Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has decided to launch an investigation into the failure of the relevant authorities to implement the Cabinet decision to reduce the use of asbestos roofing sheets for new Preschools and Schools buildings.
The Cabinet approved a Cabinet Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera to implement the decision taken by the Ministry of Environment to reduce the use of asbestos sheets for roofing three months ago.
The Ministry of Environment has decided to reduce the use of asbestos sheets for roofing in view of the environmental and health problems caused by the use of asbestos sheets for roofs. Medical research has shown that prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers, in particular, can lead to lung cancer.
There was also a decline in the local tile industry due to the import of asbestos.
It was proposed to ban asbestos from 2017 but it did not materialize. But under the present government, the focus was on minimizing the use of asbestos sheets for roofing.
Accordingly, the Cabinet Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera to ban the use of asbestos in new schools and pre-school buildings before the end of 2021 was approved by the Cabinet.
The decision must take effect within two months of Cabinet approval. However, the Minister said that he had doubts as to why the relevant authorities had not been able to implement the decision to use asbestos for pre-schools and school buildings.
Therefore, the Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera has decided to conduct an immediate investigation at the level of the Ministry of Environment
