Prez candidates must reveal environmental policy: MS

WNL wins two Environment awards

Chief Operating Officer of the Hokandara Printing Complex of Wijeya Newspapers Ltd., Janaka Ratnakumara is seen receiving a merit award from the Secretary of the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, Anura Dissanayaka.   
Pic by Nisal Baduge

By Sandun A Jayasekera

Though the survival of human kind depends on the protection of the environment, President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday that he was still to hear any of the presidential candidates stating their environmental policy or how they were going to protect Sri Lanka’s rapidly deteriorating environment.

He said he believed that the candidates must be committed to protecting Sri Lanka’s water resources, soil, forests, air, flora and fauna on a priority basis and declare their policy on environment protection in their propaganda campaigns.   

The President said this at the 2019 Presidential Environment Awards ceremony held at the ‘Nelum Pokuna’ theatre.   

“I was in Japan last week attending the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito. A few days prior to the big ceremony, vast swathes of land in Japan came under devastating floods as a result of the typhoon Higibis. 

But the plus factor of this natural disaster was that the huge columns of water that flew to the sea were clean and without plastic, polythene, soil, chemicals or any other pollutant.