{"id":83791,"date":"2024-03-19T00:54:04","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T04:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=83791"},"modified":"2024-03-19T18:01:37","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T22:01:37","slug":"environmentalists-and-mannar-residents-fear-that-the-adani-wind-energy-project-could-spell-danger-to-the-biodiversity-of-the-area-and-impact-peoples-livelihoods-that-are-tied-to-the-coastal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=83791","title":{"rendered":"Environmentalists and Mannar residents fear that the Adani wind energy project could spell danger to the biodiversity of the area and impact people\u2019s livelihoods that are tied to the coastal environment."},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy<\/p>\n

Meera Srinivasan<\/strong><\/p>\n

A wind power project being executed by Adani Green Energy in northern Sri Lanka has run into controversy, with locals and environmentalists raising concern over its possible impact on the coastal region and livelihoods.<\/p>\n

In February last year, Sri Lanka\u2019s Board of Investment cleared the company\u2019s $ 442-million project at two wind energy-rich sites in the island\u2019s Northern Province. \u201cThe project expects to add 250 MW in Mannar and 234 MW in Pooneryn to the national grid,\u201d Sri Lanka\u2019s Minister for Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara said on social media platform \u2018X\u2019 on March 14, following a discussion with Adani Green\u2019s Executive Director Sagar Adani on a power purchasing agreement that is yet to be finalised.<\/p>\n

The Sri Lankan government aims to meet the country\u2019s growing energy demands with 70% renewable energy by 2030. The ambitious target will require investment totalling over $ 11.5 billion, according to official estimates. India has pledged close cooperation with Sri Lanka in the field of renewable energy and the first meeting of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Renewable Energy \u2014 constituted under an agreement signed by the two governments last year \u2014 was held in Colombo on March 11, 2024. India has also provided a $ 11 million grant to Sri Lanka to build hybrid renewable energy systems\u201d in Delft or Neduntheevu, Nainativu and Analaitivu islands off Jaffna peninsula in the island\u2019s north, displacing a Chinese project. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In December 2023, Sri Lanka roped in Australia-based United Solar Group to invest US$ 1.73 billion in a 700 MW solar plant in the northern Kilinochchi district.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, environmentalists and residents of Mannar fear that the Adani wind energy project could spell danger to the biodiversity of the area and impact people\u2019s livelihoods that are tied to the coastal environment. Scores of families in the island\u2019s Tamil-majority north and east, are still struggling to rebuild their lives, with successive governments\u2019 economic revival programmes proving futile for them 15 years since the civil war ended.<\/p>\n

According to ornithologists, Mannar is part of the Central Asian Flyway, an important migration route for many waterbird species around the world. Every winter, thousands of flamingos arrive at wetlands in the district, drawing scores of birdwatchers and tourists. <\/p>\n

In a recent commentary on the wind project, Prof. Sampath S. Seneviratne from the Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences, University of Colombo, called it a \u201cdeath trap\u201d for migratory birds. \u201cThe proposed wind farm is located in the best forest areas in central Mannar island, which serve as vital stopover and refuelling sites for birds approaching Sri Lanka,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Around 50 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 5.2MW, are to be installed as part of the project. Such an installation would usually entail a rapid clearing of the canopy, according to Marynathan Edison, an environmentalist from Mannar. \u201cNo matter how much they talk about restoration and reforestation, it will not be the same,\u201d he told The Hindu. While activists like him welcome Sri Lanka\u2019s push for renewable energy, the move\u2019s likely environmental impact could outweigh its benefits in the absence of careful planning and wider consultation, they contend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreserving the bird corridor and the biodiversity is very important, but we should not forget the social environment and the impact such projects may have on that,\u201d Mr. Edison further noted.
\nThe project\u2019s impact on local livelihoods is a serious concern for residents, said Dilani Croos, a former member of Mannar\u2019s local council, that is now defunct as Sri Lanka postponed local government elections last year. \u201cWe are a coastal district and most of our people\u2019s livelihoods are linked to the sea. Fishermen worry that changes in the coastal landscape may affect marine biodiversity and therefore their catch,\u201d she said. Sri Lanka\u2019s northern fishermen are already enduring a major setback to their post-war economic recovery, owing to relentless bottom-trawling fishing by Indian fishermen along their coastline. \u201cYou can\u2019t blame the fishermen for raising concern. Policy makers and authorities have not held any consultation at the local level for them to know or better understand what this wind power project is about,\u201d Ms. Croos said.
\nSri Lanka\u2019s Central Environmental Authority, which is tasked with integrating environmental considerations into the government\u2019s development agenda, published an Environmental Impact Assessment report on the Adani wind power project, and invited public comments earlier this year. \u201cWe have received several representations and a lot of feedback,\u201d a senior official told The Hindu. \u201cAll stakeholders are being consulted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time the Adani wind project has drawn flak in Sri Lanka. The country\u2019s political opposition and a senior bureaucrat have in the past questioned the company\u2019s entry into the island\u2019s energy space, alleging there was pressure from India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sri Lankan government has denied the allegations.
\nWhen The Hindu contacted Adani Green for comment on recent concerns, a spokesperson of the Group said there appears to be a \u201cvicious campaign being run by vested interests\u201d against the proposed wind power project in Mannar. \u201cThe project location was chosen after careful consideration and no turbines will be set up along the critical migratory pathways or sensitive habitats,\u201d the spokesperson said in a written response.<\/p>\n

The Environmental Impact Assessment, including birds & bats studies, was carried out by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), with leading subject experts guiding the process, the company said, adding: \u201cThe Adani Group firmly believes that the Mannar project is beneficial for Sri Lanka, providing competitively priced green energy and aiding the nation\u2019s commitment of generating 100% of its energy requirement through renewables by 2050.\u201d
\nHowever, local groups and activists said they are unaware of the consultative meetings, and remain wary of the Adani project. The Mannar Citizens\u2019 Committee, a prominent civil society group, has repeatedly emphasised the need to involve the local community in decision making. Citing the apparent impact of the 30 turbines already installed in the district as part of the \u2018Thambapavani Power Plant\u2019 \u2014 the Ceylon Electricity Board\u2019s largest wind power project in the island, inaugurated in 2020 \u2014 they have questioned the need for another wind farm in Mannar.<\/p>\n

Courtesy:The Hindu<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Meera Srinivasan A wind power project being executed by Adani Green Energy in northern Sri Lanka has run into controversy, with locals and environmentalists raising concern over its possible impact on the coastal region and livelihoods. In February last year, Sri Lanka\u2019s Board of Investment cleared the company\u2019s $ 442-million project at two wind …<\/p>\n

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