The Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) has reported that Cyclone “Ditwah” has polluted the ocean along a stretch of 200 nautical miles of Sri Lanka’s coastline.
MEPA Chairman Samantha Gunasekara said that the country’s fishing industry is now under serious threat due to large amounts of garbage entering the ocean via river basins, following heavy rains and flooding in central hill areas.
Unlike previous floods, which mainly carried plastic and polythene, this time the ocean has been contaminated with organic plant material, textiles, wood, glass, plastic bottles, equipment, animal remains, and tons of other debris. Continuous flow of organic material from forest reserves in Knuckles, Sri Pada, and the central hills is further worsening the pollution.
The coastal areas most affected include Colombo, Negombo, Chilaw, Jaffna, Puttalam, Kalpitiya, Mannar, Delft Islands, and parts of the Eastern Province.
MEPA has urged the public to immediately stop dumping waste such as plastic and polythene into rivers and lakes, even after the adverse weather has subsided. The authority also plans to deploy special safety nets across estuaries, streams, and river basins in the future to reduce the flow of garbage into the ocean.
