HSBC is scaling up its Clean Waterways project for Beira Lake restoration in Colombo, introducing new programs focused on community behaviour change and youth economic empowerment in the blue-green economy.

HSBC has announced an expansion of its Clean Waterways initiative, a public-private partnership originally launched in January 2026 to restore Beira Lake, a central urban waterway in Colombo. The scaled-up effort introduces two interconnected components designed to address waste disposal at its source while creating economic opportunities for young people.

The Nature Literacy component, developed in partnership with the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka, aims to shift community practices around waste management. According to the bank, this stream will train over 25 university students as project leaders, run awareness campaigns targeting more than one million people, and monitor progress through waste tracking and water quality testing. The initiative also plans to address illegal dumping through collaboration with authorities in selected areas.

Complementing this is the Green Enterprise and Finance Literacy component, delivered in partnership with the British Council. This program will equip young people with skills and knowledge for employment and entrepreneurship in sustainable sectors. The initiative targets 500 young people for awareness activities, with 250 expected to complete foundational training and around 60 to pursue green enterprise pathways. Additionally, HSBC is deploying a second solar-powered waste collection boat in the Kuda Beira area near Gangaramaya temple to increase debris removal capacity. During the initial seven-month operational period since January 2026, the first solar-powered boat collected over 21 tonnes of wet garbage and floating debris from Maha Beira Lake.

HSBC Sri Lanka CEO Mark Surgenor emphasized the bank's commitment to the lake's restoration, noting that the expanded partnership brings additional expertise from civil society organizations critical to sustaining the initiative.