Sigiriya Under Threat

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/