| HELP-O
is an organisation based in Galle,
Sri Lank born ten years ago out of the vision of ‘social justice and
environment protection in the world of economic development’. Organisational
priorities include helping the poor community, protecting nature and the
environment through better integration. Based on these fundamentals, HELP-O
offers services such as integrated waste & waste water management,
expansion of green bio energy city conception with the participation of public
& private participation, poverty reduction & community network while
empowering grass root communities.
Most
of the cities around the globe are struggling to find solutions for waste
management, generating alternative energy & creating environment friendly
products. One of HELP-O’s projects is
developing a Green Bio Energy Trincomalee City
in Sri Lanka.
Trincomalee city is in the eastern part of Sri Lanka and since this was war
ravaged area, starting this pilot project here was a challenge. The city had a
system to manage waste, but it was inefficient and the seriousness of the
problem was not being felt for the future, especially given rapid population
growth. However, under the UNEP-APFED programme, we started working by first
formulating a city committee with representatives from government sector,
private sector, NGOs, even the military and general public to identify the
needs of city. From this, began HELP-O Eco Gas Solutions which reduces organic
waste accumulation, generating bio energy & organic fertilizer for organic
harvesting. Biogas plants are now being installed in areas identified by city
stakeholder committees.
Constructed
biogas plants are generating alternative energy biogas for cooking, and
lighting purposes and improving public health. The presentation will highlight
achievements of the project as such as:
•
Reduced
Municipal Expenses for Waste Management
• Reduced
Expenses of Municipal Health Department and Hospitals
• Strong
monitoring and evaluation committees
• New
rules for irregular waste dumping
• Issuing
Green Certificate for every biogas holder
• Planting
the trees in identified places of the city.
The project presents a sustainable solution for
waste management & climate change and offers integrated processes for the
energy and waste problem; it can be expanded to other cities; waste can become
a resource; and being changes in waste management policies and reduce costs.
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