CEA Chairman inspects Port City dredging work
A 15-member delegation of senior Government officials including the Chairman of the Central Environment Authority ( CEA), went on an inspection tour of Colombo Port City’s sand mining operation recently.
CEA Chairman Prof. Lal Mervin Dharmasiri, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Rohana Keerthi Dissanayake, Director, Presidential Taskforce on Environmental Conservation Dr. Upali Indrasiri, Working Director of Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC), Roshan Gunawardane were part of the team who went on board the second sand dredger Jung Yan 1, according to a media release from the Colombo Port City.
They were accompanied by a number of other officials from the CEA as well as the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The CEA Chairman has said that
Osteoarthritis, which causes pain and joint stiffness, impacts a significant proportion of the Sri Lankan population and is a leading cause of disability mainly among women. The disease is characterised by degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint as well as bone overgrowth. Disease onset is gradual and usually begins after the age of 40, according to Colombo hospital Durdans.
The treatment of knee Osteoarthritis is still a challenge due to the poor self-regeneration capacity of cartilage. Nonsurgical interventions such as weight control, symptomatic treatments (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy have been sought after for the treatment of knee Osteoarthritis to increase tissue healing and to slow down the progression of degeneration.
Being the pioneer in Sri Lanka to introduce platelet-rich plasma the sand mining, which is being carried out 10 km from the shore was being done in accordance with set environmental guidelines, the release said.
CEA representatives have further said that the delegation carefully observed the dredger, meth- ods used for mining, transportation of sand to construction site and the disposal of sand from the site, etc. They have reiterated that every step would be taken to carefully monitor environmental impacts, considering the sheer scale of the project.