Palangathure Vidyalaya students clean up Negombo beach stretch

Principal I.V.A.D.A Kumudini

By Thissa Kotinkaduwa 
A group of students, who are mostly of low-income families of the Sinhala mixed Kanishta Vidyalaya in Palangathure, Negombo has begun a project to clean the beach in Poruthota and Palangathure along Beach Road, which attracts a large number of local and foreign tourists. 

They started the project following a vast stretch of the Negombo Beach was found to be dumped with discarded plastic items polluting the coastal environment. 

The beach cleaning project covers an extent of five kilometres and the students have already started to collect and remove plastic bottles and containers and polythene bags from the beach. 

Under the guidance and direction of the Principal I.V.A.D.A Kumudini and the Negombo Division Manager of the Western Province Waste Management Authority, the students engaged in the beach cleaning project. 

The parents of the students have been informed about the project through the environmental conservation committee of the School. 

Under the project, which receives assistance from the Welfare Society of Jetwing Hotels, several tons of plastic and polythene items have already been collected. 

The collection of pet bottles is carried out by students formed into small groups. 

They collect bottles and other plastic items from the beach and other places and bring them to the school and these collections are later taken by the welfare officials of the Jetwing Group to be sent for the recycling process. 

The process of collection of the waste plastics is conducted under the supervision of the General Manager of Jetwing Hyacinth Gunawardena. 

The firm compensates the school for plastic waste collected by the students. 

A committee comprising Principal of the school, teaching staff, parents and representatives of the Jetwing manage the fund and use it to pay for educational tours of the schoolchildren and also to purchase books, sports items and other necessities. 

At the initial stage, a printer was bought for the school, Principal said. 

“The contribution and devotion of the students for the well-being of society and the direction of the students for environment-friendly positive thinking is more important than the financial benefits gained through this project,” an English teacher at the school Ms Chamila Bandara, who is the coordinator of the project, said. 

“This project also helps to minimise the breeding of dengue mosquitoes as well. The involvement and contribution of parents in projects of this nature is another important aspect of the project,” she said. 

The use of plastic containers including pet bottles and polythene bags has become inseparable from the society as they served the people immensely in their day-to-day needs, which had in turn endangered the environment. 

Beaches are more vulnerable to this menace due to a large volume of plastic items flowing from the streams and rivers into the sea and those dumped by people living along with coastal areas and those who come to the beaches.