State Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Dilip Wedaarachchi said measures are being taken to promptly commence a pilot project of a program to produce fuel from waste plastic, polythene and other such materials.
The pilot project will be implemented in the vicinity of fisheries harbors to produce a source of energy to power fishing boats.
The Minister stated that through this program an alternative energy source will be introduced for fishery industry.
The project will also help to minimize the problems arising time to time fuel supplies and reduce the impact on marine eco-system from the mixing of oil from boats with sea water, State Minister Wedaarachchi explained.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development think-tank, the Centre for Ocean Resources Analysis Sri Lanka (CENORA-SL) under the program of sustainable solutions for the prevention of pollution of marine resources, has submitted a number of proposals to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, UNDP and the Embassy of Norway.
The project to produce fuel from waste plastics is the second proposal presented by CENORA-SL to FAO.
The think tank, consisting of environmental scientists, engineers, economists, legal experts, financial experts and coastal engineers, is conducting research centering fishery harbors to find sustainable solutions to prevent ocean pollution.
The pollution of ocean bed heavily influence the destruction of marine resources, including the coral reef. Due to this, there is a strong threat for the fish resources. In such a situation, a decline in the fish population in Sri Lanka’s ocean zone has been clearly observed, according to the Fisheries Ministry.
Disposal of plastic water bottles, and polythene taken daily by the fishermen engaged in ocean fishing in to the ocean and the pollutants from the land mixing with sea have become a significant threat to the marine life and the eco system.
Therefore, a coral reef cleaning program has been initiated to protect the sensitive coral reef system, under the patronage of State Minister Dilip Wedaarachchi.
As the next step, measures have been taken to introduce garbage disposal equipment to every multi-day trawlers to dispose the garbage that piles up at fishery harbors.
The officials have also been instructed to take measures to introduce a joint program in cooperation with relevant local government agencies to recycle the garbage that fishermen bring ashore.
CENORA – SL is also planning to introduce 100% green renewable energy project as well as production of compost fertilizer through recycling of fish waste products to generate new jobs and new income streams.
The State Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Dilip Wedaarachchi says the blue-green program aims to meet the country’s economic targets, prepare strategic plans for safeguarding coasts and oceans, and with collaboration of all Ministries and Institutions to jointly achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the benefit of the future world.
