President Gotabaya Rajapaksa released a thousand ecological floating islands to Beira Lake initiating the purifying process of the lake. Beira Lake has been polluted due to unauthorized urbanization and improper upgrading of sewerage infrastructure in Colombo. The “Ecological floating islands” method was implemented under the guidance of Chairman of the Land Development Corporation, Retired Major General M.R.W.de Soyza.
Ecologist Ranoshi Siripala points out that the experiment conducted for water purification by planting plants such as Cannas, Savandara and Heliconia using PVC pipes, bamboo and foam mattresses as floating supports has yielded successful results.
Plants in floating wetlands absorb excess nutrients carried in the water. This reduces the amount of algae in the water and purifies the water, eliminates odours, and maintains an ecological balance by providing habitat for water-dependent organisms. Water surface beautification is another benefit.
