ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka's disaster scenarios include annual floods, droughts, the 2004 Tsunami and human-made disasters covering large garbage dumps, industrial effluents and polluted waterways. The Social Work Programme at the National Institute of Social Development which is responsible for social work training has a Disaster Management Unit. Dr Gunathilake, director of the National Poisons Information Centre, warns that food can be contaminated through the leaching effects of non-food grade plastic. Sri Lankan consumers are not informed of whether food grade plastic is used or not. The Municipality's beaches suffer coastal pollution because canals bring in plastic bottles and other plastic pollutants. Littering is rife and not penalised. Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipality is the second largest in Sri Lanka. The students interviewed the Municipality's deputy commissioner, Mrs Balasooriya, to prioritise the Municipality's environmental goals. The Pilisaru National Solid Waste Management Project, managed by the Central Environmental Authority, comes under the purview of the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment of Sri Lanka.
