The national ceremony to mark World Environment Day commenced this morning (05) at Nidahas Mawatha in Kegalle.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is also scheduled to participate in the World Environment Day national ceremony.

The government has also declared an Environment Week in conjunction with World Environment Day.

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on June 5 since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people worldwide. In 2025, it will be hosted by the Republic of Korea.

Meanwhile, a special initiative to appoint individuals as caretakers of coastal areas adjoining tourist hotels was launched on Thursday (June 04) at the premises of the Habaraduwa Divisional Secretariat. The project aims to preserve the cleanliness and natural beauty of beach zones adjacent to tourism establishments.

As part of this initiative, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) and the relevant tourist hotels. Under this agreement, a local resident will be appointed to maintain each designated beach area and will receive a stipend in recognition of their service, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

The project is implemented under the “Clean Sri Lanka” programme, under the theme “Beautiful Coastline Attractive Tourist Destination” and involves collaboration among government, private sector and civil society stakeholders.