News
Fresh flowers for the Gods
The negative impact of single-use plastic on the environment has been a long established fact,and as a result the Central Environment Authority (CEA) banned the use of plastic flower garlands effective tomorrow, Director General CEA, Hemantha Jayasinghe, said.
He said steps are being taken to replace plastic garlands with eco-friendly garlands in places of worship around the country.
Mr Jayasinghe added that the intention behind advocating such a ban is to minimise the damage caused to the environment because of the devotees. For example the number of devotees who visit the Kataragama Shrine annually is around 3mn and the number of polythene garlands they buy exceeds 1mn annually, he pointed out.
Kataragama Municipal Council officials point out that at least 20,000kg of polythene is released annually.
The use of oil paper as an alternative has been introduced as it has a comparatively less impact on the environment and as paper is biodegradable.
Around 300 families in the Kataragama area are engaged in making polythene garlands. The Environment Ministry is providing necessary technical assistance and resources for making garlands using natural flowers and oil paper.
“The reason behind offering flowers to specific deities is because every flower has its own charm with its colour and fragrance. None of this is accomplished by offering plastic wreaths,” Mr Thyagaraja, who sells flowers at the Wellawatte Kovil premises, said. Many people tend to buy polythene garlands to hang in their vehicles, he said.
Mr Selva Ganesh, who also runs a flower shop at the Wellawatte Kovil premises, said that although there are bouquets made of Chrysanthemums, Jesmines, the demand for polythene garlands was high among some devotees. A garland made of natural flowers was sold for a maximum of Rs 1000.