Community Coastal Clean-up in Polhena

The Polhena Diving Centre in Madiha, Matara mobilized the community on Saturday March 16 to clean up the beach front and build awareness against pollution. More than 150 local and international participants, including tourists and local businesses, were brought together by Chamlee De Silva of Polhena Diving Centre, who organised the event on such a large scale for the second year running.  

The Polhena Diving Centre has taken the lead in pollution reduction in the area and now seeks to build more awareness and enthusiasm among the local community to keep the ocean and beaches clean, especially since the health of the ocean is directly linked to their own well-being, with their livelihoods so closely linked to the sea.  

A growing sense of responsibility and pride in the pristine environment is evident with each passing year.  

As we were coming back on the boat today, we saw a styrofoam box floating away. Last year, I know the boat crew would have ignored it, but now, without any prompting, everyone in the boat made the detour voluntarily to fish it out. When I see how the unity is responding and changing their attitude it makes everything worthwhile

“As we were coming back on the boat today, we saw a styrofoam box floating away. Last year, I know the boat crew would have ignored it, but now, without any prompting, everyone on the boat made the detour voluntarily to fish it out. When I see how the unity is responding and changing their attitude it makes everything worthwhile,” Randunu Dimeshan of the Polhena Diving Centre said.  With growing international concern over plastic pollution and the state of the oceans and sea life, there is an urgent need for coastal communities to take charge of their beaches.   

Polhena is a popular breeding ground for turtles with every other shop-front along the beach line displaying an image of these incredible creatures.   

The significance of this location in ecological terms is remarkable and conserving its pristine nature goes a long way towards protecting yet another of the bounties which make our island nation so distinctive.