CEA urges Sri Pada visitors to avoid dumping polythene, plastic waste

Colombo, December 10 (Daily Mirror) - The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) urges devotees visiting Sri Pada to refrain from disposing of waste, including polythene and plastic, in the area.

The Sri Pada pilgrimage season begins on Unduwap full moon Poya day, which falls on December 14, and ends on Vesak full moon Poya day in 2025. During this period, a large number of devotees visit the site for blessings.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, the Sri Pada Reserve is recognised as a highly sensitive environmental zone. This sanctuary is home to plants and animals endemic to Sri Lanka. It also serves as the source of water for Sri Lanka’s major rivers, originating from the Samanala Nature Reserve. Protecting this sensitive zone is a shared duty and responsibility.

The improper disposal of polythene, plastic and other waste not only harms the unique biodiversity of this area but also pollutes water sources. This pollution flows downstream, contaminating rivers and streams across the country, eventually reaching the ocean.

Preserving the Sri Pada Reserve is a collective responsibility that cannot rest solely on state or private institutions.

Therefore, the CEA requests devotees to avoid bringing polythene and plastic to the site. Any waste generated during the pilgrimage should either be taken home or handed over to waste collection centres. These centres are managed by local government institutions, private organisations and voluntary groups and are located at the beginning of the main access roads to the Sri Pada site.