Tourism pollutes golden beaches

Tourists have flocked back to Sri Lanka's palm-fringed beaches since a bloody civil war ended in 2009, but environmentalists warn unchecked development means some areas are now so polluted, swimming there is a health hazard.

Sewage from thriving hotels and guesthouses pours, often untreated, out into the water polluting the sea and shore.

Even the country's own tourism minister says he has stopped swimming in the seas close to capital Colombo because of the dirty water.