Tokyo Cement Group, in collaboration with the Mahaweli Authority, launched the 2026 tree-planting season of the Ivuru Rakina Pawuru project near the Polgolla Dam in Kandy, joined by members of the touring New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team. The event reflected the sustained commitment to restoring and safeguarding the banks of the Mahaweli River, gaining international recognition for its far-reaching value creation.

The event brought together officials representing the Mahaweli Authority, the Central Environment Authority, ranking officers of the Sri Lanka Rugby Federation, students from Kandy Model School in Polgolla, and residents of the surrounding community, with members of the New Zealand Under-85kg rugby team, to plant 100 Kumbuk saplings along the riverbank, highlighting a shared dedication to environmental stewardship.

Tokyo Cement Group’s Ivuru Rakina Pawuru programme partners the Ministry of Environment and Mahaweli Authority since 2017, in their concerted efforts to reforest the Mahaweli riverbanks with native species such as Kumbuk and Mee, supporting the sustainable management of vital water catchment areas.

Tokyo Cement Group sponsors the Ivuru Rakina Pawuru endeavour as part of its forest tree planting programme. The company drives the project by supplying native forest trees with medicinal value such as, Kumbuk, Karanda, Mee, and Ingini, propagated at the two Tokyo Cement Forest Tree Nurseries situated in Trincomalee and Mahiyangana. These plant varieties help restore natural biodiversity, whilst preventing soil erosion in the riverbanks. They are distributed among various community and state organizations, who use them in reforestation campaigns across the island including the Mahaweli zones.

The initiative forms part of the company’s wider sustainability agenda, through which it successfully integrates social welfare and environmental conservation into its corporate DNA. As part of their continuous mission to enrich the country, its people, and the environment that is exemplified through far-reaching initiatives like these, the Tokyo Cement Group reinforces its position as the leading partner in nation-building.

Image Caption: Members of the New Zealand Under-85kg Rugby Team joined the Tokyo Cement team in a tree-planting initiative as part of the ‘Ivuru Rakina Pawuru’ environmental conservation campaign.