is dumped almost everywhere with absolutely no concern for the environment and, on and on.

How can a human being stoop so low: importing foreign waste and dumping it in his country? Now, we all know who (or the majority of them) can be behind these ugly deals, don’t we, anyway?

The previous government tried to make our country Singapore’s and other foreign garbage-dumping ground, with its Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (Free Trade – my foot. It should have been named ‘Free Garbage – Trade Agreement!). Thanks to the uproar and the vehement protests from many a quarter, including newspapers, social media and other organisations, it had to be withdrawn.

Then came those containers all the way from the UK, numbering more than 200. And then they were kept sitting, where they finally settled and, while swarms of flies were having a field day around them, questions were being asked, probes and inquiries were being made as to who, how and why. Finally, the UK agreed to take them back, following a series of legal scuffles. However, the company that was responsible for bringing in those container loads of garbage (some even said to have contained hospital waste) is yet to face legal action from the relevant authorities.

And now it is from the west to the east, of Europe, which is Ukraine. A shipment of more than 20 containerised cargo has arrived here, supposedly containing coriander seeds. And guess what, the cargo, while crossing the high seas, seemed to have undergone a magical transformation, from coriander seeds to agricultural waste. Now this kind of wonder can only happen in this ‘Land like no other’, where even the recognised ‘world wonders’ can get pushed into less prominence in comparison.

One of the local companies involved claims it has been cheated. I sincerely hope the relevant authorities will launch a full investigation as the whole affair stinks no end. Furthermore, this may be just one caught amongst many that could have already slipped past the customs and other border controls, and may have even found their dumping grounds, already.

Lastly, let the garbage lay where it is in those foreign lands. Don’t bring it here. In fact, don’t we already have enough of both; living (around the Oya, in particular) and dead, which is dumped and scattered all over the country?

And the guilty (if found?) must not be allowed to go scot-free or with just a rap on the knuckles!

LAKSIRI WARNAKULA