An international project to reduce plastic in the seas gets underway in Sri Lanka
Funded by the European Union, the project is called PROMISE and involves 30 countries, with India as a leader. Over four years, it aims to reduce marine pollution by local small- and medium-sized enterprises, which do not have the resources to implement circular economy strategies. As a result of microplastics, fish stocks in Sri Lanka have dropped from 300,000 to 53,000 tonnes.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – An international project involving 30 countries is set to reduce plastic waste generated by maritime transport and the fishing industry in the Lakshadweep Sea (also known as the Laccadive Sea), which borders southern India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Funded by the European Union through the SWITCH-Asia Programme, the "Prevention of Marine Litter in the Lakshadweep Sea" (PROMISE) project includes Sri Lanka as a partner with India as a lead nation. Several government bodies and stakeholders in the tourist sector are also participating.
“Sri Lanka has steadily increased its import of plastic, with over 500,000 metric tonnes (MT) of virgin plastic annually, straining the national waste management system,” said environmental activists Chaminda Bandara and Rasith Malalasekera, speaking to AsiaNews.
“According to available data, 1.59 million tonnes of plastic waste are mismanaged in Sri Lanka, annually, of which close to half ends up in canals, rivers and eventually the ocean which will impact marine ecosystems.”
However, “Currently, only 33% of all plastic waste is collected, out of which only 3% is recycled nationwide. Hence, small to medium collectors and recyclers face difficulties adhering to environmental guidelines and generating value addition due to high investment requirements including necessary technologies to adopt and implement circular economic strategies.
“The Government of Sri Lanka has taken steps to reduce plastic pollution and improve waste management, including an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme to minimise the use of plastic.”
Meanwhile, “Microplastic pollution is a main cause of rapidly declining fishing stocks along the Sri Lankan coast, with fish resources plummeting from 300,000 tonnes to 53,000 tonnes, recently.”
According to sources in the Marine Environment Protection Authority, “PROMISE is a 4-year project (2020-2024) supported by the European Union (EU) under the SWITCH-Asia Programme and promotes sustainable consumption and production in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The project aims to prevent the leakage of wastes from land-based sources into the sea and will address many maritime issues in the short-term as well as in the long term.”
Marine biologists Nimali Senanayaka and Randesh Gamlath said that in December, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a five-year project in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to reduce single-use plastics "by decreasing the industrial use of plastic and improving integrated solid waste management practices in the two countries.”
“USAID will be assisted by the private sector, NGOs and communities to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic products that threaten health and environment of Sri Lankans. The project will also address the global issue of marine plastic litter, as an equivalent of an entire garbage truck of plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans every minute, approximately eleven million tons annually, a major concern that should be addressed immediately.”
According to Jenny Correia Nunes, head of cooperation of the EU delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, “while marine pollution is a transboundary issue, we need to look at national solutions, considering that the economy of Sri Lanka depends substantially on its marine and coastal environments”.
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17/03/2021 14:27
