Making Green Sri Pada Clean
By Nilma Dole
It is a now a common sight to see many visitors at Sri Pada (Adam’s
Peak) picking up rubbish and disposing it
in a good way. When one starts almost always the rest follow
suit and this has been the start of a good campaign to make Sri Pada
green and clean.
Sri Pada’s Peak Sanctuary is 7360 feet above sea level and it covers
22,380 hectares of lush forest. Encompassing tropical lowland, sub
montane and montane rainforest, Adam’s Peak is the meeting place for
majority of Sri Lanka’s religions, thereby making it one of Sri Lanka’s
holiest pilgrimage places.
Sri Pada is the place where 10 of Sri Lanka’s major rivers spring
including the longest river Mahaweli Ganga. There are 24 endemic bird
species and 14 of IUCN’s Red Data endangered species including leopards,
elephants, rare amphibians, insects and birds that call Sri Pada home.
It is vital that the Peak Santuary is protected otherwise our endemic
species will be wiped out forever.
The ‘Tharunyata Hetak’ youth organisation together with the youth of
that area have started a month-long campaign collecting garbage with
special garbage bags and disposing it in a good way. In addition to
this, there is a huge dumping site near the climes in the Nalanthanniya
area which is not only an pleasant sight but also dangerous to the fauna
and flora around.
Many who venture to climb Sri Pada should now be wary about Mother
Nature and should not litter and throw rubbish everywhere. After making
a trip, collecting your garbage and taking it home is a better
alternative than dumping it in the beautiful environs of Sri Pada.
“The youth of today should behave responsibly and have concern for
the environment”, said Namal Rajapaksa, the Chairman of the ‘Tharunyata
Hetak’ youth organisation. With this initiative, it is vital that every
visitor to Sri Pada realises that we should live in harmony with nature
and should not destroy or deface it. |