Projects to develop coastal areas

Ishara Mudugamuwa

The Coast Conservation Department is conducting several projects based on erosion, disaster and habitats to develop coastal areas to support the Government's development process, said Coast Conservation Department Director General Anil Premarathne.

There are 14 coastal districts in Sri Lanka. So the majority of the country's population live in coastal areas and they gets many economic benefits from coastal resources.

Their economy mainly based on fishing and tourism. So the Coast Conservation Department has the responsibility to manage and maintain the coastal areas properly and makes a valued contribution to the countries economy, said the Director General.

Presently our major task is allocate balanced coastal belt without damaging coastal habitats. In our development process we are facing challenges such as sea level rise, climatic changes and natural disasters like flood. So we are planning to minimize the damages from them by preparing vulnerable maps, he said.

The Director General also said that all construction activities based on tourism development, fisheries, infrastructure should do little away from beaches.

Many people do constructions in Coastal areas without getting permission from the Coast Conservation Department. Unauthorized constructions creating environmental problems and coastal pollution. Sand mining is another major problem affect for the damage of the coastal belt.

Coast Conservation Department conducts awareness programs in coastal divisions with the objective of making people aware about bad issues of those activities.