HEAD OF ASIAN COAST GUARD AGENCIES MEETING BEACH CLEANING DAY

In a remarkable display of environmental stewardship, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) conducted a large-scale beach cleaning initiative spanning four Coast Guard Regions parallel to the Head of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) beach cleaning day on 23^rd September 2023.

The SLCG, chairing the Marine Environmental Protection Group in HACGAM, took the lead in organizing and executing a large-scale beach cleaning effort that ran parallel to the HACGAM beach cleaning day. The beach cleaning effort involved hundreds of Sri Lanka Coast Guard personnel from Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western regions. They cleaned the beaches, collected plastic waste, glass bottles, discarded fishing gear, and other debris, show casting the Sri Lanka Coast Guard's commitment to environmental protection and their dedication to safeguarding the nation's coastal treasures.

The impact of this joint effort was significant and a considerable amount of waste was collected, preventing it from polluting the ocean and harming marine ecology. Plastic waste, in particular, poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems, as it breaks down into micro plastics that can be ingested by marine animals and eventually enters the food chain.