The last day of the Environment Week, which coincided with the World Environment Day on June 05th, concluded on 05th June with an environmental celebration held at the Kegalle Nidahas Mawatha under the patronage of His Excellency President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This Environment Day also marked several special events for the Kegalle district. Organized as a carbon neutral program, the event saw the declaration of five forests including the "Nilgala" forest, the "Kottawa" forest, "Werahen Kanda", "Thulhirikanda", and "Udaliyedda" as reserves and the presentation of relevant documents to the President. It was also a highlight of the event to present award certificates and cash prizes to environmentally appreciated green railway stations.
A special event for the Kegalle district is the handing over to the President of the proclamation declaring the area where the fish "Jayanthiya" or Bandula Pethiya, which is endemic to the district, as a sanctuary. Another important event was the handing over to the schools of letters for the establishment of eco-friendly model schools.
Addressing the state officials and the people who attended the ceremony, Honorable President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said: "We, who are living today, have an irrevocable responsibility and duty to restore the ecosystem of this state. If this tragedy continues in this way, we will bequeath a tragedy to future generations and our future generations. As citizens living today, our irrevocable responsibility is to properly restore this ecosystem and protect it for future generations. I believe that the most powerful laws in our country are in the field of environment. There is a very formal state mechanism. To implement these laws and provide the protection required by these laws to the ecosystem. The common citizen has a unique bond with the environment. If environmental destruction occurs anywhere, the citizen of the village is the first to raise his voice against it. Therefore, first of all, we have laws. There is a state mechanism to implement it. There is self-protection from the common people for that. "We have been engaged. But we have failed to prevent those disasters."
Governor Champa Janaki Rajaratne, Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi, Kegalle District Parliamentarian Sagarika Athauda, Kegalle District Councilors, Kegalle District Secretary/Government Agent H. M. J. M. Herath, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, Embassy officials, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment K. R. Uduwawala, Kegalle Additional District Secretary Dilip Nishantha and T. Kusum Bandara, State officials of the Kegalle District Secretariat, heads of institutions, tribal leader Uruwarige Vannila Atthan, school students and a large number of people from Kegalle and its surrounding areas participated in this event..
