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Deyata Sevana for third consecutive year:
Ministry plans to plant 1.1m saplings countrywide
Disna Mudalige
The Deyata Sevana National Tree Planting programme organised by the
Environment Ministry for the third consecutive year, will held at the
auspicious time of 9.07am on November 15 with the participation of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
It is organised to mark the President's birthday and assumption of
office for his second term. The theme this year is 'A Greener Country A
Brighter Future'.
The programme will be carried out with the support of the public,
private sector and NGOs.
The main ceremony of the tree planting programme is to be held at
Diyatha Park near Diyawanna Oya with the participation of President
Rajapaksa, Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Deputy
Minister Abdul Cader .
Environment Ministry Secretary B M U D Basnayake said the aim of the
programme is to plant over 1.1million saplings countrywide.
He said the programme has as its goal increasing the country's forest
cover from 29 percent to 35 percent as envisaged in the Mahinda
Chinthana. In 2010, 2.9 million saplings were planted under this
programme and 2.1 million of these are today fully grown trees In 2011,
2.1 million saplings were planted countrywide, Basnayake said.
The Forest Conservation Department will provide 400,000 saplings
while the State Timber Corporation is to contribute another 128,000
saplings.
The programme will help in the conservation of water retention areas,
prevention of soil erosion, and cleaner air.
It will also help conservation of biodiversity and food security in
the country while mitigating global warming and climate change impacts.
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