Hemas partners MEPA to address marine plastic pollution

Evergreen Shipping Agency Lanka Ltd., a joint venture between Hemas Transportation Ltd. and Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong) Ltd., has partnered with the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to address marine pollution in Sri Lanka.

Evergreen Lanka has committed to the installation of an ‘Ocean Strainer’ floating trash trap at the Samanala Canal, Galle, and five ‘Beach Caretaker Projects’ across the country including Paranambala Beach and Luna Pokuna Beach. The partnership aligns with Hemas’ Environmental Agenda which strives to protect Sri Lankan Endemism through a three-prong action plan which includes responsible usage and disposal of plastic waste, safeguarding our ecosystem and protecting our natural resources.

Hemas Holdings Group CEO Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson said: “We are honoured to partner with MEPA in their efforts to ensure that we safeguard our marine ecosystem from plastic waste. As a part of the Group Environmental Agenda, we are committed to ensuring the reduction of the use of plastic that is harmful to the environment and the responsible disposal of plastic waste. This partnership is the first step in our efforts to reduce plastic pollution in our country by facilitating initiatives across the island to continuously collect community plastic waste disposed to the environment, while also working towards offsetting our plastic footprint.”

The beach caretaker program aims to keep the coastline clean through community-led conservation while empowering their livelihood, by providing caretakers with a reliable source of income. The initiative hopes to keep approximately five tons of plastic waste out of the ocean, assisting the conservation of Sri Lanka’s threatened and degraded

marine ecosystem.

“Sri Lanka is a nation that is rich in biodiversity and marine ecosystems, but unfortunately, this is under threat due to plastic pollution. As a responsible corporate that focuses on making healthful living happen across all communities we serve, we felt it is important that we play a role in ensuring the protection of our marine ecosystem. Clean and healthy oceans play a vital role in balancing ecosystems and water resources and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Through these initiatives we hope to reduce the plastic waste that enters the ocean and protect the marine ecosystem of Sri Lanka,” said Hemas Holdings Director – Mobility Sector Mushin Kitchilan.

With approximately 900 MT of plastic waste generated daily in Sri Lanka, the ‘Ocean Strainer’ floating trash trap will trap, collect, and remove plastic waste before it reaches the ocean. The Ocean Strainer floating trash trap initiative was conceptualised and developed by MAS Holdings, with the installation of the first Ocean Strainer in the Dehiwala Canal in August 2020. In its first year since installation, this floating trash trap has managed to keep approximately 67,000 kilograms of plastic waste away from the ocean. Believing in the power of open innovation and collaboration in problem-solving, MAS announced in early 2021 that they would make the Ocean Strainer technology openly available to interested parties, in order to replicate and scale up the solution.

The Application Of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Instruments To Manage Plastic Waste In Sri Lanka

On the invitation of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and BSL took part in a meeting to discuss the implementation of EPR for Plastic Waste management on January 6, 2021, at the CEA. The main purpose of this dialogue was to examine the pros and cons of two major EPR instruments: Product Take-back Requirement and Deposit Refund System.  The Managing Director, Snackings (Pvt) Ltd shared a proposed Digital Deposit Refund System (DRS). As per the system proposed, PET bottles will carry a QR Code and consumers will be able to obtain a refund by handing over the used bottle to nominated outlets. For the return of these bottles, it is proposed to set up 5,000 outlets throughout the country. The consumers can return the bottles to these outlets and obtain a refund of LKR 10/-. On top of that, an EPR fee will be levied from brand owners to set up and maintain the system. During this discussion, it was emphasized that the country should focus on bottle-to-bottle recycling as it happens in other countries.

Mr. Chandrarathna Vithanage, Senior Assistant Secretary-General, CCC explained that CCC has facilitated the EPR dialogue for over 3 years and come up with the EPR Roadmap, proposing a Mandatory Reporting and Collect Back model which will assign a collect back target to brand owners based on their annual packaging consumption. The development of this EPR Roadmap was done adopting a broad, consultative process. CCC also conducted a Perception Survey on EPR through which, it was revealed that over 90% of the private sector stakeholders are in favour of this model and expressed willingness to implement it. He pointed out that plastic waste is an issue of national importance, and therefore it must be tackled diligently keeping national interests for environmental conservation in mind.

Mr. Roshan Salinda, Program Manager, BSL commended positive elements of DRS and acknowledged that DRS has delivered laudable results in raising PET collection and recovery rates in developed countries such as Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Lithuania. However, he pointed out that in no developing country where informal waste collection systems exist, has introduced DRS for PET packaging. When DRS is introduced, valuable waste items like PET, Aluminium cans, and glass will also get collected through the system, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of informal waste collectors, as PET contributes to a sizable portion of the income of informal waste collectors. Also, Sri Lanka’s socio-economic dynamics are not conducive for introducing DRS. As such, since Sri Lanka has a very active waste collection sector, DRS would unlikely be the best EPR model for the country. Citing an OECD report, he mentioned that Product Take Back requirements are the most dominant EPR tool used in the world. Sri Lanka can draw lessons from proposed EPR regulations in India. The main elements of Indian EPR regulations are mandatory registration of producers and recyclers, and targets for plastic waste collection, recycling, and the use of recycled content in packaging. He concluded that introducing DRS would have to be discussed widely with the private sector, as the Collect Back Model is currently being operationalized in the country with private sector agreement.

BSL and CCC teams visited SME member Zero Trash, General Member Eco Spindles to gather further information on the collection and recycling of plastic waste.

The 3^rd Project Steering Committee meeting of the CCBO-CCC EPR Pilot Project was held recently under the leadership of the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and the CEO/Secretary General of the CCC

BSL Hosts “Beyond Borders” in Association With GIZ and DWC

A webinar was held on 27th January 2022, to showcase successful private sector-led efforts in contributing towards protecting critically important ecosystems through a livelihood-centered approach in the Wilpattu National Park’s (WNP) influence zone. The event focused on lessons learned and best practices implemented by the supporting WNP and influence zone management project in Sri Lanka.

Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL) was hired by GOPA Worldwide Consultants to co-ordinate private sector investments in connection with the activities falling under outputs c) and d) of the Project, namely, the local population in the park’s influence zone has better access to alternative, resource-friendly income-generating opportunities outside conventional agriculture and the use of the national park as a communication instrument for the purpose of raising environmental awareness and promoting peaceful co-existence has improved.

At the outset, two keynote addresses were delivered by Mr. Sharada Sosa, Director, Forbes & Walker Fine Foods (Pvt.) Ltd. and Ms. Shamodi Nanayakkara, Manager, Dilmah Conservation, on the topics ‘The Story of Cashew: Farmers, Middlemen, and Escapeways’ and ‘Women-led Community Skills Development in the Influence Zones of High Conservation Value Forests’ respectively. Session II was a panel discussion,  featuring a diverse array of eminent panelists representing the business sector, science and conservation education, and academia and included Dr. Anura Indrajith, Department of Applied Entomology, University of Rajarata, Ms. Chandani Wilson – Deputy Director Visitor Services Management, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Mr. L. P. D. Dayananda – Consultant/Agricultural and Business Development Specialist of BSL, and Mr. Nirmal Hettiarachchi – Technical Head, Fresh Produce of John Keells PLC. The discussion was based on innovative business actions and approaches, income-generating business solutions, linkages between policy and legislative frameworks, and focused on successes and challenges.

More than 80 participants attended this very informative session, which provided many insights on involving the private sector in protected area management in the country. Despite the multitude of challenges faced, overall, the Project successfully implemented its ground-level activities.  One of the biggest challenges was Covid19 related restrictions. One of the other challenges was the relatively short time span available for the implementation phase, which provided very limited time and opportunity for BSL to build a strong rapport with the private companies and the target communities. However, BSL by undertaking back-to-back field visits and through its field coordinator managed to interact with the target groups closely and openly forging many interesting private sector linkages.

The project concluded with the observation that potential exists for mutually beneficial buyback programs for agricultural produce via location-based associations/small informal groups and/or through lead farmers, and interested private sector, lending sustainability and marketing independent of middlemen. There is a need to continue a similar momentum at least for another year to forge stronger links with the farmers and the private sector, to derive effective mutual benefits and wean farmers away from encroaching further into the influence zone of the park.

BSL collaborates with UNDP and CEJ in designing a digital citizen engagement platform for reporting illegal environmental activities

The proposed project idea is a digital citizen engagement tool, which aims to connect citizens wishing to report unsanctioned environmental activities to government officials. The project will be in two phases – Phase 1, focusing on illegal deforestation and logging activities only, in collaboration with the Forest Department and Phase 2 – scaling up to include other illegal environmental practices, such as illegal wildlife poaching and trade and illicit activities contributing to wetland degradation, in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Customs Department, and other relevant government institutions.

The tool will facilitate a two-way portal, whereby citizens can take the initiative to report against harmful environmental practices and contribute towards crowdsourcing data on this. The tool will also allow citizens to track whether their complaint has been resolved. Officials will be able to obtain the information required to address such concerns and be able to use the record and inform other officials of complaints and issues that come to their attention via offline methods.

A preliminary meeting of the technical experts’ committee was held in January at the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation. Members of the committee representing various Government, Private Sector, and Civil Society institutions emphasized the need for a user-friendly solution, and the need to establish clear parameters for the pilot and subsequent phases of the proposed intervention. The meeting was chaired by Mr Ratnayake, Additional Secretary (Technical) of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation.

Re- opening the Secretariat for the New Year

The BSL Secretariat commenced work for the year 2022, on Monday 3^rd January 2022. Amidst the lighting of the traditional oil lamp and new year sweet meats, the Chair of the Board of Directors, Mr. Dilhan C Fernando, our CEO Mr. Prema Cooray and Director, Mr. Chandrarathna Vithanage visited the office, offering guidance and words of advice.

Mr. Fernando, addressing the staff stated that Sri Lanka’s economic growth over the years has proceeded at the expense of the environment, and the prospect of accelerated growth in a post-war, post covid economy is leading to even greater environmental pressures. Although some success has been achieved in combating environmental deterioration with various programs and reforms, environmental indicators in both rural and urban areas are generally showing a declining trend. It is important to understand that sustaining growth and achieving sustainable development will critically hinge upon how well its environment and natural resources are utilized and managed. He expressed confidence that Biodiversity Sri Lanka’s work in assisting the private sector to make a paradigm shift in efforts to place true and realistic values on Sri Lanka’s natural heritage, setting and then reaching new ambitious targets to value and conserve the fundamental riches of life support systems and the wildlife and people that depend upon them was fundamental to this day and age.

He wished the Secretariat all success in its endeavors throughout the year.

Beyond Borders

On 27 January 2022, ‘Beyond Borders’, a virtual event showcasing and discussing private sector-led efforts contributing towards the protection of critical ecosystems through a livelihood-centered approach, was organized by Biodiversity Sri Lanka (BSL), on behalf of the ‘Supporting Wilpattu National Park and Influence Zone Management in Sri Lanka’ project supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and being implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The event focussed on proven best practices and lessons learnt from the project, of which the overall objective is to better orient the management of the Wilpattu National Park (WNP) and its influence zone towards the development needs of local communities. Producer groups and partnerships are strong elements when strategizing market accessibility for small agricultural producers. Small-scale farmers engaged in the cultivation of cashew and Other Field Crops (OFCs), as well as vegetable and fruit farmers in the WNP’s influence zone, have been mobilized to strengthen market linkages with large-scale private sector agribusinesses.

Providing the opening remarks at the event, Director – Protected Area Management of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Mr. Manjula Amararathna stated that “Since the establishment of the DWC in 1949, up to the year 2000, the DWC led a policeman’s role, prohibiting and punishing those who extracted natural resources from Protected Areas (PA) of the country. However, since 2000, the Department’s outlook and attitude towards conservation issues changed with the rest of the world, with the belief that conservation actions should be implemented in collaboration with the surrounding communities, and thereby changed its strategies to suit the new norm. Therewith, the DWC engages in several eco-development activities through its outreach programmes with the objectives of obtaining proactive involvement of the communities towards conservation, reducing the communities’ dependence on resources extracted from PAs and assisting communities of PA buffer zones to improve their socio-economic status through partnership building. Activities being implemented by the project in collaboration with BSL help secure these objectives through various initiatives”.

The Director of Forbes and Walker Fine Foods (Pvt.) Ltd, Mr. Sharada Sosa, delivered a keynote address on ‘The Story of Cashew: Farmers, Middlemen and Escapeways’, while Manager of Dilmah Conservation, Ms. Shamodi Nanayakkara, spoke on ‘Women-led Community Skills Development in the Influence Zones of High Conservation Value Forests’. The event also featured diverse and eminent panelists representing the business sector, science and conservation education, and academia, and was moderated by Advisor to BSL, Ms. Shiranee Yasaratne. Panelists included Lecturer – Applied Entomology, Department of Applied Entomology at University of Rajarata, Dr. Anura Indrajith; Deputy Director Visitor Services Management, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ms. Chandani Wilson; Consultant/Agricultural and Business Development Specialist of BSL, Mr. L. P. D. Dayananda; and Technical Head, Fresh Produce, John Keells PLC, Mr. Nirmal Hettiarachchi.

A network of over 85 private sector members, BSL has been conducting learning events, roundtable discussions and technical capacity building programs on various topics in line with its objective to promote national cooperation and the exchange of ideas and information relating to biodiversity conservation. The scope of this objective was broadened further recently to encompass a wider variety of topics which have influence and impacts on as well as depend on ecosystems and the environment at large.

The project “Supporting Wilpattu National Park and Influence Zone Management in Sri Lanka” is implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project combines the conservation efforts within the Wilpattu National Park with the sustainable development of its influence zones. The project aims to improve Wilpattu National Park’s management capacity with emphasis on the Park Operations, Environmental and Visitor Use Programmes, in technical and specialist terms, in support of the Wilpattu National Park Management Plan (2019-2024) and targeting to improve the livelihood activities of the local communities, in the terrestrial and marine influence zones of the Wilpattu National park.

Happy New Year! :)

Drought plays havoc

All nine provinces in the country are suffering from a severe drought due to insufficient rainfall. The government requests the residents in these areas to use water with much care and minimize wastage, especially due to the despite the little rainfall received in the past few weeks. The country’s drinking water crisis continues as storage levels of many tanks have dropped drastically. What is worse is that according to the Meteorological Department there will be no rain in these areas until October.

The latest data on electricity generation for 2016 and up to March 2017 released by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) shows the sharp impact of the drought on hydro electricity generation. By Q4 2016 and Q1 2017 reservoir levels were at their lowest in five years, and this has had a major impact on the cost of electricity generation as the CEB had to switch to thermal generation. At a higher cost. CEB hydropower generation in Q1 of this year (2017) was the lowest compared to Q1 of the past three years.

Since June/July, 2016 through to March 2017, electricity generation in all hydropower stations was halved (or more) due to the drought. On average every month, the top 6 largest hydropower plants were operating at a fraction of their full capacity.

Irrigation

Irrigation mainly for agriculture purpose has been highly affected by the drought and many agriculture farmers are finding it difficult to maintain their cultivations. Due to low production, vegetable prices have been rising over the time. According to Wasantha Bandara Palugaswewa, Director Irrigation, Water Management, and Training, Department of Irrigation, out of major tanks 73 have got only 15 per cent of overall capacity.

“We have completely cut down the water supply to paddy fields in drought affected areas at the moment,” Palugaswewa said. “We carefully manage water with the help of Sri Lanka Police and I hope we can save the crops,” he added.

Cultivations and farms

The prevailing dry weather conditions are severely damaging the crop production as well as the livestock industry in the country. The drought that lasted for nearly eight months has turned into a crisis situation for many cultivators as well as the farmers in affected areas.

For most of the farmers, it is the worst condition they have seen in decades. Survival has become their only goal as there is no sign of rain for months. Namal Karunarathne, National Organizer, All Ceylon Peasants’ Federation said, ” 118 District Secretariats have been affected by the drought. Areas like Vilachchiya in the North Central Province, which I have visited personally many cultivators are suffering without water even for their consumption like drinking, washing, and cooking. The situation in Ampara remains the same.

“Sri Lanka has enough rivers but we don’t utilize these rivers in a proper manner,” he added. “Many major rivers have been blocked to generate electricity, but what I suggest is generating electricity has many options but agriculture does not. So we should utilize our river water mainly for agriculture and find out alternatives to generate electricity,” Karunarathne said.

Dairy farmers

Not only cultivators but also dairy farmers have equally been affected, he further stated. Especially in areas like Trincomalee, Seruvila and Vilachchiya cattle do not have enough water to drink and some farmers have started selling their herd for meat since they do not have a way of providing food and water. “Dry weather has eliminated many grazing areas and also the government has restricted cattle from entering forest reserves which I think is not fair,” he said. These innocent dairy farmers and their cattle do not harm the forest. I think the government should call an emergency situation for this drought and seek international assistance and aid to stop people suffering.

However, a senior official from a leading dairy company, one of the country’s leading milk-based product manufacturer said they have not seen any decline in their milk supply. “Some of the small scale private milk collectors have stopped purchasing milk from dairy farmers and I do not know whether that is the reason for our supply to remain the same even in areas like Batticaloa, Anuradhapura and Ampara which are severely affected by the drought,” he added. “I think nowadays most of the dairy farmers do not send their cows to the jungle for grazing, but they provide food and water by themselves. So these cattle are not affected by the drought, he further stated.

Disaster management measures

We see a drastic change in the world’s climate and many forest covers having been cut down for various development purposes which lead to the long lasting droughts as well as the drop in ground water levels. According to the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) data, more than one million people are suffering for nearly eight months in all the nine provinces in the country due to the ongoing dry weather. The government has already sanctioned more than Rs 40 million to District Secretaries mainly to address the drinking water issue. More than 6,000 tanks have been allocated in many different locations to provide clean drinking water to the affected communities.

Pradeep Kodippili, Assistant Director, NDMC said still some of the areas are not getting sufficient amount of drinking water. Within the 2-3 months we have provided 200 water bowsers and we have been providing them for some time, he added. The Northern Province is the worst affected and even most of the areas in the Eastern Province have not received rain.

Answering a question on whether there were any funds distributed among the affected residents he said funds had been distributed to farmers for their damaged crops for the eight months of drought. The Ministry of Disaster Management has established Disaster Management Units to coordinate ground level conditions. The drought has affected the whole economic situation in these areas Kodippili added. “I should say that the areas like Kalutara and Moneragala which were also affected by the drought have come out of danger as these areas have started experiencing sufficient rainfalls.

“And we are continuing our funding to provide drinking water to drought affected areas,” he said. We have enough funds allocated. We have provided a 24-hour service to the residents so that they can call us if they are in need of drinking water.

Drought mitigation projects

As a long-term measure the NDMC carries out drought mitigation projects which include rainwater harvesting projects and constructing irrigation wells. “We hope to expand our drought mitigation measures with more funds in the future,” Kodippili said. “The government is working on a project with the Arthur C. Clarke Centre for monitoring droughts and predicting them in the future.” he added.
Kodippili also said, “The people need to save water especially and they should properly utilize rain water. There should be a proper mechanism to protect the existing water bodies without getting contaminated.

The country also needs new policies or revise the existing ones in order to face disasters such as droughts.”

Global climate is changing rapidly resulting in many natural disasters in various parts of the world.

As a country with a proud history of being the number one rice producer in the region Sri Lankans had the best practice of using tanks and other water bodies. Both traditional knowledge and discipline were around the use of water.

Many of these practices have disappeared over time. Traditional crop patterns have not been followed by many farmers while encroachments and dumping of waste have increased rapidly. Rapid development has led to the clearance of many natural forest covers.

As a result, we are dealing with more natural disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones and even landslides causing many deaths and damage to residents. Drought conditions are getting worse day by day in several provinces, and the extremely hot weather has led to stress in daily life and damage to crops and livestock. Preparedness, awareness and proper management of forests and water bodies can only minimize the effects of these harsh weather conditions and no government can alone work towards them.

source – ceylon today, See more at – http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170401CT20170630.php?id=27087

Projects to check growing garbage crisis

Garbage is not a problem only in Sri Lanka, but also in the rest of the countries. What is vital in this case is not how muck is collected in countries, but how the collected garbage is properly managed and recycled. It is evident how the garbage issue has affected our people and the country owing to the lack of management mechanism to utilize garbage. 

I don’t want to reiterate the tragedy and the trouble caused to the people. It is pointless to claim how much garbage is collected. The governing body and its institutions should address the issue positively and take prompt actions to manage and recycle garbage.

It is in fact heartening to say that the Western Provincial Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) has been vocal on this issue and has launched two major projects to recycle garbage and generate electricity. In a discussion with Daily Mirror, the Director of the Western Provincial Waste Management Authority Nalin Mannapperuma said that there has been a drastic change during the past few decades in the physical environment in the country especially in the Western Province. He highlighted that one of the main reasons for this transformation is garbage.
“The main factors that relate to garbage generation are the population and the economic status. It has been analyzed that the economic status of the people living in the Asian and the Asia-Pacific regions will enhance in few decades; consequently there will be a boost in the resource consumption. Hence, there is a tendency for the considerable inclination in the garbage generation in a few decades. It has been estimated that in lower /lower middle income countries (which includes many Asian Countries) waste generation rates will more than double over the next 20 years. We as an Asian country have to face this situation. We can’t avoid it. The Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Sri Lanka has been estimated at 7000 Metric ton per day. The contribution from the Western Province to the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is 60% (3500 Metric tons per day). The annual growth rate of garbage generation in Sri Lanka is regarded as around 1.2-2.0%,” the Director said.

“The main factors that relate to garbage generation are the population and the economic status”

The fact is coherent that Sri Lanka is experiencing a massive garbage crisis and therefore productive actions need to be taken before the condition worsens. Moreover, it is identified that there are 25 dumpsites in the Western Province which are piled up with various types of dirt without a solution for the recycling process. At the same time, it is pleased to know the mapping of a master plan known as the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management which will be set to embark in 2018. Until it will be put it to practise, there are ongoing waste management practices as follows.

• Reduction of garbage generation   

• Source segregation   

• Reusing   

• Recycling   

• Collection   

• Transportation   

• Small /Medium Scale Composting (140 IN SL, 25 in WP)   

• Small/ Medium Scale Bio gas production (no of units 150,000 unit in SL)   

• Small/medium scale Recycling centres   

• Turnkey basis   

• Public Privet Partnership basis

When considering the above actions, we can see that the Western Provincial Waste Management Authority (WPWMA) as a supporting agency to the Local Authority has done a sensible job in monitoring effective methodologies to find solutions to the garbage crisis.
“We have tried on several occasions to find solutions for the garbage issue. But our attempts were unsuccessful due to public protests and the high capital cost. Then we have to seek private and public aid. Therefore, we have endorsed two agreements with Fairway Waste Management (pvt) Ltd which will merge with Germany and Denmark companies and Trilogy ETC (pvt) Ltd. which will merge with OPUS Clean Energy Alliance.” The Director said.
He said that the fist company will commence the project with the garbage capacity of 500mt per day in Karadiyana which would generate 11.5 megawatt (MW) and this will release 89mn kilowatt to the grid per year. As a result of that, it will be adequate to generate electricity for 35000 families. Apart from the generation of electricity, the project is also equipped to generate 41000 tons of liquid fertilizer and 75000 tons of solid fertilizer. The total investment on this project is 73 USD.    Then the second company will commence the project with the garbage capacity of 95mt per day at Gampaha, Dambuwatta which would generate 3.4 megawatt (MW). The technology which is to be used for this project is gasification i.e. burning the garbage. The total investment on this project is 30 USD.
In conclusion, the Director of WPWMA expressed his thanks on behalf of the authority to Isura Devapriya, the Chief Minister of the Western Province for the instructions given and the support rendered towards the upcoming project proposals and the issue of garbage. Nevertheless, the Director requests the general public to cooperate with local authorities in segregating and disposing their garbage at appropriate places, so that the muck collectors could collect them conveniently.

Source – Daily Mirror, See more at – http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Projects-to-check-growing-garbage-crisis-132112.html