World loses 20 football fields of land every minute: Deputy Minister

Colombo, June 5 (Daily Mirror) - The environment is being badly damaged every minute, with an area equal to twenty football fields lost every minute, and about eight million tons of plastic waste released into the ocean every year, Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne said. 

He added that humans must play a major role in protecting the earth for the survival of all living things.

Speaking at a special mangrove conservation programme held today at Winson Island in Pitipana, Negombo, to mark World Environment Day, he said that protecting mangrove forests is an important step in saving the environment. He also noted that the forest area around the Negombo Lagoon can help boost the tourism industry.

The event was led by the Deputy Minister, with the participation of several government officials and environmental groups.

He pointed out that the destruction of nature has also affected human life expectancy and that much of this is caused by human activities. He called on everyone to work together to restore the polluted environment.

Winson Island, also known as the Mirissaduwa Reserve, was declared a protected forest in 2000. It covers about 18 hectares and is home to 13 out of the 21 mangrove species found in Sri Lanka. This mangrove forest helps control pollution caused by overpopulation and industrialisation.

During the programme, participants planted mangrove saplings, installed name boards for different mangrove species and cleaned the surrounding area.

Officials from the Negombo Divisional Secretariat, Negombo Municipal Council, Department of Forest Conservation, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Institute, Sri Lanka Police and several other organisations joined the event.