Environment Ministry unveils USD 38.2m mercury and waste management project

Colombo, July 13 (Daily Mirror) - The Environment Ministry today officially launched a USD 38.2 million project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to strengthen Sri Lanka's chemical, mercury and healthcare waste management systems, while handing over advanced laboratory equipment to key institutions.

The event, held under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, marked the official transfer of state-of-the-art analytical laboratory equipment aimed at enhancing the country's capacity to monitor hazardous chemicals and improve environmental protection.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Jayakody expressed appreciation for the international assistance received for environmental conservation.

"We deeply appreciate the international support received to manage Sri Lanka's ecosystem properly," he said.

The laboratory equipment was provided under the national project titled Integrated Management and Environmentally Sound Disposal of POPs Pesticides in the Agricultural Sector and Mercury and Waste in the Healthcare Sector in Sri Lanka.

The five-year project, which runs from 2024 to 2029, is funded through a USD 5.04 million grant from the GEF and USD 33.16 million in co-financing, bringing the total investment to nearly USD 38.2 million. The initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment under the National Implementation Modality (NIM) with technical support from UNDP.

The project aims to strengthen Sri Lanka's capacity to monitor hazardous chemicals used in agriculture while supporting the gradual phase-out of mercury-containing medical devices in line with the Minamata Convention.

It also seeks to introduce environmentally sound technologies to reduce unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (U-POPs) generated through improper incineration of healthcare waste.

During the event, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with beneficiary institutions, while Professor Parakrama Karunaratne of the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Peradeniya delivered a presentation on a technical and financial sustainability mechanism designed to ensure the long-term operation and maintenance of the newly acquired laboratory equipment.

Among those present were Officer-in-Charge of UNDP Sri Lanka Marina Ten, Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala, Central Environmental Authority Director General Kapila Rajapaksa and senior officials representing the Ministry and other stakeholder institutions.