‘Lassanawerala’ beautifies Lankan shores
Sri Lanka’s beautiful coast stretches to about 1340 km around the country. Although the commercial capital of Colombo is a waterfront city, the only coastal strip we could freely enjoy is located between Mt. Lavinia and Wellawatta, which is limited to about a five km stretch.
This small coastal strip cannot accommodate a lot of people while the adjoining canal that disposes waste emanates bad odours and pollutes the area. Even though volunteer organisations carry out cleanup programmes from time to time, the waste gets collected very fast, making it impossible to keep the beach clean at all times.
Considering this unfortunate situation,
Port City Colombo made the initiative to carry out a daily cleaning programme of this troubled coastal strip, launched and facilitated by the youth environmental organisation, ‘Wana Arana’.
The programme titled ‘Lassanawerala’ was the first of its kind and was launched in January this year. Since then, the Clean Tech Company is carrying out the cleaning activities on a daily basis from morning till evening as a daily routine.
The Colombo Municipal Council, Dehiwala-mt. Lavinia Municipal Council, Coastal Conservation Department, Sri Lanka Coastguard, Sri Lanka Police and the Navy are among the state institutes that support this programme. ‘Lassanawerala’ receives constant commendation and appreciation for this great service from the surrounding businesses and those living in the area.
The curfew resulting from the COVID19 pandemic commenced with the high tide at the Mt. Lavinia – Dehiwala – Wellawatte coastal belt. During this period, an unimaginable quantity of waste gathers in this coast. A majority consists of household waste. The ‘Lassanawerala’ team continued to work hard to clean up the coast during this crucial time on a daily basis in the months of March and April despite the curfew.
With the rise of Port City Colombo, a two km-strip of brand-new coast will emerge where anyone is free to feel the sea breeze and enjoy an evening at the beach. Despite this new site, Colombo Port City is committed to creating a clean coastal belt in other areas. ‘Lassanawerala’ team appreciates this commitment and support and seeks the contribution of all to keep Sri Lanka clean and beautiful.