By Quintus Perera - Asian Tribune
Colombo, 14 May, (Asiantribune.com): Piyara Bakery (Pvt) Ltd, Moragoda, Gampaha is a family owned corporate entity and it won a prestigious award for the promotion of eco-friendly production process presented by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC). The process got the bakery industry closer to the nature, effluent water treatment got bio-gas to avoid the use of three LP Gas Cylinders per day, in addition to the prestigious award winning and winning the hearts of the neighbours.
Sameera Kariyawasam as a baker with his baker's apron and head gear
This also shows the growing attitude of the private sector entrepreneurs to be more closer to the nature by preventing environmental pollution, which also pays back heavy dividends in the way of curtailing waste as waste in strict terms is money. There are a large number of corporate entities that are now moving to produce dendro-power (wood gasification) to produce their energy requirements.
K M G P (Piyasena) Kariyawasam is a native of Baddegama, Galle and in 1978 a Youngman after his GCE Advanced Level Qualifications moved to Gampaha to help one of his relatives to run the relative’s bakery.
Though he had the liberty to be the supervisor of the bakery, Mr Kariyawasam an intelligent and hard working youth decided to involve himself not only in the supervisory work but also attending to all other work of the bakery mixing the dough and kneading and also pushing the prepared dough into the oven and pulling the hot bread back from the oven. In this way by no time Mr Kariyawasam became the master of everything in the bakery.
The Bakery progressed well and later, the relative handed over the entire bakery to Mr Kariyawasam. He later established his own bakery in a place he has rented for this purpose. No sooner his pastry industry climbed high, production increased and established a distribution network.
The key to his success has been not only hard work but he always believed that his products should have the essential hallmark of best consistent quality and cleanliness. So, he had developed the practice of washing all the baking trays that piles up into hundreds and all other cooking utensils, everyday. He got all the trays and utensils that are used to bake bread and pastry with water everyday. 
Proud Piyasena and Rani Kariyawasam with the Prestigious CCC Awards
While his bakery business has been expanding at a greater rate, he encountered a major debacle when neighbours started complaining when effluent water (Indul Wathura) started draining across the neighbourhood land.
He understood that it was a genuine problem and rather than bribing the officials as it normally happens, he tried his best to find a lasting solution for this problem or it would hit a snag against his thriving business. He did not try to evade the problem, he thought that not only he should maintain cleanliness, but also it is his responsibility to keep the environment clean which would have duel advantage of keeping the environment clean and expand his industry.
No where it was heard as to how to treating “Indul Wathura” So he was hell-bent to find a solution to this environmental problem that now looms as a threat to his expanding business.
Meanwhile Mr Kariyawasam has been in the bakery and pastry industry for 18 years and though the environmental problem persisted, at a greater rate his industry expanded and he had to move from his rented out place to bigger and spacious place.
He bought a large extent of land further down Gampaha Town in Moragoda in 1997 and accommodated a larger food manufacturing factory, with several diesel-run ovens and fitted with other modern mechanized equipment to operate a full scale pastry manufacturing plant.
Larger the pastry manufacturing complex, more the discharge of effluent water to the environment and in the present place there is a natural water channel cutting across his land and invariably the effluent water discharge flowed to the natural water channel and began polluting it. In the new place, the issue got more complex as the effluent water discharge polluted the water way and Mr Kariyawasam was compelled to find a quick solution.
The three giant effluent water recycling tanks at Piyara Bakery
Mr Kariyawasam said that he consulted various institutions, including the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERD) Ekala, Ja-Ela. He said that he met late Dr A N S Kulasinghe and with his advice and with the advice of other engineers of the NERD he initiated the first step of converting the discharged effluent water.
He said that earlier with the expert advice he had installed several large concrete cylinders to get the water strained before it is discharged to water channel. But it was not that successful.
He said that in the meantime they found out the 'Promotion of Eco-Efficient Productivity Project' (PEP) initiated by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), supported and funded by the Royal Netherlands Government to support private sector eco-efficient productivity.
The need for eco-efficiency has been to reduce waste and improve productivity; reduce production costs and become competitive; improve quality of products, safety, health and environment; comply with local environmental standards; access international and green markets and obtain environmental certification. The objectives of the CCC PEP project has been to: reduce environmental impacts from production processes and services; efficient and prudent use of energy for production and use of renewable sources of energy.
The PEP programme to assess and monitor the selected industries for this purpose visited the sites; interviewed the industrialists; compiled data; records inspection monitored; took photographs; processed the flow diagrams and preened Green Technological interventions in Sri Lankan Industries.
PEP registered Mr Kariyawasam’s environmental programme under wastewater recycling in 2007 and they have constructed three huge concrete cylindrical tanks and all the effluent water discharged by washing and cleaning utensils are diverted to these giant tanks. The tanks are built one after the other in a raw and the waste water enters the first tank, then passes the other two tanks. The water discharged from the third tank to the environment is as pure as drinking water.
The construction work took 8 months. The total cost of the project was Rs 8.6 million out of which 30 percent was paid by PEP. More than 100 baking trays and other utensils are washed and cleaned everyday and around 5,500 liters of water per day is used. This water plus, soiled water from the toilets are also directed to these tanks. Mr Kariyawasam said that he has a small collection of cattle and all the waste collected in the cattle shed are also washed into these tanks.
He has no difficulty in discharging the water overflowed from the last tank as it is as pure as natural water. He did not discharge the water to the environment direct, but started a two acre farm and the plants were fed systematically with this water adopting somewhat drip irrigation method. He has obtained all his vegetable and fruit requirements from this farm, until his farm was partially hit by the "Piti Makuna" infest.
Mr Kariyawasam was fascinated with the vegetable and fruit cultivation, he even visited the vegetable and fruit farms in Kalpitiya run by some private companies.
Recently CCC unveiled the success of the PEP Project and recognized and felicitated the exceptionally performed environmental friendly projects. At this function the Gold award was won by Industrial Clothing Ltd; Silver was won by Hotel Sigiriya and the Bronze was won by the Associated Motorways PLC.
PEP also took into consideration the contributions made by small timers to the preservation of environment and competing among the giants, Piyara Bakery (Pvt) Ltd of Mr Kariyawasam was recognized and felicitated with an award under merit category.
Mr Kariyawasam said that he won the award as he was fortunate enough to find the best solution to his problem thanks to Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He said that it gave him a big impetus for the success of his business and further indicated his success rested on his believing on ‘personal touch’ as the industry he began to learn in 1978, he worked along with others to date kneading the dough and baking and is now an expert in baking technology.
With expansion he floated a private company with the name and style "Piyara Baekery (Pvt) Ltd and enlisted his family members – his wife Rani Kariyawasam, his son Sameera and Dilmi as directors of the Company. His son became an expert in bakery technology through a diploma course conducted by Prima. In the bakery and other pastry manufacture Sameera could be seen with other workers and alongside his father work on bread and pastry making.
His daughter Dilmi got through her CIMA and she attends to all office and accounting work in their Private Company.
Mr Kariyawasam said that the investment of their company now worth around Rs 50 million and further expansion is inevitable with his son and daughter joining and thus innovative technologies and ideas are bound to infuse their industry.
Sameera Kariyawasam told the Asian Tribune that with his Diploma he received from Prima and like his father he works with other bakery hands on the baking table – the vast experience enabled him to secure a lucrative foreign job. He said that he would be very happy involving in his father’s company and innovations are coming in.
They are finalizing to create a Website and said that as some of their popular manufactures are tasted exceptional they have in addition all plans have been finalized to sell their products through internet. Mr Kariyawasam said that they are expecting even overseas orders.
He said that there are ups and downs in the bakery and pastry industry, as there is heavy competition and other unavoidable factors. In their manufacture they use around 15 bags of flour with a distribution network of 11 vehicles out of which they own six. In addition they maintain showrooms – at Udupila junction, Narangwala and Moragoda.
He said that due to the use of bio gas they could save around Rs 6,000 per day. Mr Kariyawasam is now a rejuvenated man with the firm backing by CCC for his environmental venture. He said that he is using a large quantity of diesel to maintain the ovens.
One problem he faces now with bio gas is that there is no adequate pressure of bio gas in cooking. He is now in consultation with some Korean experts to get the adequate pressure. He said that his next step is to try and replace the diesel consumption and is now trying to increase his cattle and also get into coconut industry, where the coconut water could be utilized to produce bio gas energy or he would venture to wood gasification.
In quest of a cleaner environment, PEP urged those who made innovative cleaner production methods to propagate them freely among others who need such technologies to improve the preservation of environment.
He said that CCC also assured to help him to introduce new and innovative technology to increase the productivity of his enterprise.
- Asian Tribune -
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