V-Force youth volunteers clean-up Mahapalugaswewa a part of the world heritage water cascade system

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Another monumental step was taken today (February 23) by the Gammadda V Force youth volunteers who are dedicated to uplifting rural Sri Lanka towards creating a better country. Today's initiative focused on cleaning the Mahapalugaswewa lake another scenic creation that is part of the cascade water system (ellangawa); now a world heritage.  However, for years on end, the Mahapalugaswewa lake that stretches over 25 acres in the Kurunegala district was covered with parasitic aquatic plants and did not have the desired output in the cascade systems. Locals in several villages including Makaduwewa, Ihalakonwewa, Thumbullegama, Hithokadawala, Moragolla, and Madiyawa obtain water from this lake for agricultural needs as well as their day to day needs from this water body. The surface of this beautiful lake has now been covered with moss, Salvinia, grass, and other aquatic plants while the only area free of moss was about 5 acres. The V-Force youth volunteers who identified the dire need of cleaning the Mahapalugaswewa lake that has been neglected for many years made steady preparations to clean the water body. The initiative was, of course, made a success with the support of navy officials under the guidance of North Western Navy Commander Rear Admiral Sujeewa Perera while Crown Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. sponsored the clean-up project. Undergraduates of the Moratuwa, Wayamba, Ruhuna and Sri Jayawardenapura universities along with the members of the International Youth Foundation AIESEC joined hands in the clean-up programme. The project was led by the Gammadda team, the staff of News 1st and the students at the Maharaja Institute of Management (MIM). The Mahawa divisional secretariat, the police, the officers of the Kurunegala Agrarian Services Department and area residents put their efforts together with much vigour for the successful completion of the project. A tiring yet self-satisfying day drew to an end with the voluntary members being awarded with appreciation medals in gratitude of a job well done.