Good Urban Governance in South Asia (GUGSA)
Program Overview and Compilation of Case Documents Good Urban Governance in South Asia (GUGSA)
DOCUMENTATION OF CASE STUDY SRILANKA
Negombo Municipal Council – Storm Water Drainage, Solid Waste Management, Mangrove Restoration
Prepared by EML Consultants
2
Case Study on the Negombo Municipal Council of Sri Lanka
U.S. Agency for International Development
Regional Urban Development Office for South Asia
Good Urban Governance in South Asia Contract No. 386-C-00-01-00260-00
Final Draft as of September 30, 2002
Case Study on the Negombo Municipal Council
Sri Lanka Page 2
Case Study on the Negombo Municipal Council
TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary...... 4 Introduction...... 5 Scope and Methodology ...... 6 KadolKele ...... 7 Storm Water Drainage ...... 7 Solid Waste Management ...... 11 Mangroves Restoration ...... 11 Key Success Factors of the Project...... 13 Obstacles of the Project ...... 13 Main Message ...... 13 Recommendations...... 14 References/Interviews...... 15 Appendices Appendix 1, Map of the Negombo Municipality...... 16 Appendix 2, The NMC Organizational Structure...... 17 Appendix 3, Photos and Illustrations of the Mangrove ...... 18
ABBREVIATIONS CDS - Community Development Society CDO - Community Development Officer CSO - Civil Society Organisations DO - Development Officer GN - Grama Niladhari / Village Level Central Government Representative ICMA - International City / County Management Association LAs - Local Authorities NHDA - National Housing Development Authority NMC - Negombo Municipal Council NUPO - Negombo United Peoples Organisation (Divisional level NGO) SJO - Shantha Jude Organisation / NGO SPM - Sahayogitha Praja Mandalaya – (Community Organisation “Sahayogitha”) USIP - Urban Settlement Improvement Project
Sri Lanka Page 3
Case Study on the Negombo Municipal Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the mid 1980s, the Negombo Municipal Council of Sri Lanka realized it was facing a number of health and environmental problems within its district, specifically in the Kadolkele area. Kadolkele was a newly established area that was uninhabited up until 1985, when the lands were sold to landless families from the district of Negombo. The area lacked a rainwater drainage system and as a result, standing water in the area had become a source of mosquito breeding and thus, a contributing factor to disease. As well, these new populations began using the nearby mangrove forests for resources and as a result, deforestation of the mangroves had caused soil erosion into the lagoon and the decline of fish breeding in the lagoon.
The NMC, along with the local community and non-governmental organizations, implemented innovative governance practices and designed effective projects in order to address and overcome these issues. A storm water drainage project, a solid waste collection project, and a mangrove restoration project were all successfully implemented in the KadolKele area, all of which involved the participation of the member of the respective communities in order to solve their own health and environmental problems.
Any measure of evaluation of the effectiveness of the operation of the local democratic process would necessarily involve the assessment of the prevailing degree of: