The preparation including the ground and the earth work for the project for Establishment of an Integrated Waste Management System in Dompe in the Western Province, has been completed by the Central Environment Authority(CEA). A ceremony was held at the CEA, the Ministry of Environment, on June 7, 2012, for the handing over of the project site and related documents to KOICA.
 

The attendees at the ceremony, included the Minister of Environment, Hon. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, the Ministerial Secretary, Basnayake and Charitha Herath, Chairman of CEA and other officials from the CEA, on behalf of Sri Lanka; also present to commemorate this event, were the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E, Mr. Choi Jong-Moon, the Resident Representative of KOICA, Mr. Cho Sang Woo, and contractors from Samhee Construction Co. on behalf of the Republic of Korea.
 

The Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka commenced the ¡°Pilisaru¡± project in March, 2008 with the aim of maximizing recycling & reuse of waste, by introducing the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) system. This has been done through training of government officials, policy formulation and the establishment of some basic waste management facilities. In order to support the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to achieve these goals, and help it establish an efficient model of integrated waste management facilities, both Governments agreed to launch this project at a designated area in Dompe (2 hectares in extent). The details of the terms and conditions of the agreement between KOICA and CEA were finalized on September, 2008.
 

Under this 4.5 million US dollar scale project, KOICA is responsible for the following: designing and construction of the sanitary landfill site with a handling capacity of the collected waste up to 90 tons a day, construction of a sanitary treatment facility for polluted water, training of Sri Lanka¡¯s officials in policy and the technical issues of waste management and landfill site operation and management, provision of machinery and equipment including vehicles, an arm roll truck, a back hoe and a bulldozer, etc. CEA has undertaken the project site clearance and groundwork so far and it will continue to support the construction work by KOICA, until the completion of the project by the end of next year.
 

This project is expected to be the very first sanitary landfill facility of its kind in Sri Lanka, and it will contribute to the replication of an efficient model of waste management across the country. In addition, it will  contribute to consolidating partnerships and cooperation in the area of Integrated Sustainable Waste Management and other projects between Korea and Sri Lanka.