President advises officials to take decisions fearlessly to protect environment

President Maithripala Sirisena today instructed the relevant heads of institutions to take necessary decisions without any fear to protect and conserve the environment.

“We cannot postpone taking decisions to protect our environment,” the President said assuring that the Government is always ready to stand on behalf of those officials, who take correct decisions.

He made these remarks while participating in the inauguration ceremony of the sixth National Symposium on Air Resource Management in Sri Lanka held at the Water’s Edge, Battaramulla, Thursday (May 5).

The sixth national symposium on Air Resource Management in Sri Lanka under the theme “Air that We Breathe”, organized by the Air Resource Management Center (AirMAC) of Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, on 5th & 6th May 2016 in Colombo.

The symposium provided a forum to present and discuss the most recent technological, scientific and policy developments associated with air pollution problems and management of air resources.

The President said the slogan ‘Development Without Environmental Destruction’, has become an international slogan for protecting the environment and the world leaders are taking action to hold conferences on environment more frequently, as they have understood the importance of the issue.

He said as the President, he took the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment, on one side, because of his desire to safeguard the environment and on the other hand due to the need to take decisions without being influenced by anybody.

Launching the Clean Air Action Plan 2020, the first copy of the action plan was presented to the President.

Ministers Susil Premajayantha, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Secretary for the Mahaweli Development & Environment Udaya R Seneviratne, Director General of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme Muhammad Khurshid and many others participated in the event.