Sick and coaled: Kalpitiya villagers hit out at Lakvijaya apathy
By Sandun Jayawardana Link Coal dust causes respiratory problems and other health hazards to people near power plant Agreement signed after FR petition, but residents say CEB fails to abide by it Plant official dismisses the allegations and says measures are being taken to mitigate the problems Dilani Dissanayake frets over the health of her one-month-old infant. The 37-year-old mother had endured a difficult pregnancy, which required a lengthy stay in hospital due to a respiratory illness. She and her husband, Sarath Gunasekara (42), are in no doubt as to its cause. “It’s all that dust from the plant,” Dilani said, referring to the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant, situated several hundred metres from her home in a Kalpitiya village. A mound of fly ash (above) and (inset left) a student shows his palm covered in Coal dust. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara The dust that Dilani refers to comes from the plant’s coal yard. The yard on the landward side, residents say, contin