9 July 2016 12:00 am
The Road Development Authority (RDA) in its efforts to reinforce sustainable development has identified an opportunity to plant trees on the wayside of the Southern Expressway. At the invitation of Expressway Operation Maintenance and Management Division of the RDA, Sadaharitha Plantations Limited jointly launches a Highway Tree Planting Week and has offered 100 aquilaria plants. The tree planting activities took place in selected locations of the Southern Expressway from July 4 – 8, 2016.
Marking this event plants were distributed to the Divisional Executive Engineer Offices at the Galanigama Expressway Interchange Office premises on Monday, July 4.
“Since 2010, the RDA has added greenery on the main roads and city roundabouts and isles. Today we have overcome a challenge in reforesting the Southern Expressway in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Our goal is to plant 50,000 trees in the RDA-owned properties situated on the wayside of the highway,” Director EOM and M Division Expressway Operation Maintenance and Management Division S. Opanayaka noted.
Drawing attention to the significant value of the project Sadaharitha Plantations Ltd Chairman Sathis Navarathne added, “We are more than happy to be part of this great effort. At Sadaharitha Plantations LTD we support efforts of bringing down carbon footprints every way we could, trees and forests are the most vital weapon we have against climate change.”
Further elaborating on the importance of reforestation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Forestry and Environmental Sciences Department Senior Lecturer Dr. Upul Subasinghe explained the importance of adopting to green economy concept using commercial valuable trees.
Residents around the Galanigama area, Opanayaka, Nawarathne and Dr. Subasinghe graced the event.