The White Water Rafting Association of Sri Lanka (WWRASL) yesterday staged a protest at Kitulgala town against the Broadlands Hydro Power Project claiming that it would sound the death knell for their business as there wouldn’t be enough water for sports in the event of the river being dammed.
Hundreds of people engaged in the business and their dependents who participated in the protest sought President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s immediate intervention to solve their problem. Foreign tourists, too, took part in the demonstration as water rafting was not conducted yesterday.
Buddhist monks joined the protest march which commenced from Kalubotenna, three kilometres away from the Kitulgala town. Protesters carried placards with slogans: ‘Don’t kill the river’, ‘Should it be used for power or sports?’, "Dear Mr. President Please protect the white water rafting and communities that depend on it’, ‘No one has a right to destroy the legacy of white water rafting’ and ‘Save the wild and scenic Kelani river.’
Assistant Secretary of the WWRASL I. M. P. Duminda told The Island that they had held several rounds of discussions with the officials of the Ministry of Power and Energy regarding their problem but in vain.
Tourism in the Kithulgala area was based on water rafting and all tourism related businesses were in danger due to the project, he said, adding that sufficient water for rafting could not be maintained the whole day if a dam was build across the river.
"We are not against the project," Duminda said, adding that they could not ask tourists to come during particular hours for the sport as any time of the day was available for them at present.
Spokesman of the Power and Energy Ministry Sisira Wijesinghe, contacted for comment, said that last discussion in this regard had been held last week at the ministry and ministry agreed to look into their grievances.
Wijesinghe said that WWRASL had also agreed to sign an agreement promising sufficient water for their business at the final discussion.
"Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and subject Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi inaugurated the project on July 15 last year," Wijesinghe said, noting that there had been no opposition during the last seven months, but there was something behind the sudden protest.
The estimated cost of the 35MW hydro power plant, which would generate 126 million units of power annually, is USD 82 million, of which 85 per cent will be financed by the Chinese Government and the balance by the Sri Lankan government.
The government is to raise 85 per cent of the USD 82 million required for the project from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the remaining 15 per cent from the People’s Bank.
The construction of the hydro power plant has been assigned to the China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC), which has presented the lowest bid for the project.
Broadlands will be the last plant in the Laxapana complex on the Kelani River. The Project is to be completed by 2017.
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