Sri Lanka Approves National Plan to Protect Waters from Oil and Hazardous Spills

Sri Lanka's cabinet has granted approval for a proposed national plan and its accompanying digital platform designed to manage potential oil and hazardous substance spills in the country's maritime zones. This strategic move comes in response to the growing maritime activity in the region and the associated environmental risks.

The decision is driven by several factors, including the high volume of vessels traversing the sea lanes near Sri Lanka, over 400 daily, and the more than 5,000 ships docking at Sri Lankan ports annually. Expansion of existing ports, increased oil-related activities, and the impacts of global climate change have heightened the observed risk of spills and subsequent marine environmental damage.

The newly approved plan is an amendment to a national strategy previously sanctioned by the cabinet in 2008 for oil spill response. Under the Marine Pollution Prevention Act, the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) is tasked with developing and implementing such schemes. The revised plan now incorporates procedures for responding to spills of hazardous and harmful substances, in addition to oil.

Furthermore, the first phase of the digital platform associated with this national plan has been developed. The Minister of Environment presented the proposal to the cabinet, which subsequently approved the plan and the digital platform's implementation to ensure swift action in the event of accidental discharges of oil or other dangerous materials into the marine environment. This comprehensive approach aims to bolster Sri Lanka's capacity to protect its valuable marine ecosystems.