The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka expresses its views on the drilling of land around Mannar Island for oil and gas exploration.
Issuing a statement, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka has stated that the attention of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka has also been drawn to the great environmental damage being caused on the island of Mannar due to sand mining activities.
The relevant statement also states that the people have become disturbed due to these environmentally harmful activities.
Although these activities are positive initiatives for economic development, the relevant statement further states that it is the duty of those responsible to inform the public about such projects with proper environmental assessment or transparency.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference, which has emphasized that a proper opinion poll should be held to ascertain the opinion of the people in the area before such a development activity, has further emphasized in the statement that in order to protect the rights and dignity of the people, such activities should not affect the livelihood and water resources of the fishing community on the island of Mannar.