MEPA goes to school for a cleaner coastal environment

The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) last week said it is conducting various programmes for schools in the coastal regions to create awareness on the importance of keeping the coastal sea environment clean.

MEPA Chair man, Rear Admiral ( Rtd) Rohana Perera said they were collaborating with the Education Ministry, to educate students from 200 schools in the coastal belt, on marine environment and the regions of the ocean, to stress the importance of keeping the sea and its coastal area clean.

He said that 10 regional marine groups conduct workshops on a regular basis to these schoolchildren.

Around 25 children from various districts are chosen to participate in these workshops where they are educated on responsible disposal of plastics and garbage by households dotting the shore. Teachers and Principals of schools are also encouraged to participate so as to pass the message down to schoolchildren.

Also schoolchildren are encouraged to participate in shramadana projects conducted by the authority. Handbooks related to the marine environment are also

Around 25 children from various districts are chosen to participate in these workshops where they are educated on responsible disposal of plastics and garbage by households dotting the shore. Teachers and Principals of schools are also encouraged to participate so as to pass the message down to schoolchildren.

distributed among schoolchildren to enhance their knowledge on the marine environment.

“Our focus is on polythene which may be washed into the sea due to its careless disposal,” he said.

Two weeks ago, the Business Times magazine ranked Sri Lanka 5th among countries that dispose plastics into the sea. However, the study also projected that Sri Lanka would reduce the amount of plastic waste washed into the sea by 2025.