COLOMBO, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Plastic pollution on the beaches and seas around Sri Lanka has been reduced by 40 percent in the first four months of 2020 compared to last year, Sri Lanka's Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) General Manager Dr. P.B Terney Pradeep Kumara was quoted by local media reports as saying here Wednesday.

Kumara told the local media EconomyNext that the dramatic drop could be due to a number of factors including the curfew imposed since March 20 to prevent a spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of rainfall which results in low flow from rivers to the sea.

Kumara said data was collected through a survey conducted by a team from MEPA on pollution in the coastal belt and oceans in Trincomalee in the east, Galle, Matara, Kalutara in the south, and Wellawatte and Dehiwala in capital Colombo.

According to global rating agency earth.org, Sri Lanka was ranked among the top five marine plastic polluters of the world in 2019 with a mismanaged plastic waste of 1.59 million metric tons per year. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)