Sri Lanka, June 24 -- The long-awaited bill to amend Sri Lanka's National Environmental Act (NEA) is scheduled to be presented for its final reading, debate, and vote in Parliament today, marking a significant milestone in the country's environmental governance framework.

According to the Environment Ministry, the proposed legislation represents the third amendment to the NEA and the first comprehensive overhaul of the law in nearly four decades.

The previous amendment, enacted in 2000, was limited in scope, while the landmark 1988 amendment introduced key regulatory mechanisms for environmental protection, including the Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) system and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements.

Officials sai...