Keep Holy City clean

The Green Movement of Sri Lanka requests the pilgrims to Anuradhapura during Poson season not to pollute the tanks in the Anuradhapura District.

The Green Movement says that water supply and Drainage Board Anuradhapura Branch expects to provide drinking water to the pilgrims from the Tissa Wewa and the Nuwara Wewa. Pilgrims use the waters of Basawakkulama, Kalawewa, Nachiyaduwa Dambulu Wewa, Kandalama and some other small tanks for the bathing purposes.

As a result of distributing shampoo packets free of charge by a few companies during last poson season over 40,000 empty shampoo packets had to be removed from the tank beds and in surrounding areas.

This caused a severe threats to bio-diversity and some species of fish. The Green Movement requests the pilgrims to make the 2554th anniversary of establishing Buddhism in Sri Lanka a meaningful and a religious ritual.

Permission has been given to hold 100 dansalas for the pilgrims coming to Anuradhapura during poson season, said Anuradhapura Mayor Dr. Kithsiri Caldera.

He said that around two to three million pilgrims both local and foreign are expected to Anuradhapura during the festive season as the country is free from terrorism.

Further the Mayor said although checkpoints were maintained to check persons and vehicles coming to Anuradhapura in previous years no such checkpoints are in operation this year.

Tennakoon Kulasekera and Sampath Sanjeewa Gunathilaka