OPEN
* Admissibility date reflects the date the case was officially registered. All other dates pertain to the date in which a stage was completed.
Case Description
On 30 June 2024, the Complaints Mechanism received a complaint from a community of 37 households in the Narahenpita neighbourhood in Colombo who were concerned about the potential environmental and social impacts of the Greater Colombo Wastewater Project. The complaint focuses on a wastewater pumping station and raises concerns about potential damage to surrounding houses, unpleasant smells, health risks and inadequate stakeholder engagement.
Work performed
During the initial assessment, the complainants and the promoter of the project agreed to engage in a collaborative dispute resolution process to find suitable solutions to the concerns raised. In addition to numerous individual meetings, the facilitation team conducted two rounds of joint dialogue sessions between the representatives of the complainants and the promoter in Colombo in October 2024 and April 2025.
Outcome
The facilitated dialogue enabled the parties to significantly improve communication between them and to reach an agreement on acceptable solutions to the issues raised, thereby concluding the dispute resolution process to the satisfaction of the parties. On this basis, the Complaints Mechanism closed the complaint.