The first phase of the leisure park being built on the Meetotamulla garbage dump site, will be completed by May 30, Project Director Karunaratne Gunathilake said.
Under the first phase, engineers are reshaping the colossal dump site, which collapsed in April 2017, burying 32 people alive, with the help of the tri forces. He said they have brought down the mountain which stood at 48.5 metres at its highest point to 30 metres and its extent will be reduced to 14 acres from its original 21 acres by the end of the first phase.
The Project Director, a landscape architect attached to the Urban Development Authority, said they will compact the dump site into nine levels, to turn the place into a scenic elevated leisure park. The angle of the dump which stood at 45–90 degrees is being re-shaped to a smooth slope of 25-30 degrees.
Over 65 heavy machines have been working at the site for the past six months, to turn the stinking dump into a beautiful park by the end of 2020 as targeted, he said.
In the next phase, engineers will focus on managing toxic gases and leachate (rainwater seepage). By the end of August, they hope to complete the installation of equipment to manage the toxic gases emitted at the site.
“These gases are expected to keep coming out for the next 15-20 years, so we need to put in place a system to contain this,” Gunathilake said.
The Auditor General has ruled that the CMC was responsible for the trash mountain collapse and emphasised that the report by the Japanese expert team on the Meetotamulla garbage dump should be implemented without delay.
CMC officials told the Sunday Observer that the Megapolis Ministry is responsible for the implementation of the Japanese experts report.
A Megapolis Ministry source refuting the claims by the CMC, said the Ministry merely stepped in to help the CMC during the crisis to resolve the garbage issue after the New Year’s day tragedy and it was wrong to say the report was their responsibility. The Project Director, however, said they will use the report by the Japanese experts as a guide.
The transformation of the dump site is being supervised by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and a team of engineers of the Moratuwa University.