28,000 Nelly Saplings To Be Planted Across The Country In Conjunction With The COP 28 Conference
Shakila Ifham
October 12, 2023
The Ministry of Environment and the Central Environmental Authority have jointly launched a project to plant 28,000 Nelly saplings in selected locations countrywide.
Arrangements have been made to plant 25,000 saplings in 25 districts at the rate of 1,000 saplings per district and the remaining 3,000 saplings have been planned to be planted at selected locations in the Kelani River basin with the intervention of CEA Chairman Supun S. Pathirage.
Pathirage said that in conjunction with the COP 28 conference, arrangements were being made to plant 28,000 saplings.
The objectives of the project are to increase forest cover (forest population) as a measure to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and to reduce the carbon footprint. Nellie plant was selected for planting due to the fact that it is a very valuable medicinal plant and fruit used to alleviate many diseases according to Ayurveda, he added.
The project was inaugurated in the presence of Ven. Kotupola Amarakeerti thera, Minister of Environment Engineer Nasir Ahmed, Egyptian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Moselesh, United Arab Emirates Ambassador in Sri Lanka Rashed Al Mazarouei, Central Environment Authority Chairman Supun S. Pathirage, Central Environment Authority Director General P. B. Hemantha Jayasinghe, Principal of Colombo Royal College Tilak Wattuheva and Chief Executive Officer of TJ Lanka Group Pubudu de Silva presided over the event recently.
On the occasion ten Nellie saplings were also planted in the premises of the Royal College Colombo by the dignitaries. Teachers and students also participated in the event. Arrangements have been made to get the support and participation of public and private institutions for this planting project, and Teejay Lanka Group is the main sponsor for the project in line with the Group’s long-term environmental vision “Abhiwara 2023”.
FAQs