Dirtying a revered path

Shadow of Adam's Peak

According to legend and indigenous belief Sri Pada is the abode of the deity Sumana Saman, one of the guardian deities of Sri Lanka and at the peak of the Sri Pada Mountain lies a sacred footprint significant to those of every race and religion.

Believed by Buddhists to be that of the Buddha, historical text has it that the Buddha placed it on His third visit to the island, when he visited the mountain on the invitation of deity Sumana Saman, leaving his footprint as an object of veneration. Likewise Hindus believe it is the footprint of Shiva while in Islamic and Christian tradition, it is thought to be of Adam, who left his footprint when setting foot on Earth after having been cast out of Eden.

While the mountain is considered holy by most and is steeped in tradition, history and legends, its importance goes far beyond. The area is in fact rich in bio diversity. The Sri Pada region is considered one of only two known locations in the country where one can observe all 33 known bird species that are endemic to Sri Lanka while the region is also home to various species of fish, amphibians, reptiles and butterflies, all endemic to the island. In 2010, UNESCO named Sri Pada a Natural Heritage due to such significances.

Every year from the month of December to May devotees undertake the long and grueling trek to the summit of the mountain with the hope of praying and catching a glimpse of the most venerated sacred footprint. While the journey through the forest, climbing thousands of steps is a difficult task, a common advice given to the novice by adults is to guard their tongue against uttering anything that is deemed disrespectful to the deity Sumana Saman. Thus is the veneration and respect held by the people.

However it can come as a shock to a first time climber that a path taken with such reverence is littered with polythene and plastic, with the stench of human excreta wafting through the air of the forest while overflowing water from toilets run downhill. It is confusing as to why such individuals themselves who scale the mountain with such veneration are driven to pollute the path to the top, as well the base and pit stops around the area. While at the peak of the season the number of devotees can rise to two million and the garbage problem with it. The most common pollutants are plastic and polythene.

However the man-made mess is not limited to Sri Pada. Such pollution is common in other religious sites such as the Temple of Tooth, Madhu Church, Katharagama and Nallur. According to Environment and Renewable Energy Minister, Susil Premajayantha sometimes lack of awareness or negligence of people create many environmental issues. “People are destroying natural beauty as well as natural water sources of this region. We have to take immediate solutions for these impacts,” he said at the press briefing held recently inaugurating the Sri Pada homage program organized by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA).

True to his words it was disheartening to see individuals discarding non-degradable items littering the area even during the homage program held with the intention of cleaning up the path. The pathways appeared to have been cleaned before by other groups with the amount of waste being minimal. This was confirmed by Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry, Media Secretary and Thusitha Halloluwa who said that since the season began many groups had undertaken clean ups at various times. However pilgrims continue to litter during the climb on a daily basis. While the worst offenders were the older generation, it was shocking to see a person nonchalantly discard a plastic sheet from the upper terrace of the shrine, littering the lower terrace.

When asked why people litter religious places, a pilgrim appeared confused. After pondering for a bit she replied “I think people are not aware and do it because they are used to it.” However it was difficult to perhaps accept that answer as there were bins lining the path and notices put up asking people not to litter. With such a big awareness program being carried out, it is doubtful people were not aware of their own actions.

According to Halloluwa, individuals tend to litter despite warnings due to attitudes. “It is difficult to change the attitudes of the older generation,” he said admitting that they were in fact the worst offenders while the younger generation is more aware of the consequences of such actions. However he said the Ministry considers the program a success. “The main objective of the program was to create awareness, and I think we were able to do that,” he said adding that the Ministry hopes to organize another clean up after the season with the participation of the armed forces.

The program saw various volunteer groups including Ministry and CEA staff collecting plastic and waste which littered the path while descending.  According to eye witnesses the cleanup didn’t go beyond the Indikatupana area. It was questionable as to why garbage collected during the program was not brought to the foot of the mountain in order to be recycled and instead collected into bins along the way?

Also while the path was cleaned, garbage collected at the bottom of the lower terrace of the shrine remained. They appear to have been there from time immemorial and attempts to clean up that area of garbage was not apparent. Shockingly pilgrims had even disregarded notices and left behind dozens of plastic bottles, used to pour oil into the Dolosmahe Pahana at the shrine, littering the site.

Littered Dolosmahe Pahana

Speaking to The Nation a member of the Law Students’ Environmental Society of the Sri Lanka Law College expressed his displeasure over the organizational aspect of the program saying it was less than successful.

However Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry is expected to upgrade facilities at Sri Pada with the Minister putting down pollution to the lack of modern facilities for the pilgrims. “We will upgrade facilities along the major pit stops of the path,” he said adding that unavailability of such facilities give rise to environment issues. The Ministry is also expected to implement a plan which will facilitate proper garbage disposal at the major stops along the path. “We will implement these at all major religious places as well as other significant locations where crowds gather,” Minister Premajayantha said adding that the program has been informative to the general public.

However, much human power has been wasted cleaning the path leading to Sri Pada every year. While they manage the cleaning to some extent, questions arise as to the practicality of engaging in the exercise constantly. Though notices and bins have been put up, the awareness levels of people appear to remain minimal. Only time will tell whether better facilities will improve the situation and encourage people to keep religious places clean.

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© 2014 Maneshka Borham