Clean Waterways Programme Advances Beira Lake Restoration with Anti-Pollution Placards and Volunteer Mapping
On the 8th of October 2026, A-PAD Sri Lanka held its first activity under the Clean Waterways Programme, an initiative of the Beira Lake Restoration Task Force, in the Southwest region of Beira Lake (Gangarama Lake). Held with HSBC Sri Lanka and Clean Ocean Force Sri Lanka as partners, the event began with the unveiling of placards as lasting public reminders against pollution, followed by a volunteer-led mapping exercise at the Sri Uttarananda Mawatha Pier.
The programme aims to purify Colombo’s iconic urban lake by improving its water quality and promoting its development as a vital transportation and economic hub. With the Task Force and its partners, A-PAD SL is working to strengthen awareness, education and behaviour change among communities and stakeholders around the lake.
The ceremonial unveiling took place in the presence of guests from the Task Force and the government agencies that serve as its custodians. Mr. Jerome Fernando, Chairman/Co-founder of Clean Ocean Force Sri Lanka, introduced the programme and the Task Force. Ms. Ganga Dematawa, Zonal Manager, Western Province, Waste Management Authority, and Ms. Dilini Fernando, Head of Sustainability, HSBC Sri Lanka, addressed the gathering on the significance of the initiative and its long-term impact.
More than 120 participants attended, including representatives of Gangaramaya Temple, Sri Lanka Police, the Special Task Force, the Sri Lanka Navy, SLLDC, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and the British Council, another programme partner. Most attendees were youth from a range of institutions, an important group for sustaining behaviour change around the lake. An A-PAD SL Search and Rescue team also supported the event on the lake.
Following a briefing by Team A-PAD in the presence of Mr. Firzan Hashim, Country Director, volunteers from Sri Jinarathana Vocational Training Centre, the College of Fashion and Design, the University of Colombo and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura worked in teams to map sites of waste accumulation along the banks and surrounding pathways. They recorded observations on algae, odour, inlets, waste barricades and potential focal points for development, and unveiled placards installed at strategic locations around the lake, raising the visibility of waste-related environmental concerns.
