The Hon. Anton Jayakody - Deputy Minister of Environment

¶ 01 [4.37 p.m.]

¶ 02 Thank you for the opportunity, Hon. Deputy Chairperson. I wonder whether this time should be spent on the Budget debate; ideally, we should engage Government and Opposition on arguments that refine and amend the Budget. Yet at this moment, not a single Opposition MP is in the Chamber. Nevertheless, I will proceed.

¶ 03 Our theme is “For us, by us.” What is the environment? It is the biosphere—lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, flora and fauna. Various governments have assigned regulatory authority across different agencies by law. For the first time, under the National People’s Power Government, these institutions have been consolidated under the Environment Ministry.

¶ 04 Neither the Minister nor any of us will ever claim personal ownership over the environment. We are stewards, entrusted to manage it properly in time and hand it to future generations. Our environmental policy aligns with internationally accepted standards and principles—guided by the Sustainable Development Goals. Building a sound environment is our prime task. Given our diverse topography, rainfall, and temperature, Sri Lanka hosts a vast array of ecosystems and is a biodiversity hotspot.

¶ 05 We must integrate our environmental systems with the national economy. Past governments treated the environment as an enemy of the economy, fracturing necessary interconnections and spawning many problems. Our foremost task is to find answers and align conservation with economic value—through tourism and production—within sustainable limits.

¶ 06 On the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB): it is commonly labeled corrupt. While many honest officers serve there, a few have acted corruptly. We must first understand the process. Before 1993, there was a Geological Survey Department that conducted mineral exploration, catalyzing major industries: Lanka Mineral Sands extraction, cement plants, Lanka Porcelain, glass factories, Eppawala Lanka Phosphate, etc. Later, under the Mines and Minerals Act No. 33 of 1992, it became the GSMB. Thereafter, some Ministers and MPs converted national resources into private preserves, issuing licenses to relatives and supporters. Thus the perception of corruption arose.

¶ 07 As the NPP Government, we will not grant licenses to any Minister, MP, or their relatives. We have halted such practices. No political interference has occurred to date, and we will uphold that policy. We are reforming licensing—exploration and mining—to be clean and orderly, and strengthening monitoring to curb illegal mining. We have instructed GSMB to geo-map licensed sites and publish them via a mobile app for public viewing. We are also revising pricing of minerals through expert panels and modernizing state royalty collection.

¶ 08 On the Water Resources Board: established by law in 1964, its primary role is protecting and regulating groundwater and aquifers. This year we will begin programs to secure aquifers and the discharge at springheads, starting in Badulla District, and implement a national program to conserve springs. Evapotranspiration and vapor loss have increased significantly over the past decades, warranting immediate action.

¶ 09 Hon. Deputy Chairperson

¶ 10 Your time is over, Hon. Deputy Minister.