The Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) and Calico Color (Pvt.) Ltd have collaborated with the MAS Foundation for Change to address the issue of plastic pollution in the Nara Canal, one of the key water ways in the Negombo lagoon area. 

Together, these organisations have joined forces with the government authorities such as the Negombo Municipal Council and National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka to set up an innovative ocean strainer in the Nara Canal to capture and collect marine waste and plastic debris and prevent further pollution along the Negombo lagoon area and coastal belt. 

The launch ceremony of this ocean strainer was held recently with the presence of Calico Chairman Prabath Gunasekera, Calico Senior Process Analyst Business Intelligence Udara Wijeyarathna, Calico General Manager Manufacturing Punsawana Kumara, Calico Deputy General Manager Information Technology Isuru Sampath, FTZMA Chairman Dhammika Fernando, FTZMA Secretary General Vasantha Dias, Nara Kadolkele Regional Research Centre Divisional Head S.H. Udeshika Chathurani together with MAS Foundation for Change Executive Director Sharika Senanayake and Dilip Alwis, Sugeetha De Silva, Rahal Rambukpota and Bhagya Munasinghe of the MAS Foundation for Change.

The project area, located at the heart of Negombo town, is a vital ecological hub where the Nara canal spills into a 14-hectare expanse of mangroves—the largest remaining mangrove patch in the northern part of the Negombo lagoon. 

The installation of the 12-meter-long ocean strainer at the canal’s mouth will play a critical role in protecting this fragile ecosystem by intercepting plastic waste that hinders the natural purification processes and threatens the local fisheries and tourism industries.

Fernando said that the FTZMA opted to select the Negombo lagoon areas as the most appropriate location for the installation of multiple ocean strainers as required by the Negombo Municipal Council. 

Gunasekera said, “Through this initiative, we are making a tangible difference in protecting our oceans and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Senanayake said, “With the ocean strainer, we’re aiming to stop 70 percent of the waste from reaching this precious area. We’re really excited to see the difference it will make.”