Environmental destruction in the country rises

COLOMBO (News1st): In what has been a concerning trend, a number of incidents of environmental damage was reported from many areas across the island. The Yaan oya is facing major repercussions owing to damage caused to the environment by sand smugglers. The banks of the Yan Oya in Galenbindunuwewa have been severely damaged as a result of illegal mining that has been taking place for some time. Officers of the Galenbindunuwewa Police are inquiring into the damage caused to the environment. Meanwhile, a group of individuals have set fire to the roots of several Kumbuk trees above the Kantale tank. Locals believe that this is part of a wider Kubuk racket where the plants are being sold off with no effort made to solve the issue. In the Soysawatte area in Kochchikade, sand mining that has taken place where the Ma Oya flows into the ocean, has caused a great degree of environmental damage. As a result, during the rainy season most of the houses in Soysawatta village are at risk owing to erosion in the area with this issue pertinent in the Udangawa, Muruthena, Bambukuliya, Soysawatta, and Poruthota areas on the southern bank. All this comes in the backdrop of a significant waste of public funds during the start of the year, where the Mount Lavinia Beach nourishment programme was literally 'washed away'.