Sri Lanka, Sept. 18 -- In celebration of World Bamboo Day, the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority and Horana Plantation Company have successfully planted 500 bamboo saplings in the Walave Sinduwa Bambarakale Rahanwatta area today (18).

The project was launched as part of a government policy decision to encourage public-private partnerships in environmental conservation.

The Mahaweli Authority partnered with Horana Plantations to plant the bamboo in the Rahanwatta catchment area, which supplies water to the Kotmale Dam, a major tributary of the Mahaweli River.

Director of Forests and Environment at the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority, Pravanna Jayathilaka, highlighted the importance of bamboo, saying that it helps protect ecosystems, conserve so...