Plant a Hope 8.0 – Phase 2: Ocean Guard

 

Plant a Hope 8.0 – Phase 2: Ocean Guard

Marine and Mangrove Ecosystem Protection Program

Plant a Hope 8.0 successfully completed its second phase, “Ocean Guard,” on March 21^st at Kirama Oya and Medaketiya Beach in Tangalle. This phase focused on two core activities: installing a floating waste barrier at the mouth of Kirama Oya and cleaning Medaketiya Beach.

The day began with the beach cleanup. Leos from our club, Scouts and Scout Leaders from Polommaruwa Model School and their parents, Environment Cadets from Weeraketiya Rajapaksha Central College, and the cleaning staff of the Urban Council of Tangalle all took part.

Medaketiya Beach is a popular destination for tourists who visit to sunbathe, surf, and relax. As locals, we recognize the importance of keeping this beach clean and welcoming to attract visitors and preserve a healthy coastal environment. Over several hours, we collected a large quantity of trash - mainly plastic - from the beach and handed it over to the Urban Council of Tangalle. The sheer volume of waste, and the damage it caused to the natural beauty of this tourist hotspot, shocked everyone. Guests in attendance, including Member of Parliament Mr. Dilip Wedaarachchchi, praised the club and our volunteers for their dedication.

We observed that a considerable portion of the litter on Medaketiya Beach was being carried there by Kirama Oya. To tackle this problem at its source, we installed a floating trash barrier at the mouth of Kirama Oya after the beach cleanup, with the support of the Leos and the Urban Council cleaning staff. Thanks to the collective effort, the barrier was successfully installed, and the Urban Council agreed to manage the waste it collects.

The trash barrier installation was a key highlight of this phase, as it represented a cost-effective innovation by the project team. With technical guidance from the Department of Irrigation, the Coast Conservation Department, and the Ocean University, we developed a low-cost floating trash barrier that delivers similar performance to a standard barrier, which would otherwise cost nearly twice as much.

We believe our efforts mark a sustainable initiative to protect the ocean: not only by cleaning the beach and preventing trash from entering our world-class waters, but also by creating affordable, practical solutions to real-time environmental challenges. Ocean Guard is more than a one-day project; it reflects a long-term commitment to safeguarding Sri Lanka’s ocean for future generations and inspiring young people to engineer innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Penned by Leo Randev Gomes