Neglect and corruption destroy mangroves in Puttalam Lagoon

The environmentalists' denounce the destruction of the Palaviya area destroyed due to the negligence (and connivance) of the ruling class over the past 20 years. An environmental excellence, with an outstanding variety of flora and fauna. At least 4,000 hectares of plantation have been lost since 2010. Also a ring of false documents behind the allocation of (protected) land for cultivation.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Environmentalist groups accuse the authorities and ruling class for the destruction of the mangroves in the Palaviya area, part of the Puttalam lagoon, near the Old Hamilton Canal, guilty of negligence because in the last 20 years they have done nothing to prevent the havoc.

Despite the damage, the area still remains one of the most characteristic lagoon systems in Sri Lanka, with a variety of fish of the highest order. All around the area you can also find 16 authentic varieties of mangroves and 12 other plants belonging to the mangrove community. For environmentalists, immediate intervention by the Forestry Department is necessary to curb destruction that could have devastating consequences.

Mangroves are an important coastal ecosystem that has an impact on human life and nourishes biodiversity, as a nursery for numerous coastal and marine species, as well as guaranteeing support for fishing.

They also provide a buffer to coastal communities against extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, stabilize coastlines and provide a shield against the effects of climate change, including coastal erosion and sea level rise. In addition, they provide housing, protection and food for all types of species, including fish, conserve coral and nourish sea grass.

Officials from the Center for Environmental Justice (CEJ) report that “mangrove cover in Sri Lanka has drastically reduced over the last decade”. According to a 2010 survey, there were up to 12 thousand hectares of plantations in the country, but with the progressive uprooting recorded over the years, the coverage has been reduced to 8 thousand hectares.

Since 2010, several incidents of destruction have been reported, especially in Batticaloa, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Wanathawilluwa and Negombo.

Environmentalists Gihan Amarasekera and Nishnatha Punchihewa tell AsiaNews that "with the approval of the authorities, those who once deforested these mangrove areas for shrimp farming are now systematically clearing the sites for the salt industry. In doing so, the Puttalam lagoon system has been severely damaged by various destructive activities, even though the authorities turn a blind eye to large-scale destruction.”

In the meantime, they continue, "in addition to the destruction caused to the mangroves, most likely for shellfish farming, accusations also emerge regarding other areas cleared and assigned with false documents to families in the mangrove areas of the Puttalam-Kalpitiya lagoon.

Although these areas are not among those protected by the Ramsar Convention (on wetlands of international importance), they remain governed by the Forest Conservation Ordinance. “The environmental damage caused by the authorization - specify Gihan and Nishnatha - has yet to be assessed”.

According to Ajith Gihan, president of the NGO Wayamba Hada in Puttalam, in recent years "ecological groups have appealed to the authorities to take measures to protect the remaining mangrove systems".

However, they denounce, these repeated appeals "were not listened to". Shehan Nanayakkara, Dilini Gamage and Mudiyanse Samarajeewa, from the Karamba area, report that "the mangroves represented an obstacle to leasing the government-owned area" and "appear to have been cut secretly".

“Concerns have been raised - they continue - about the involvement of some senior officials, given that the nearby mangroves had been repeatedly cut down in recent years”.

Senior officials from the Ministry of the Environment confirm an "increase" in the phenomenon of "illegal deforestation" and, in some cases, there would be the involvement of local politicians but official evidence is lacking.

In this context several incidents of destruction have been reported in Kalpitiya, where a large area of mangroves “has been cleared for shrimp farming with the assistance of a local politician”.