Maintenance of Beira Lake to be handed over to a private company

• High-tech equipment will be used to clean up the Lake
• Lake will be cleaned up and used for development activities

By Yohan Perera   

The task of cleaning up the Beira Lake, removing the bad odour and maintaining water quality standards, is to be handed over to a private company, government sources said yesterday.   Groepo Pte Ltd. a foreign company has tasked its local company Groepo Lanka Bioscience (Pvt) Ltd. to implement the project according to government sources. 

According to the proposal, the Beira Lake will be cleaned up, removing the bad odour emanating from the water and will be used for development activities. A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office said that the relevant company in charge of the project will use high-tech equipment and scientific methods to clean up the Beira Lake.   

The Cabinet of Ministers has informed relevant state institutions, in parallel to this project, to identify ways in which sewage and waste are disposed into the Beira Lake and introduce alternative methods for them.   

Depending on the success of this pilot project the relevant state institutions have the ability to continue the project for a period of 20 years. 
During that period, the monitoring and management activities are to be done by the Groepo Lanka Bioscience 
(Pvt) Ltd.   

Headed by Prime Minister and Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Dinesh Gunawardena, this project has been submitted for cabinet approval by Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva and Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed.   

A steering committee to monitor the project has been named comprising members from the Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Urban Development Authority, Central Environment Authority, Sri Lanka Climate Fund (Private) Company and Colombo Municipal Council.   

Representatives nominated by the said institutions will be entrusted with the task of providing necessary instructions and facilities to the relevant company to implement the project. In addition, this company will invest to set up a special laboratory in Sri Lanka, in the future.