A large-scale tourism project has been launched by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) on an area of 1,100 hectares that belongs to 14 islands that are connected to the Puttalam Lagoon. The homes and livelihood of 2,640 fisher families, who live in the Grama Niladhari Divisions in the area, have come under increasing threat due to this project.

The human, social and massive environmental costs of the large-scale tourism development the government has rushed into in the Kaplitiya region may overshadow the envisaged gains from tourism, local fisher activists and environmentalists warn.

Entire fishing villages totalling thousands of fisher families face displacement, over a dozen minor fishery harbours face closure, new roads, embankments and other landscape changes threaten once-thriving lagoon fishing grounds and landfills for resort construction threaten new flood hazards, these sources say.

Emerging scenario

This emerging scenario in once wild, remote and yet beautiful Kalpitiya at the distant tip of the Puttalam Lagoon is the result of resort development moves by the SLTDA in the aftermath of the war. Local fisher communities claim in their hurry to open up the tourism industry in the region, the governmental authorities had rushed to acquire lands arbitrarily and had ignored procedure, legality and impacts on populations and environment. Some 1,100 hectares on 14 islands in the Puttalam Lagoon areas have been taken over by the, SLTDA for resort development, displacing a total of 2,640 fisher families.

While these thousands of poor fisher people struggle with total disruption of their lives, and despite the distribution of acquired lands to private tourism developers, only one hotel project has begun so far, local fisher people point out.

After the end of the war, the fisher community of this area, which depends on the traditional fishing industry, were hopeful that they would be able to continue their fishing activities after all barriers to their industry were removed. Now, not only have they been forced to leave their occupation that they have been engaged in for generations, but they have been forced to leave their lands as well.

Through Gazette Notifications 1506/18 of 1 August 2007 and 1549/7 of 13 May 2008 under the Tourism Act No. 38 of 2005, the government acquired these islands disregarding the protests of the fisher community, for tourist hotels and other projects in the area.

Among the Grama Niladhari Divisions that have been designated for tourist hotel projects, the Palliyawatta Grama Niladhari Division has four fishing ports. These fishing ports are Battalangunduwa, Karativu, Palliyawatta and Punchigunduwa.

Fishing ports

In the Olanda Ela Grama Niladhari Division are the fishing ports of Ucchamune and Roda Paduwa. In the five Grama Niladhari Divisions of Aanawasala, Sinnakudirippu, Wannimundalama, Periyakudurippu and Mandala Kudawa there are another 10 fishing ports.

The fishing ports of Mohottuarama, Nilladiya Thureiadiya, Janasavipura, Aanawasala, Sinnakudirippu and Wannimundalama also belong to this region. Although the government has acquired these islands and given them over to various investors, as of now, a hotel has been built only on the Ucchamune Island.

Those who live there are a small number of fisher people engaged in the drag net industry. The situation is different in Palliyawatta and Batthalangunduwa. More than 2,000 families live on these two islands. If the government attempts to move these islanders and build a hotel there, there may be a serious clash. The authorities say this is not likely to happen.

“If it is, in fact, unlikely, then there is no reason the government needs to acquire these lands,” stated a fisherman in the Palliyawatta area, who refused to state his name.

As mentioned before, out of the 14 islands that have been acquired for the tourist hotels and other projects, the biggest fisher communities are in Batthalagunduwa and Palliyawatta. But there are small groups on the other islands, who are a part of the traditional fishing industry.

After the government had acquired the islands, mangroves on the islands have been destroyed due to construction of the hotel and roads. And because of changes to waterways and landfills, the places where there were fish, prawns and crabs have been destroyed. A bridge and a road have been built across the lagoon to reach the hotel project from Thoraediya in Kalpitiya to Mohoththuarama. It is about 800 metres long. While a bridge measuring 60 metres has been built in the lagoon’s deepest area, the balance 740 metres has been made into a 10-metre broad roadway by filling up part of the lagoon.

Due to unlawful constructions such as this, the fishing industry is facing many difficulties due to the depletion of fish.

Impact on environment

The construction of the hotel and golf links, and the clearing of the mangroves, beach vegetation and jungles are precipitating the loss of the traditional village in the area, says the Sri Lanka Forest Conservation Trust.

According to the law of this country, when having large-scale projects such as this on the coast, the coastal conservation and coastal resources management regulation requires that, written permission be sought under the EIA process from the Coast Conservation Department. These constructions, and removal of coastal vegetation, have been carried out without any such prior approval, according to environmental activists.

Furthermore, the North Western Provincial Council’s environmental regulation of 1990, enforced through Gazette notification 1020/21 of 27 March 1998, stipulates that written permission must be sought before clearing forest land of more than one hectare for development projects. But this has not been adhered to, activists say.

Due to the construction of the bridge and path from Thoraediya of Kalpitiya to Mohoththuarama, the areas of Thilladiya, Sethawadiya, Mosalwatta and Thoreadiya are in danger of floods, say the residents. The reason for imminent floods is a path that has been built as an embankment across the lagoon.

In addition, 380 fisher families living in Sethawadiya, Nilladiya and Navalladiya areas now have difficulties travelling across the lagoon.

COURTESY:Vimansa