Despite vehement opposition by environmentalists and residents in Puttalam, the Government has decided to go ahead with the Aruwakkalu Waste Management Project launched by the previous Government. Cabinet approval was granted for a proposal made by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to continue with the project, to deposit solid waste, construction waste, and ash created as a by-product of power generation. The initial plan was to deposit garbage collected daily in the Colombo Metropolitan Region, which was to be transported in train carriages to the landfill after being compressed at a transfer station in Kelaniya, adjoining the Main Line and the Kandy-Colombo highway. Environmentalists raised a red flag over the Aruwakkalu Waste Management Project since its inception, claiming that the project would affect highly sensitive and important biodiversity in the site that was selected for the project; this adjoins the Wilpattu National Park, Kala Oya, Puttalam Lagoon, and Thabbowa Sanctuary. Massive demonstrations were held on several occasions by residents in Puttalam, urging the Government not to go ahead with the project. They claimed that the Government launched this project without any consultation with or input from the people of the area. The estimated $ 125 million landfill project was initially supported by the World Bank (WB), which subsequently withdrew from the project, citing irregularities. Later, the project was awarded to a consortium comprising China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) and the Southwest Municipal Engineering and Research Institute of China (SEMEDRIC). Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana told The Sunday Morning that the decision was taken considering the legal consequences if the project was stopped and also the losses that would be incurred as a result, as under the contract, the construction company could take legal action against the Government if the project was suspended. The Cabinet also approved the continuation of cleaning affluent released from the waste dump, as not doing so could pose a huge environmental threat, he added. (MM)