Water conservation and pollution control is vital to sustaining the environment and mitigating climate change.
‘Magalla Wewa’ is anancient Tankbuilt during the era of King Mahasen. The Tank has an extent of around 3000 acres and is situated close to the Nikaweratiya Town in the Kurunegala District. The Tank Bund with an extent of 3000 acres had become a dumping ground for garbage causing serious damage to the environment.
NDB North Central Region identified these problems and selected this as their Employee Volunteerism project for 2019. Over 75 volunteers joined the officials of the ‘Irrigation Department Nikaweratiya’ and the ‘Govi Samithiya Nikaweratiya’ to clean this area. Around 40 students from ‘Jayanthi Madya Maha Vidyalaya’ and ‘Rajabima Vidyalaya’ in Nikaweratiya were also willing participants in this worthy cause. The project commenced with an ‘Awareness Session’ for the students, residents and the public on environmental conservation and reforestation.
The volunteers cleaned a large extent of the Tank Bund, removing polythene and other garbage. The ‘Govi Samithiya Nikaweratiya’ assisted in removing the algae over an extent of 200 meters after which a floating barrier was fixed to separate a clean area for bathing and swimming. This area is generally used by the schools for training swimmers and the clean-up and the floating barrier would ensure that they have a clean algae free area to train. A section of the Bund was paved and benches fixed providing a seating area for parents who accompany their children for swimming, where they can wait until their children finish their training.
The Team planted 30 ‘Kumbuk’ trees and also put up 12 Educational Display Boards with eco messages with a view to change attitudes of people and prevent environmental pollution. 300 Eco-friendly bags were distributed, encouraging the public to opt foran eco-friendly lifestyle free of polythene.
The project directly benefits over5000 farmers and villagers in the area, students from nearby schools who use the tank for swimming practice and the general public. The message of conservation and the importance of water management prominently displayed on Eco Boards will be a constant reminder for the public to preserve our environment.
The NDB Volunteers also partnered with the ‘Agrarian Department of Nikaweratiya’ to ensure the sustainability of the project, including regular collection of garbage, tending the Kumbuk Plants. The ‘Pradeshiya Sabha Nikaweratiya’, ‘Nikaweratiya Police – Environment Division’, ‘Farmers Association’ and other Volunteer Organizations have also pledged to support this project.
As a responsible corporate citizen, Employee Volunteerism is a key CSR Initiative in the Bank’s CSR agenda.
NDB Bank, which is the first and to date the only corporate in Sri Lanka to officially be certified with EDGE Certification is a premier retail Bank with over 113 branches across the island, serving millions of Sri Lankans through a host of financial services.
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