Heavy plant: The extent of the mess required machinery to assist with the job. Photo: CCS Sri Lanka.
A community living on a Sri Lankan beach sounds idyllic.
But in Columbo’s Dehiwala and Mt Lavinia areas, it means life in a slum pressed up against the water’s edge and with a railway line running through the middle.
It’s a community where many homes were destroyed by the tsunami and livelihoods wrecked.
Our partner, Community Concern Society is working to restore the environment.
Big clean-up: Rubbish littered the beach after the tsunami. Photo: CCS Sri Lanka.
This means clearing the beach of tons of rubbish left by the deluge and the debris of daily life and organising residents to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their section of the waterfront.
It takes two: A couple of lads pull their weight. Photo: CCS Sri Lanka.
The clean-up has brought unexpected benefits.
Shanek Fernando of CCS, said, ‘Immediately the day after the beach clean-up, the people living on the beach said for the first time they were able to sleep properly as there was a drastic reduction in mosquitoes.’
Digging deep: Rubbish being buried during the clean-up. Photo: CCS Sri Lanka.
Cleaning up sewers and providing proper methods of rubbish disposal will soon provide a better environment for the hundreds of marginalised people that live there.
CCS is heavily involved in natural disaster preparedness training and has created a community-based disaster response unit.
Drug rehabilitation, health talks, hygiene education, and mentoring mothers are also part of CCS’s work.
Job done: The beach after the clean-up. Photo: CCS Sri Lanka