Development At A Cost To The Environment
Environmentalists have opposed moves by the government to encroach 99 acres of land from the Sripada (Adam’s peak) sanctuary to build cable wire cars and luxury hotels under an Urban Development Authority (UDA) project.
Out of 12, 329 acres, the project proposes to construct cable wire cars and hotels in 99 acres in the holy grounds of Sripada but environmentalists and the environmental protection organisations raised concerns ever since the plan was proposed in 2013 by the previous government.
The Center for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) stated that the project has taken a fresh start under a new name in the claim of boosting the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. The initial construction work for the tourist hotel being built in Marewattha, Sripada began in 2013.
A cabinet paper was brought to parliament by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014 to allocate 99 acres from the Adam’s peak sanctuary for cable car and tourist hotel projects.
The proposed projects were approved without clearance from the Central Environment Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Agrological Department and the Ministry of Environment, most importantly without any Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
The construction was put on hold by the previous government following objections and protests staged by politicians, environmentalists and conservationists. According to gazette notice 8675/1940/Oct/25 Adam’s peak has been declared as a sanctuary under the Flora and Fauna Act.
The surrounding areas and the road leading from Sripada to Nallathanni were declared as a world heritage site of UNESCO in 2010 which means no construction or renovation can take place here without a valid reason and appropriate approvals from the authorities concerned, especially from the UNESCO committee.
It was declared as one of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Sri Lanka for the ecological and biological diversities which need to be protected and reserved without any harm being done to the site.
“A place that already has alot of tourist attraction and was supposed to be protected by the government, being damaged and threatened in the expectation of boosting the tourism industry in the country is not an appropriate plan by the government. It is crystal clear the projects aren’t sustainable nor will they be a contributing factor to the tourism industry. The government needs to understand the reality before allowing such projects in such a holy place where all people of all religions worship ,” the Director for CENS Ravindra Kariyawasam told The Sunday Leader.
No private and domestic buildings were allowed in close proximity of Sripada for over several years and the government that needs to protect the place is trying to build up unnecessary constructions in false claims by the developers should be seriously looked into, the environmentalists said. The project however claims to provide facilities for the devotees who visit the place from various places all around the country and also to foreigners.
“According to the Flora and Fauna Act they cannot even cut down a single tree in the site how can they clear an area of 99 acres for the construction? Who has the authority to allow such projects in a UNESCO protected site,” protested the environmentalists.
“A visit to the place by the CENS had revealed that the construction had been done secretly under the new government even after it was put on hold. The construction and the development in the area undoubtedly will endanger the natural bio diversities and the species which live in the area. Most importantly the value of the land will be destroyed ,” lamented Kariyawasam.
Adam’s Peak is worshipped by all people of the country, the Sinhalese Tamils and Muslims by giving various names for the mountain and the sacred footprint. “Adam’s Peak is important also as a watershed. The districts to the south and the east of Adam’s Peak yield precious stones, emeralds, rubies and sapphires, one thing the island has been famous for. The development projects and the luxury hotels will endanger the sanctuary which is filled with natural ecological provisions. We are not against building luxury hotels and cable wire cars to boost tourism in Sri Lanka but Sripada is a place for worship and a UNESCO world heritage site, the government should put in place immediate measures to stop the ongoing project and to conserve the reservation,” Kariyawasam added.
Source : 7/11/2016 Sunday Observer http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/11/06/development-at-a-cost-to-the-environment/
Sigiriya Under Threat
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country filled with nature, forest cover, ecological and water provisions, different species of birds wildlife and so on which also includes several world heritage sites declared by the UNESCO and reserved in the constitution by the government. One may agree the protection of nature and the environment in the nation is only given in the papers and is not implemented.
Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site and one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.It is the most visited historic site in Sri Lanka. Destruction under the name of development takes place all around the country to which the environmentalists and the conservationists were unhappy of the plans of government as all projects in common, destroy the nature and the archeological values of them.
According to the ancient Sri Lankan record the Culavamsa, this site was selected by King Kasyapa (477 – 495 CE) for his new capital. He built his palace on the top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure the Lion Rock. The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king’s death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.
Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress located in the central Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. The name refers to a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock nearly 200 meters (660 ft.) high. The rock fortress is now under threat as nearly 15 acres of forest cover of the sanctuary has been cleared for luxury hotel constructions. Measures were in place to begin the constructions but were put on hold as the villagers and the environmentalists began objecting to the move with the support of the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), and Department of Forest Conservation (DFC)just two years ago. Nevertheless, they have recently started the deforestation for hotel construction giving it a fresh start.
It is claimed that leading businessmen who were backed by the higher rank politicians of the country are involved in the luxury tourism hotel constructions.
From where exactly is the authorisation given to such businessmen and politicians, is the unanswered question that remains since the environmental issues began in the country. It is a sanctuary and more of a reserved place since 1993 and was protected and preserved for more than two decades. It is an valuable site since it was recognised as one of the world heritage sites of the country. The cause for the hotel construction within the buffer zone of the Sigiriya is to attract more tourists into the country apparently, causing destruction to a site that has such archeological values for nearly 800 years will not increase the percentage of tourists that come into the country, the environmentalists lamented.
It is pathetic that the government turns a blind eye to the destruction and if the authorities in charge of protecting the nature and the archeological sites of the country are properly acting against the corruption and the violation it can be stopped, the environmentalists claim. There are enough legislations and regulations vested in the constitution to protect the reservations of the country and there is no necessity to increase or include new laws but to implement them. “Implementation is what matters the most when it comes to the protection of nature or any laws in the country,” the Director for Center of Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) Ravindra Kariyawasam stated.
According to the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO) the ordinance even prohibits the entry of the public or anyone with no proper permits, but how did these businessmen manage to get into the illegal clearing of forests and the clearing of economically valuable trees such as Kubuk, questioned the environmentalists. A numbers of trees which were older than 200 to 400 years were destroyed during the deforestation whereas they should be protected as the forest area is a reservation of the country.
“There are lands that belong to the WDC and the DFC within the buffer zone of Sigiriya and had been cleared by burning and cutting the valuable older trees which will take another 100 years to recreate the nature and it is an absolute destruction done to the valuable assets of the nation,” Kariyawasam said.
Not only is the buffer zone and the sanctuary being affected by the irresponsible tourism project construction but also the wildlife, the birds that live in it and especially the elephants.
There is an elephant path crossing the forest within the Sigiriya archeological site which is one of the most used elephant corridors in the country. We have been educated several times about the escalating Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) but a solid response is yet to be taken by the government.
In such a backdrop where the trees and the forest cover of the buffer zone is being cleared it also results in affecting the farmers and people who live in the close proximity of Sigiriya as the wild animals enter into the villages and their Chena cultivation areas. It also results in destroying the water resources of the village by cutting down trees and clearing the forests for hotel constructions.
The government is concerned about the major projects in the country but not the daily lives of poor people and the farmers. This might even lead the farmers to leave their native place if they could not continue with their farming and cultivation. The environmentalists request the government to look into the destruction taking place in the country under the name of development and to ensure that the National Environmental Act (NEA) and the FFPO to protect the environment and the archeological sites are implemented and take action if violated.
However, the Sigiriya and its buffer zone had been under threat since the Rajapaksa regime as they were in search of treasures including a few of the archeological sites in the country. The site was damaged by the archeological department itself under the directives of the Rajapaksa regime for treasures. Even though the search for treasures has been stopped under the new government, the destruction of nature has not been stopped.
Nevertheless, it is important to assess the impacts of the destruction and its results before any projects or development is being done within the reservation of the country to ensure their safety. An Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)is a crucial report that should be conducted before any changes are done to the reservations, but no such reports were conducted regarding the Sigiriya hotel constructions. It is also obvious that the reports will be against the hotel projects as it definitely would harm the archeological site.
The environmentalists alleged if they can destroy the reservations without any permission from relevant authorities they should be either an individual or a group of people who are backed by influential politicians of the government and the President as the Minister for environment should consider to protect the nature and to implement the laws. However, when contacted by The Sunday Leader the Director General of the Archeological Department of Sri Lanka Senarath Dissanayake said that the department is unaware of 15 acres of land being cleared within the buffer zones of Sigiriya for hotel constructions, and will look into the matter very soon.
Source : 14/08/2016 The Sunday Leader http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/08/14/sigiriya-under-threat/