ARMY BEACH CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGN: The Army taking the lead to make waste-free beaches in Sri Lanka yesterday organized an island wide beach cleaning campaign. Army Commander Lt.Gen.Shavendra Silva participated at the commencement of the programme at Crow Island in Modara. Picture by Rukmal Gamage
An island-wide beach clean-up project organized by the Sri Lanka Army as one of its core Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in close coordination with the Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) that relates to the National Coastal and Marine Resources Conservation programme was held at Crow Island, Modara yesterday morning (29) with more than 2300 troops joining hands with volunteers and state employees around the country.
Army Commander Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, the architect of the project along with his two daughters, several Senior Officers and Other Ranks was at the Crow Island beach in Mutwal, Modera to flag off the mega project, covering the country’s coastal belt.
The Army Commander urged the public living along the banks of the Kelani river to refrain from throwing plastic bottles, non-decaying pollutants of a toxic nature, etc into the river as it would pollute the Modera Estuary.
The project would continue regularly at various regions on a routine basis, considering the density of the pollution and the need for such cleaning. Members of civil organizations and volunteers also took part in Sunday’s beach clean-up.