FTZMA partners with MAS to tackle plastic pollution in Negombo lagoon
Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA), a sole trade chamber of BOI companies in Sri Lanka has collaborated with the MAS Foundation for Change, which is an independent nonprofit organisation under MAS holdings, to address the issue of plastic pollution in two locations in the Negombo Lagoon area.
The MAS Foundation for Change actively works to overcome the pressing social and environmental challenges of biodiversity loss, ocean pollution, and the lack of access to clean water.
Together with government authorities, FTZMA &the MAS Foundation for Changehave set up an innovative Ocean Strainer in the Negombo Lagoon to capture and collect marine waste and plastic debristo prevent further pollution of lagoon water which frequently fills up with sludge, silt and organic waste materials that do not wash away. The launching ceremony of the first ocean strainer was held on 24thjanuary at a location in Negombo lagoon jointly selected by the MAS Foundation with the presence of the Chairman of FTZMA - Dhammika Fernando, Secretary - Sean Umagiliya, Treasurer - M.H.Z.M. Marzook and Secretary General of FTZMA Vasantha Dias, Commissioner of Negombo Municipal Council - W.A.D. Prabhath Lakshman together with Dilip Alwis, Rahal Rambukpota, and Bhagya Munasinghe of the MAS Foundation for Change and the representation from District Waste Management Authority of western Province.
During the launching ceremony, Chairman of FTZMA, Dhammika Fernando said, “Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges, posing a significant threat to marine life, the ecosystem and to human well-being. We are proud to partner with the MAS Foundation for change on this critical endeavour”.
He also said that FTZMA opted to select Negombo lagoon areas as the most appropriate location for the installation this time covering approximately a 10 KM waterway in the heart of Negombo City as the MAS Foundation had already installed a few of these strainers in the southern part of Colombo namely Lunawa, Moratuwa and Kaluthara areas.
The MAS Foundation for Change aims to install these Ocean Strainers across all waterways along the coastlines of Sri Lanka with the intent of stopping floating waste debris from entering the pristine, tropical waters surrounding the island.an Ocean Strainer is a simple, innovative, and costeffective trash trap designed by MAS that floats across the breadth of a canal and traps plastic waste and other waste material before they reach the ocean.