Environmental policy and administrative management

Moratuwa Municipal Council is located in between the coastal belt and the Moratuwa River. There are 5400 families living in the coast belt and the river belt. Moratuwa is under serious environmental threats due to the timber industry. There is no proper sawdust disposal techniques used by the saw mills and those who engage in carpentry. Sawdust, polythene and other solid wastes are directly disposed in the river. As a result of this, the water is getting increasingly polluted, threatening biodiversity in the area. Mangroves are being destroyed, adversely affecting the aquatic life in the area. In addition, there is a trend to build houses and other buildings on the riverbank. Ultimately, this creates pollution and destroys the riverbank. This also affects the livelihoods of those who do inland fishing as the sawdust collects in the nets, hampering collection. Therefore it is essential to raise community awareness about this issue and adopt proper techniques to dispose sawdust and other solid wastes in order to preserve biodiversity in Moratuwa. The National Forum of People s Organization (NFPO) has also realized that sawdust bricks and stoppers for paper tubes and other products can be produced from the sawdust waste. Sawdust can also be used to make compost. Statistics compiled by the Moratuwa Municipal Council show that the amount of sawdust created per day within the municipal area is 150 tons. If this amount can be used for domestic and industrial energy, it will contribute to a certain extent to forest conservation. This will help contribute to the reduction of climate change. Therefore NFPO will also create sawdust collecting centers where the community can bring their waste.

Sri lanka