Decades to Accumulate, Seconds to fall A Case Study on Meethotamulla Garbage Dump Collapse in Sri Lanka

This investigation presents a case study on one of Sri Lanka's most devastating man made environmental catastrophes. Three decades ago, a marshland paddy field was converted into a dumping site for municipal garbage. With the increasing population and urbanization, the country lacked a more suitable method for waste disposal. The continued practice resulted in a large mountain of solid waste. Experts suggest that physical characteristics, instability of the bottom layers and increase in the water table caused the collapse. Mountainous shaped dump has been growing in size and reached ~50 m in height and was occupying ~40 acers. The extent of the area has not undergone any significant change. Spreading chemicals, intense rain and heavy garbage loading has contributed to the collapse. Residents did not come across any signs of danger prior to the incident. Chathumani D | Deepthi Wickrama Singhe | Isuru Gunarathna ""Decades to Accumulate, Seconds to fall: A Case Study on Meethotamulla Garbage Dump Collapse in Sri Lanka"" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-3 , April 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd23080.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/other-scientific-research-area/enviormental-science/23080/decades-to-accumulate-seconds-to-fall-a-case-study-on-meethotamulla-garbage-dump-collapse-in-sri-lanka/chathumani-d