July 26, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said it is partnering with island's environmental authority to turn urban waste, a major water pollutant into organic fertilizer. Sri Lanka's urban waste has a high volume of moist organic matter which is not economical to burn and generate power, experts have said. "Like in most parts of the developing world, solid waste is one of the major water polluters in Sri Lanka," IWMI director general Jeremy Bird said in a statement.
"However, its high organic content provides a potentially great nutrient source for farming.
IWMI had already started a project with Sri Lanka's Central Environmental Agency to set up 100 composting stations across the country.
CEA chairman Wimalasena Rubasinghe said under the second phase, the performance of the composting stations would be analyzed.
Making compost fertilizer out of waste will help reduce environmental pollution and also help agriculture, IWMI said.
