Sri Lanka to set up authority to restore Central Highlands

Sri Lanka will expedite plans to establish a new authority to protect and restore the Central Highlands after serious damage caused by landslides triggered by recent Cyclone Dithwah.

A progress review meeting on the proposed authority was held yesterday afternoon (April 29) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The President said there is an urgent need to protect and rehabilitate the Central Highlands, which are considered the heart of the country.

Accordingly, a decision has been taken to establish a dedicated authority to address environmental issues in upper watershed areas and ensure the protection of the Central Highlands.

During the meeting, officials reviewed the progress of the process, including the legal provisions required to establish the new authority. Proposals and views were also presented.

After considering the proposals and observations, the President instructed officials to speed up the necessary follow-up action.

The new authority will be responsible for environmental restoration and management of Sri Lanka’s upper watershed areas.

It will also support coordination among institutions to achieve key national goals, including water security, food security, disaster risk reduction, economic and energy efficiency, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and natural capital accounting.

The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Rtd), Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government S. Aloka Bandara, Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary to the Ministry of Energy G.M.R.D. Aponsu, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe, and Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Gunadasa Samarasinghe.

Other ministry secretaries, heads of relevant institutions, public officials, environmentalists, representatives of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and local and international experts in the field also attended the meeting.

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