A community based initiative in Sri Lanka to keep our natural environment clean

Thalangama Wetland Watch

Our Activities

ABOUT US AND OUR WORK

About us:

Thalangama Wetland Watch is a self-funded, non-profit, community-based initiative of citizens living in lake vicinity, who are highly motivated to protect their natural environment and human health. We feel that all citizens have responsibility and we like to set an example instead of waiting for others to take the first step. We are operating in close collaboration with institutional stakeholders (CEA, Irrigation Dept., NAQDA, SLLDC, KMC, FOGSL, RDA, …) and any other community stakeholders building on our common interest in protecting our inheritance for future generations. This is an in-kind community service without any financial gain for the organizers and volunteers (see http://wetlandwatch.lk/files/how_you_could_help.htm).

  • Our core team of volunteers:
    • Director (Mrs. H. I. Jayathilake)
    • Co-founder and operations coordinator (Dr. Pay Drechsel)
    • Spokespersons (Mohan Fernando, Dr. Jody Miller)
    • First assistant (Mr. Ravi)
    • Account controller (Mrs. Avanthi)
    • Legal advisor (Mrs. Nadeesha)
    • Web manager (www.wetlandwatch.lk)
    • The local Irrigation Department representative (Mr. Sarath) for activity alignment and approval.
    • And a pool of community members and day labourer who help on demand.

There is a larger Thalangama lake WhatsApp group of which the Wetland Watch is part and where e.g. illegal waste dumping, stakeholder meetings, and other issues concerning the lake are reported and receive instant (re)actions.

Our infrastructure includes waste collection equipment and access to six boats (two inflatable and one hard body kayaks, two small and one larger boat).


About our activities:

  • Removing trash from the lake and its surrounding
    The aerial photograph in the center shows the 50 ha of the Thalangama Environmental Protection Area which the Wetland Watch takes care of. The aerial view on the right shows the streets, water ways and lake areas which are regularly cleaned (status July 2022). Each color shows a different volunteer (unpaid or paid), with the blue and yellow parts being patrolled 365 days a year.
<br>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br>Thalangama Environmental Protected Area
    Click to zoom, and for more information
    In late 2016 we started with the removal of about 50m3 of waste, which had accumulated over the years. From then on, the activities focused on new trash of any size or type, which visitors leave around the Thalangama and neighboring Avarihena tanks, and their adjacent water bodies, like beer cans or larger waste bags dumped overnight.

    As of July 2022, Neil, Ravi, Pay, Mohan, Tilak, and some others are monitoring about 4000 meters of streets and water ways with the blue and yellow lines (see map) being cleaned twice every day (7.30-9.30 am; 17:00-18:30 pm). The water surface is being monitored once a week by boat for trash and water hyacinths. Within certain drains we built trash barriers while dustbins have been set up at key points along the roads. Both are cleaned daily.

    The daily cleaning around the lake serves awareness creation, and to capture in particular waste like shopping bags which wind and rain will otherwise blow or wash into the lake, where they are more cumbersome to retrieve.

    In collaboration with the Kaduwela Municipality, we are separating all metal, glass, PE bottles, etc. and get them weekly collected for recycling.

    We also check larger waste bags for their possible owners, to report them to the authorities and/or visit them personally to express our sincere disapproval.
  • Removal of invasive plant species
    Since we started, we are controlling the spread of water hyacinths on the Thalangama lake. Some time back water hyacinths covered about half of the water surface. With over 200 boat loads of plants removed, the spread is now under control. This floating weed can multiply rapidly and is reducing the already low level of dissolved oxygen, affecting e.g. fish life. The downside of fighting water hyacinths is that once removed other aquatic weeds like Watermoss (Salvinia sp.) and the submerged Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) and carnivorous bladderwort (Utricularia sp.) spread.
  • Stakeholder dialogue facilitation
    Given that the lake has a large number of stakeholders, it happened frequently that new initiatives are only known to some, but not all. In particular, the environmental protection status of the area which limits possible activities by law, is often forgotten. The Thalangama Wetland Watch as a community initiative helps to correct such omissions by facilitating the involvement of all authorities.
  • Supporting research and environmental education
    With our access to a number of boats and equipment for water quality testing, we are supporting research from local universities and NGOs which serve environmental sciences and the protection of the lake area.

    We visit schools, display posters at dumping hot spots, and explain good environmental practices. We also initiate or support clean-up actions for groups at both lakes or in neighboring communities, and offer school children supervised boat rides to help cleaning the lake.
  • Reducing dengue and support of environmental flows
    Our cleaning of cans, cubs and bottles supports also our efforts to reduce dengue in the area. Many bottles show mosquito larvae. We also remove blockages in drains and streams to avoid stagnant water, and monitor the Northern sleuth gates to maintain a minimum environmental flow for ecosystems health when the gates are closed.

  • Flora and Fauna
    We are seeking homes for abandoned pets and take care of roadkill and other dead animals. We are also supporting young trees which get easily forgotten once a ‘tree planting day’ is over, through watering and the removal of climbing weeds. For our weekly monitoring of water hyacinths, please see above.