Abstract:
The rate of urbanization in Sri Lanka is estimated to be of the order of 2-2.5 percent per
annum and it is expected that by year 2015, 45 percent of the population will be urban
dwellers (CFE, 2003). Massive scale waste dumpsites are by-products of urbanization
and disposal of wastes is a major and growing urban environmental issue. The attitude on
waste and how to handle it will depend on the level of social and economic development
of a country. The efficiency of solid waste collection and the final disposal will greatly
determine the basic appearance or the beauty of the particular urban environment.
Many of the natural or the man made landscapes in urban and suburban environments
such as wetlands and road side reservations have been totally changed and degraded due
to waste disposal. Some of these changes are irreversible or otherwise with very high
environmental cost in bringing it back to its original condition. Many Urban Local
Authorities are unable to re-correct the damage due to environmental, financial and
technical factors. Finding suitable disposal sites is also very critical as the land values in
many of the urban areas are very high. Many urban local authorities are now looking for
alternative sites for waste disposal such as wetlands, low-lying areas, and forest reserves,
though they are environmentally sensitive, or otherwise trying to rehabilitate the existing
and abandoned dump sites. However once a disposal site has come to its full capacity
level, the site is required to be rehabilitated and put to another usage. This study will look
into the role of a landscape designer in planning and designing a dump site at the early
stages to achieve a good result of a final landscape and will study the ultimate use of a
solid waste disposal site whether it had been used as a landfill or sanitary land fills or as
an open dump site, as a forest plantation, industrial park, vehicle park, or as a recreational
space or sport fields. The study will also look in to the different aspects and options in
rehabilitation of dumpsite landscape.
