Aug 22, Colombo: Sri Lanka Road Development Authority has commenced a programme to plant 7,000 trees by the sides of the Southern expressway.

The planting of trees with timber value has already been begun and it is to be expedited in the stretch between Kurundugahahethekma interchange to the Pinnaduwa interchange in Galle in the first stage.

A spokesman of the Road Development Authority said the aim of the tree planting programme is to beautify the roadside of Sri Lanka's first expressway and also to safeguard the water resources.

The artificial forest cultivation is also expected to yield timber in the future.