The aftermath of the ten-day Dalada Perahera pilgrimage in Kandy has left the ancient hill capital buried under a mountain of waste, with officials confirming that over 625 tons of unsorted garbage have already been transported to Colombo for incineration.
Kandy Municipal Commissioner Indika Abeysinghe confirmed the staggering figure, stating that the trash was collected with the help of volunteer organizations, temporarily stored at the Gohagoda landfill, and is now being offloaded at the Colombo Municipal Council incinerator.
“Sorting this waste is no longer an option due to its scale and state. We are forced to handle it in bulk,” she told reporters, highlighting the critical state of the city’s garbage management system.
The surge in trash is being directly attributed to the massive influx of pilgrims, with approximately 3.5 million plastic bottles released into the city during the religious event, further choking the already overwhelmed system.
According to Namal Dhammika Dissanayake, Chief Engineer for Waste and Wastewater at the Kandy Municipal Council, the ten-day period generated nearly 600 tons of garbage from irregular disposal alone, stressing that the volume and intensity of waste dumping reached unprecedented levels.
While the sacred event drew millions of devotees to pay homage to the sacred Tooth Relic, its environmental toll is now at the center of public health and sustainability concerns, exposing serious gaps in urban waste preparedness for large-scale gatherings.
