Prithipura beach in Sri Lanka gets a makeover
14 April 2021
With its 1,340 km of coastline dotted with beaches, lagoons and secluded bays, Sri Lanka is both a natural sanctuary for marine life and a paradise for diving and surfing enthusiasts. However, over the past decade, the island has not escaped the scourge of plastic pollution.
This is particularly true with Prithipura beach in the west coast of the island, a picturesque and popular tourist spot that has been disfigured by litter. At the initiative of the Centre for the Analysis of Ocean Resources in Sri Lanka (CENORA-SL), and with the help of Sri Lankan Navy veterans and local authorities, we supported a vast operation to clean up this beach, which took place in early April.
The result: in half a day, 367 kilos of rubbish were collected from 600m of coastline! 367 kilos of waste, including straws, bags, cigarette butts and fishing tackle, that will not contribute to the destruction of the exceptional marine biodiversity of this area…
The collected plastic waste will be treated and recycled into textile, which will be used by the Navy veterans to make the popular ‘Men in Whites’ tee shirts and jerseys of the national cricket team!
CENORA-SL is an independent think tank working in Sri Lanka for the sustainable use of coastal and ocean resources and the development of a sustainable fishing community. In response to the extent of marine pollution, it has expanded its objectives to include the global protection of the oceans and the fight against the scourge of plastic waste. Their next project is the installation of a boom in the Hamilton Channel to reduce the amount of plastic going into the sea. Thank you to them for asking us, via The SeaCleaners Swiss, to support them in the implementation of this operation.
