By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
Sri Lanka contradicts worldwide trends as its land-based activity contributes immensely towards polluting the marine environment, Marine Environment Protection Authority Chairman R. S. Ariyapperuma told The Island yesterday (27).
He said that pollution of the marine environment worldwide occurs not only from maritime activity such as ship action, oil spills, war, destruction of habitats and harbour activity, but also from land-based activity such as discharge of effluents, sewage and garbage, both by people and industries, along the coastal belt.
In Sri Lanka, urban, domestic, industrial and agricultural waste and disposals from fishing vessels and ships have contributed largely towards marine pollution, Ariyapperuma said.
He said "MEPA engage in conserving, preventing, controlling and managing any threats to the marine environment."
MEPA currently carries out awareness campaigns to inform people, through its regional offices, about the urgent need to stop polluting any water body in the country as that in turn affects the sea. MEPA is also focusing on making the people living along the coastline aware about the dangers of dumping rubbish into the sea.
He added that legal action could be taken against those violating the regulations in the Marine Pollution Prevention Act and they could be fined.
Ariyapperuma said, "We should be ready, as shipping accidents will have a big impact. Our capability and also national capability should be enhanced to deal with such an emergency. "
MEPA, in collaboration with the Atomic Energy Authority, has been conducting a special programme to monitor radioactive substances in the seas and to analyze the impact on Sri Lankan waters from the radioactive leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan last year. During this leak, radioactive contaminated water had mixed with sea water posing a threat to aquatic life.
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