President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to take maximum measures to protect the newly developing coastal areas in the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka. He emphasized that illegal constructions are causing severe damage to the coastline and directed authorities to take all possible legal action to prevent such activities. The President also instructed officials to appoint an operations committee to monitor these activities.
President Dissanayake issued these instructions while participating in a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (22) to review the progress of projects implemented under the budget allocations made for 2026 by the Ministry of Environment and to discuss proposals for the 2027 Budget.
Under the theme “A Wealthy Country – A Beautiful Life, A Sustainable Biosphere – An Ever-Green Life,” the progress of projects implemented by the Ministry of Environment with budget allocations amounting to Rs. 19,719 million, along with plans for 2027, was extensively reviewed during the meeting.
Accordingly, discussions were held regarding the progress of recurrent and capital expenditure projects carried out in 2026 by institutions under the Ministry of Environment, including the Central Environmental Authority, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Forest Conservation, Department of National Zoological Gardens, Department of National Botanic Gardens, Water Resources Board, Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management, and Marine Environment Protection Authority.
The President also instructed that a special expert committee be appointed to study measures that can be taken to prevent coastal erosion in the Oluvil coastal area and to submit a report on the matter promptly.
President Dissanayake paid special attention to reviewing the progress of projects implemented under the 2026 Budget allocations to reduce Sri Lanka’s human-elephant conflict. He pointed out that delays in these projects pose a threat to human lives and stated that delays cannot be accepted when the required funds have already been allocated.
Emphasizing the need to complete these projects within the scheduled timeframe while being sensitive to rural communities, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to utilize the allocations provided for this year within the same year and complete the relevant construction work.
The President further stressed that the boundaries and extent of electric fences installed to prevent human-elephant conflict should not be determined for the purpose of marking wildlife zones, but rather to ensure the safety of human lives.
The progress of several projects implemented under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme was also discussed, including water source conservation projects, clean beach initiatives, coastal recreational park development projects, and the project to establish accessibility facilities for persons with special needs at the Sinharaja and Kanneliya forests.
Environment Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi stated that the Ministry of Environment is currently working on developing a high-quality carbon emission policy for Sri Lanka, which could help expand investment opportunities.
Secretary to the Ministry of Environment K.R. Uduwawala noted that foreign-funded projects have not been obtained through a properly coordinated process, resulting in multiple ministries allocating funds for similar activities. He said that necessary steps would be taken to establish a permanent committee to oversee the implementation of future foreign-funded projects.
Attention was also drawn to improving holiday resorts belonging to the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forest Conservation and making them available to the public with modern facilities and advanced technology.
Furthermore, discussions focused on developing the national botanical gardens to promote the flower cultivation industry and protect biodiversity.
Environment Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody, Presidential Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harshana Sooriyapperuma, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu, along with officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment, were also present at the meeting.
