War for water in Kithulgala

Kithulgala is Sri Lanka’s premier white-water rafting location but a hydro-power project threatens the future of this tourist attraction.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is building the Broadland Hydropower Project on the Kelani River as a run-of-river (ROR) type power plant.

ROR plants need little or no water storage but under this project the Maskeli Oya and Kehelgamu Oya, the main tributaries providing water to the Kelani, will be blocked by dams to divert water through a 3km tunnel 5.4m in diameter to a plant to run an electricity-generating turbine. Water will then be released back to the river downstream.

Last week, the White Water Rafters’ Association (WWRA) – whose members fear a loss of livelihood if the project goes ahead – staged a protest, parading with rubber dinghies and calling out slogans such as: “Should water be used for power or sports?”, “Does the Broadland Hydropower Project say ‘goodbye’ to white-water rafting?”.

WWRA secretary Priyantha Pushpakumara complains that the project will dam water about 5km above the main stretch of white-water rafting activity. “This stretch has 18 rapids that can be used for rafting but this diversion will destroy 13 of the rapids,” wept Priyantha.
White-water rafting at Kithulgala was started in 1995. There were only a few operators in the business initially, but that number has grown with the demand, said Channa Perera, one of the pioneers.

For thrill-seekers there used to be just the Kithulgala Resthouse providing accommodation but now there are 38 hotels in Kithulgala serving local and foreign tourists. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 tourists visit Kithulgala annually for white-water rafting.
More than 200 people are directly employed by about 10 rafting operators and the business provides another 400-odd indirect jobs, creating the backbone of a livelihood for the Kithulgala villagers.

“Kithulgala village evolved around the white-water rafting industry, and if the main attraction is affected the number of tourists will decrease, leading to a string of economic as well as social problems,” warned Priyantha.

The 35MW Broadland project expects to add 126GWh of electrical energy annually to the national grid. Hydropower is the cheapest energy source for Sri Lanka as thermal-based electricity generation is growing increasingly expensive with rising oil prices. This project is important, a CEB spokesperson said.

The CEB also gave assurances that it would continue releasing water during the daytime so that there would be enough water to continue white-water rafting. The board said the WWRA’s fears were baseless.

“We understand that the country needs energy and we are not against using water to generate the energy but we are not clear on how the water can be made available during the daytime for rafting activities as promised by the CEB. Our request to explain the mechanism of how this could be done has not been answered,” the rafters’ association responded.

Construction work on the power plant has already started and construction work is scheduled for completion in four years. The Broadlands Hydropower Project (BHP) is to be implemented with loans borrowed from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and the Hatton National Bank.

Clean energy vs biodiversityHydro electricity is tagged as one of the cleanest energy sources, and the cheapest. But Sri Lanka has now tapped all the major rivers blocking them to generate energy. So now the country is turning to small hydro-power plants or mini hydro-power. The small hydro industry is typically characterized by hydro power projects with capacities less than 10MW. The Director-General of the Sustainable Development Authority (SDA), Dr. Thusitha Sugathapala, said there were more than 100 mini hydro projects in operation in Sri Lanka, generating about 250MW at present, and a recent study suggested the country has potential of about 800MW from mini-hydros. Due to environmental factors and other limitations, however, the potential from mini-hydro projects was only about 550MW. Dr. Sugathapala said there was an approval process to make certain mini-hydro projects do not damage the environment; if a project area is within a protected area the authorities did not hesitate to reject the project at once. Environmentalists oppose most of the small-scale and mini-hydro projects. These locations might not be in a designated protected area but their environmental impact is significant, environmentalists say. Recent examples include the Warathenna plant that is in one of the last remaining habitats of the critically endangered species, Labeo fisheri (Gadaya). There were also recent attempts to build a hydro power plant blocking the Aberdeen waterfall and the scenic Eli Hatha waterfalls near the Peak Wilderness. “Freshwater fish will be the worst affected due to these mini-hydro projects. Their impact can be worse than that of the large hydro projects as mini-hydro projects block smaller streams that are rich habitats for many endemic freshwater fish,” pointed out Madura de Silva, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle which conducts an island-wide fish survey. Blocking a river can change the speed of flow of water and its depth, and this will change the micro habitats that these fish need for survival. Furthermore some fish such as gobis and eels migrate up and down rivers or migrate to the sea for breeding. Any dams will block their movements and their population will be affected. “It is true that mini-hydro projects can have local environmental effects but compared with coal it is still a better option both economically and environmentally as coal emits a lot of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming,” said Asoka Abeygunawardana, Executive Director of Sri Lanka Energy Forum. “But,” he added, “often there are opportunities to reduce environmental damage when establishing mini-hydro plants, and this is an area where Sri Lanka needs to improve.” Mr. Abeygunawardana, a former adviser to the Power and Energy Ministry, said he did not view the Broadland Hydropower Plant in Kithulgala as having a large adverse impact

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140316/news/war-for-water-in-kithulgala-89392.html

Sri Lanka's Biodiversity Secretariat to declare a butterfly to each province

 The Biodiversity Secretariat of Sri Lanka's Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry will declare a butterfly for each of the nine provinces in the country.

A butterfly expert group operating under the Biodiversity Secretariat will evaluate the suitability of the chosen butterflies to each province.

According to reports, Sri Lanka is home to 245 species of butterflies and 26 of them are endemic to the country.

Sri Lanka Birdwing, the largest Sri Lankan butterfly, was declared as the national butterfly in 2010.

The nine butterflies that are being looked at for the provinces are reportedly considered flagship species due to their attractive color patterns and have been selected because they are endemic to Sri Lanka, charismatic and readily seen.

Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14A/Mar09_1394350266JR.php

Severe environmental damage in Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sri Pada mountain range

Colombo: Environmentalists in Sri Lanka warn of severe environmental degradation in the island's main catchment area of Sri Pada mountain.

They say that the pilgrims who visit the sacred mountain are damaging the environment in the sensitive ecosystem from which the country's four major rivers, Mahaweli, Kalu, Kalani and Walawe start and flow downwards.

Sri Pada is one of the major eco-tourism destinations in the Sri Lanka hill country and is covered by the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, which is known to be rich in biodiversity.

Central Environmental Authority says the pilgrims leave behind one ton of waste every day in the area during the pilgrimage season which lasts six months.

Visitors to Sri Pada said that all the wash rooms were closed recently during the drought due to lack of water. Thousands of pilgrims were stranded without washroom facilities and sources say many had used the forest reserve for elimination needs.

Reportedly sanitary workers of Udamaluwa were seen recklessly dumping garbage into a steep mountain side.

Central Environmental Authority has set up a garbage collection center at Nallathanniya. However pilgrims say that large mounds of garbage are seen in the area.

Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14A/Mar09_1394348869CH.php

Govt MPs backing illegal mining in Sinharaja Seven forest officials assaulted, two hospitalized

Several United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Parliamentarians from the Ratnapura District are alleged to be actively backing illegal gem miners operating within Sinharaja Forest Reserve. The allegations surfaced after officers from the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) who raided a site in the area, were waylaid and viciously assaulted last week.

Environmentalists allege at least two UPFA MPs, who don’t hold ministerial portfolios, were backing the miners. Two DFC officers had to be admitted to hospital for treatment after seven of them were attacked by a mob of around 45-50 individuals on March 6 (Thursday) after they raided the location where the illegal mining was taking place, allegedly under political patronage.

The illegal mining activities, which are taking place in the Imbulkanda area, had caused enormous damage to the environment within Sri Lanka’s only rainforest, according to DFC officials.
Speaking to The Nation on grounds of anonymity, a DFC officer said the seven officers from the department’s Kalawana office who raided the site on Thursday managed to apprehend one suspect. Two others who fled the scene were identified. The team also found a large amount of equipment that was used in the illegal gem mining.

The area contained two gem mines, one of which was one of the largest they had ever seen, the officer said. The miners had set up camp at the location and it seemed they had been continuing the operation for a considerable time period, he further explained.
“However, as the team was returning with the suspect and the seized equipment, they were waylaid at the end of the Imbulkanda village by a mob of around 50 villagers, who proceeded to assault the officers.

They forced the officers to release the suspect, along with the equipment,” a DFC official said.
Two DFC officers who were injured in the incident were later admitted to hospital for treatment. A complaint was also lodged with the Potuvil police post regarding the incident, while a ‘B’ report was submitted to the Pelmadulla Magistrate’s Court, according to the DFC. The equipment that was forcibly taken away by the villagers had also been recovered by yesterday, and will be submitted to Court, it was further stated.

DFC officers had identified seven of the alleged attackers. When contacted, Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said investigations into the incident were underway, but no suspects had been arrested. However, the illegal gem mining operations in the area have stopped, at least for now. A DFC official said they would visit the area again tomorrow to ensure that the activities are stopped permanently

- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-online/item/26769-govt-mps-backing-illegal-mining-in-sinharaja-seven-forest-officials-assaulted-two-hospitalized.html#sthash.0yg8Wnsp.dpuf

No killer piranhas in Diyawanna

Reports that killer piranhas were found in Diyawanna Oya were unfounded experts and environmentalists said yesterday, stressing that they had not come across a single one in thelocal  water bodies. There may be different species like Paccu or Dollar Fish, they added

One expert stressed that piranhas could not survive in the Diyawanna Oya as it was polluted.

Naturalist/Researcher Kelum Manamendra-arachchi said that he had neither heard nor come across piranha in local water bodies.

He said that species of piranha such as the red bellied piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri), the spotted piranha (Serrasalmus spilopleura) and the white piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus) could adapt to water found anywhere.

Among those species, the spotted piranha and the abominable red bellied piranha would breed progressively in most types of fresh waters. Of the three species, the red bellied piranha and the white piranha pose a threat to humans, but mostly they were an invasive threat, he said.

Source:http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=99448

White water rafters protest building of dam

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.

Source:http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=99453

Another little jumbo cruelly snatched and tied up

With only a month since the SundayTimes reported an attempt to snatch a baby elephant from jungles of Galgamuwa, a raid by Wildlife Department officers turned up a little elephant kept illegally on a Mirigama estate, showing elephant poaching is a deep-seated racket.
The baby elephant, suspected to have been caught in the wild, was found on Friday (February 28).

It is illegal to keep any elephant captive without a permit from Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the mahouts failed to submit a credible permit for this baby elephant. Wildlife officers said they had produced a photocopy of a permit given for a six-and-a-half-year-old captive elephant. But this baby elephant is only about two or three years old. In absence of a credible permit the officers took the elephant into their custody.

The young elephant had cut wounds in its leg due to being tightly roped – a sure sign that it was not born to a captive female elephant.
Elephant specialists point out that if this elephant had been born in captivity it would have been accustomed to humans. Such an elephant would easily be tamed and there would be no need for being tightly roped. Cut wounds are caused when the baby elephant that is not used to being restricted is trying to get free.

The raid team was led Assistant Director of Western Wildlife Region W. Indrajith. The baby elephant has been transferred to the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe. The officials say they are determined to find and arrest the real culprits behind this crime. Only a month ago an attempt to snatch a baby elephant from jungles of Galgamuwa was thwarted by the vigilance of villagers. The existence of a racket of snatching baby elephants to be raised in captivity has been known since late 1990s but due to involvement of powerful forces the real culprits continually escape being put behind bars.

It is believed as many as 60 elephants illegally caught from the wild are in hands of private owners.

At Mirigama the raising team found another grown elephant aged over 10 years for which the owners could not produce a permit. They stationed a guard at the estate asking the owners to submit the permit for this elephant. If the owner does not give a satisfactory response the DWC will this elephant also into safekeeping. The head of the DWC, H.D. Ratnayake, said his department would not hesitate to make any arrest if proper evidence is submitted.

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140302/news/another-little-jumbo-cruelly-snatched-and-tied-up-87554.html