Politicized decisions taking a toll on environment

The Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has requested to prioritize the issuance of permits for sand mining especially in areas where people depend on the industry.the haphazard issuance of permits for mining sand has put the environment in massive danger.one of the biggest risks is the erosion of River banks,estuaries and coastal areas resulting in large scale flooding.mining sand also has a detrimental impact on aquatic life as certain species make use of sand deposits in rivers to lay eggs and in various other breeding patterns. Creating an imbalance in the river ecology for example could result in the extinction of freshwater fish that are endemic to the country.

Environmentalists have voiced concerns on the questionable move to revoke the 5/2001 and 2/2006 circulars thereby giving the go-ahead for grama niladharis and government agents to give away lands with ‘Other State Forests’ for commercial purposes.such moves could further worsen the human-elephant conflict and create a bigger impact on human-wildlife coexistence. If the country is to prosper as a developed nation, it is not only buildings that are needed.a holistic approach is needed to integrate the environment into developmental frameworks and strategies. After all what’s in a country with only buildings and no oxygen to breathe? What would be left to boast about Sri Lanka in promotional videos to attract tourists when the last remaining elephant,whale, Leopard and bear go extinct? A NATURE LOVING CITIZEN