Abstract:
Solid waste disposal is a major threat to the global environment, especially in urban areas of
developing countries. Open dumping and burning were common practices, followed by most
of the developing nations to dispose solid waste. Therefore, this has also become an acute issue
in Sri Lanka, especially for urban inhabitants. The major reasons for this are population density,
high volume of waste generation and lack of bare land in urban areas. The waste related issues
directly affect the land, water and air, causing multifarious human health risks.This study was
designed with the objective of identification and comparison of health issues, caused by the
urban solid waste disposal methods, according to the geographical variations of urban areas in
Sri Lanka. The prominent urban areas (Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala and Badulla) from wet
and intermediate agro-ecological zones have been incorporated into this study, based on their
geographical features. Each study area was segregated into three rings, according to the distance
from the dumpsite. 867 sample households were selected, using a stratified random sampling
technique. The results revealed that the following total health related issues of all four study
areas; Colombo site represented 45.6%, Kandy-21.4%, Badulla-17.6% and Kurunegala-15.4%.
The study identified 23 types of common diseases in all selected sample areas, but its volume
and the risk level are varied, based on its geographical and socio-economic factors of each study
area. This study found that 56.7% of female population has been victimized with different types
of health issues, than the males (43.3%). Similarly, 65.5% of children, 75% of waste pickers
and 70% of waste collectors/vehicle drivers have also been affected by multiple health
problems. The high prevalence of health issues (53.8%) in all four study areas have been
recorded in the first ring (0-500m), displaying a decreasing trend from its first to the last ring
from the dump site (1000-1500m-14.1%). Considering the above results, this study
recommends central point for managing, monitoring and controlling process of all
environmental related activities. Further, this study strongly believes on institutional
corporations, delegation of authorities, micro/macro level approaches, stakeholders'
participation, sufficient financial requirements for efficient solid waste management. Further
strengthening of existing institutional, legal and policies/plans with regard to solid waste
management, proper site selection process and waste minimization at sources are
recommended. This can be more effective, through an integrated solid waste management
system, consolidating all related factors of waste management hierarchy into a center poirt.
