Coastal Green belt project gathers more steam

by Imantha Caldera

The Government has allocated Rs. 4 million for the Coastal Greenbelt development project under the Coast Conservation Department (CCD) which will continue in 2008. It is anticipated that Non Government Organisations may assist in the funding on a large scale said, Planning officer CCD, B. H. J. Premathilake.

This project commenced in January last year and will continue this year as well. He said the main reason for the implementation of this project was due to the tsunami and to face the various disasters on the coast. This will be a long term multi purpose project implemented in areas such as Ampara, Hambantota, Galle and Matara.

The greenbelt project is now in progress on state and private lands in those areas and in the wet and dry zones. The ideally suited plants have already been introduced. In the wet zone, plants such as Mudilla (Berringtonia asiatica), Domba (Calophyllum Inophylum), Screwpine (Pandanus odoratissimus) and for the dry zone plants such as Kolon (Adina cordifolla), Cashew (Anacardium ocidentale), Erabadu (Erythrina spp) have been planted.

"We plan to ensure that the natural environment according to the relevant coastal areas is maintained by introducing creeping vegetations suitable for areas close to the coast and shrub types further inland and beyond that plants of a taller vegetation will be made available in abundance.

He said it is far better than engineering solutions for blow mitigation and it decreases social and economic vulnerability of coastal areas which are feasible options for disaster mitigation.

A Greenbelt could be classified as a pair of natural and artificially developed coastal vegetation conceived to avert coastal erosion and mitigate the unexpected blows of natural coastal disasters on human lives and property.

The greenbelt area, however, is a country definite and site definite elongate of vegetation in the coastal zone, affiliated to peril factors and vulnerability to coastal hazards. The Greenbelt project is very effective for the coastal line.

Greenbelts can counter perilous shocks of natural disasters.

We hope to expand this project as a Bio-shield project in the future. In the Bio-shield project we hope to develop the Mangroves, Coral reefs and Sand dunes.