Court orders CEA to assess air quality in Jaffna

• The petitioner stated that in terms of Section 46 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance it is the statutory duty of the Jaffna Municipal Council to satisfactorily maintain, cleanse and protect from open spaces hazardous smoke emissions

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda   

The Court of Appeal yesterday directed the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to assess the air quality in the Jaffna area and present its findings to the court.  
Court of Appeal two-judge bench comprising Justice (President) Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Shashi Mahendran, directed the relevant authorities to explore the possibility of preparing a programme to inform the public about adverse air quality conditions in Jaffna, based on the investigation’s results.  
This order was issued following a writ petition filed by Dr. Umasugi Nadarajah, a medical practitioner 
by profession.  
Senior Counsel Ravindranath Dabare, representing the petitioner, informed the court that no formal inquiry had been conducted by government agencies regarding the air quality in the Jaffna peninsula.  
The petitioner stated that according to NBRO report on “Monitoring of Ambient Air Quality Levels at Nallur Area, Jaffna” dated 19th June 2023, the air quality severely exceeds WHO guidelines due to domestic and vehicular activity between the hours of 6.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.  
The petitioner stated that in terms of Section 46 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance it is the statutory duty of the Jaffna Municipal Council to satisfactorily maintain, cleanse and protect from hazardous smoke emissions in all public streets and open spaces vested in the Council, to enforce the proper maintenance, cleanliness and repair of all private streets in that area. The case was fixed for inquiry on March 6.