Social work has historically helped individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being by helping people develop their skills and abilities to use their own resources and those of the community, to resolve problems.
In the present times, when the most critical threat to humanity and the environment is global warming, with the resultant increase in disasters, and environmental damage, social work is increasingly engaging in environmental issues as well, hence, the theme for this year. The National Institute of Social Development’s Social Work Program celebrated Social Work Day on March 21 at Yatiyantota, with a roadside clean up by students and staff, with the support and the cooperation of the Yatiyantota Pradeshiya Sabha and a few civil societies, to foster a community spirit.
Since much of the global warming is a result of human behaviour, and most environmental damage is caused by rich nations and their corporate bodies that mostly affect the poor nations, a concept of environmental justice being included as part of social justice has emerged. Hence, there is a cry for a fair distribution of environmental burdens among all people, regardless of their background, without allowing the poor to bear the brunt of them.
Taking the notion of environmental justice a step further, many have argued that it must apply to the environment itself and not just the people affected by environmental destruction. Hence, there is a push for laws that give the environment a voice, to be considered as a person, in its own right, in the same way a company has a right as a legal entity for legal protection under the law. In what maybe a world first, The Whanganui River, New Zealand’s third largest river, recently received its own legal voice, with a right to be recognized as a person under the law, and plans are afoot to address the issues the river has had for over a 100 years.
There is now an International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, and in many countries Earth Law Alliances are considering issues concerning the plight of ecosystems, and are looking to make recommendations for law reform and restorative action. Recognizing our dependence on Mother Earth, the Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new Mother Earth and Water coin. Pope Francis, in his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si sends a ‘wake up’ call to all the people of the world, saying, we urgently need to consider what the planet needs from us right now, rather than what we want from it.
It is in this fairly new arena of consciousness, redefining the victims of society and identifying the earth as a key victim, and examining the social justice issues that need addressing here, that Social Work has developed a new field of practice called Environmental Social Work, focusing on Environment Protection and Restoration of Damage. Taking a more radical approach, Lena Dominelli of Durham University, who did a project in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami, presents a concept she calls, Green Social Work. She defines this field as, ‘a form of holistic professional social work practice that focuses on: interdependencies among people; social organization of relationships between people and the flora and fauna in their physical habitats; and interactions between socio-economic and physical environmental crises and interpersonal behaviours that undermine the well-being of human beings and planet earth.’ She argues that, to address the current issues there need to be ‘a profound transformation in how people conceptualize the social basis of their society, their relationships with each other, living things and the inanimate world’. She is a strong advocate for social and environmental justice under the banner: ‘destruction to the environment mostly affects the poorest communities who live near polluted waterways, rubbish heaps, industrial zones and flood prone areas among others, which require addressing, for social justice to prevail’.
Waste disposal
Applying some of these principles, four Social Work students from the National Institute of Social Development are currently undertaking an ambitious six month project at the Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipality, in the area of their waste disposal. This Municipality, with other Municipalities in the Western Province dump their waste at Karadiyana, which is considered to be one of the largest garbage dumps in South Asia, with several environmental issues impacting on the poor people in the area, and the environment itself.
The dump has led to serious health hazards for the people in the area with 1 in 3 having had Dengue, respiratory diseases and water borne diseases, as ground water has been contaminated by toxic chemicals leaching out into the soil and water. Including pampers and feminine napkins in general garbage without separation is adding greatly to the health risk of the community around the garbage heap. Several wells have had to be closed due to toxic contamination. As water is now considered a human right, this could be seen as a serious violation of human rights caused by people who do not separate waste.
Children in the area when asked to draw any picture they wished, drew pictures of the dump, starkly revealing the impact of their environment on them. Situations such as Karadiyana are now defined as man-made disasters that have very serious consequences that need urgent attention. Unfortunately, while disasters that happen in instances like floods and tsunamis draw public compassion and are given quick attention, when it comes to situations like Karadiyana the wheels turn much more slowly and society takes no responsibility to help by changing their behaviour. Although the National Environmental Act (NEA) of Sri Lanka, states that it is a grave crime for anyone to harm the environment or its creatures, it is rarely enforced.
The Waste Management Authority, which is now managing the site, due to the outcome of several court cases has initiated several measures to address some of the issues that prevailed when a private company managed the site. The Municipality has recently started a program for separating biodegradable waste and composting it. However, this has posed several difficulties as the community and garbage collectors are often inconsistent and/or non-compliant when it comes to separation of the garbage, and there is a general sense of confusion. At present, most residents collect their food waste in polythene bags rather than in a vessel like a bucket. Food has to be taken out of these bags to be composted and garbage collectors have the dirty job of taking it out of the plastic bags, so it is haphazard and many plastic pieces end up in the compost heap, diminishing its quality. The disposing of garbage bags, especially, if they are dirty and oily, is an additional problem for the Municipality as it cannot be recycled and has to be separated from other non-degradable waste. It cannot be baled due to the slipperiness. While there is a plan to send it to a cement factory in Puttalam for burning at a very high temperature to minimize toxic fumes going into the environment, transporting it is an additional cost.
Green Social Work
Assessing the issues from a Green Social Work perspective, several needs have been identified; firstly, a need for the community to be more responsible towards the environment. Secondly, when it comes to waste disposal, for the wider community to appreciate the impact of their behaviour on the people at Karadiyana and the environment, be socially responsible and cooperate with the Municipality to address the issues of waste disposal for the well-being of the whole community. A hard task indeed, in Sri Lanka, where people do not take pride in their environment, and take no social responsibility for issues. It is always the responsibility of someone else! In this culture where everyone is referred to in terms such as, ‘akka’, ‘malli’, it is time to take this relationship seriously, and recognize the residents of Karadiyana as brothers and sisters.
To make the project viable a small area of the Municipality has been selected for intervention. To generate more responsibility towards the environment, the project is working to foster a love of nature, in religious terms of ‘creation’, and a culture of stewardship in the community, with a consciousness of protecting the earth. This is being done by working with religious institutions, especially, focusing on children during religious instructions, using the teachings on preserving the environment and all life forms present in every religion. Most religions espouse social justice and consideration for the poor, so, the difficulties of the poor people living near Karadiyana and the injustice to them will be highlighted.
Karadiyana
To facilitate cooperation with the Municipality to address the issues at Karadiyana, interventions will target working with residents, urging them to be mindful of their waste, and waste disposal behaviours. The importance of food separation and the reduction of the use of polythene bags, particularly, collecting food waste in these will be highlighted. Awareness programs will encourage people to take their own bags and to reduce the use of siri siri bags. A little known fact is that some forms of thin polythene, non-virgin polythene, are carcinogenic and storing food in them in the fridge is a lethal health hazard. The average consumer will not be able to distinguish between virgin and non-virgin polythene, another reason to avoid using plastic bags.
Avenues for discussion with supermarkets on their Community Social Responsibility to commit to strategies for reducing the use of polythene bags will also be explored. Some countries require industries and companies responsible for pollution indirectly, to be responsible for disposing of the waste they manufacture and sell. Germany is the most developed in this regard.
The Municipality has its own problems with garbage collectors not behaving consistently in garbage separation issues and giving mixed messages to the public, truck breakdowns and absenteeism, so collection cannot happen as planned which are frustrations for the public, and a lack of resources, as the cost of disposal at Karadiyana has tripled. It is intended to build better lines of communication between the Municipality and the public, particularly, residents of Apartment buildings where separation problems are more prevalent.
Thought is also directed on how to sustain interest in the community regarding these issues so it could be seen as a community problem. The possibility of having art and craft competitions / exhibitions with children and thus making linkages between groups, is being explored.
Littering of beach
The littering of the beach in the selected area will also be considered as an adjunct to the program, bearing in mind the destruction to marine, bird and animal life, and Sri Lanka being identified in a sample of 20 countries as the 5th when it comes to dumping plastic into the sea. The plan is to play key roles on social work, forming community linkages, and bring together the Municipality, Coastal Conservation Department, the Central Environmental Authority, local residents, local restaurants , beach users, the Coast Guard who has often played a valuable role in keeping the area of the beach clean, and where possible community groups that participated in the project, to form a sustainable program to keep the beach clean.
A highlight of the project will be a big Beach Clean Up, with community participation in the planning and execution, and strengthen community links to organize such activities in the future on their own initiative.
The main aim of the project is to develop greater community awareness of the environmental issues at Karadiyana, and foster community building to encourage participation in addressing these issues in some small way, thus sowing the seeds of change and transformation which Green Social Work is all about.
The writer is the External Supervisor of Students for the National Institute of Social Development Social Work Program.
