COLOMBO : It was with great sorrow and reverence that my friends and I recently visited the Ottamavadi burial ground to offer prayers for those laid to rest there—individuals who tragically lost their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them were cremated against the wishes of their loved ones, especially within the Muslim community. Our visit was intended as a moment of reflection and remembrance. Instead, we were met with shock and dismay.
Behind the masjid (mosque) at this solemn site, heaps of garbage have been indiscriminately dumped, turning a place of peace into a disgraceful dumping ground. This deplorable act not only desecrates the sanctity of the burial site but has also created an alarming public health and safety hazard.
The stench and unhygienic conditions are distressing in themselves, but what is even more concerning is the increasing presence of wild elephants, drawn to the area by the waste. This poses a serious threat to the safety of mourners and visitors. What was once a place for quiet tribute has now become both an eyesore and a danger zone.
I earnestly appeal to His Excellency A. K. Dissanayake to intervene and ensure that those responsible—presumably the Ottamavadi Pradeshiya Sabha—take immediate corrective action. The garbage must be removed without delay, and a more suitable site for waste disposal must be designated far from any place of religious or cultural significance.
If action is not taken promptly, the situation will only worsen—both in terms of environmental degradation and the increasing cost and complexity of future clean-up efforts.
Respect for the dead is a measure of our dignity as a society. Let us, we Sri Lankans, not fail in this responsibility.
Mohamed Zahran
Colombo
