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| Sunday, 19 May 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Will the verbal assurances of resettlement become... Submerged promises ? by Vimukthi Fernando The impossible stench... descending the steps from the main road that's
what we are greeted with. We are in the middle of the housing Can't the childern find some warmeth in their houses? But, how can they... The dingy rooms are not even 8 feet in length and breadth. They are very dark inside. That is where they live, with a number of siblings, parents, grandparents, the chicken, hens and goats. Sometimes aunts, uncles and cousins also join in. This is the Lot 6 lines of the Talawakelle Estate. Promise It is hard to find a female to talk with. Language 'barrier' keeps the questions locked in my mind. A smiling face and a musical voice informs me that "they promised to give us single houses with 2 rooms, a sitting area, kitchen and a toilet - and some land." Thuniarasa Rekha is 20 year old now. Armed with the knowledge of all 3 languages, 7 pases at the O/L exam and a computer applications certificate, she awaits employment, dreaming of a better future. Yes, it is "a dream come true. Something we can never achieve with our own money." BUT... "How can we be sure whether we will get what they say will be given?"
Suspiscion looms large amidst the hope. Not only in the hearts of those living in the line rooms of the Talawakelle Estate. But also in the minds of the residents of Kumaragama in Talawakelle, a mixed hamlet of 72 families whose houses will soon be submerged in the waters of Kotmale Oya, once the 30 meter high intake dam is constructed to collect water for the long awaited Upper Kotmale Hydro Power (UKHP) project which is expected to release 150 mega watts of energy to the national grid. Sentiment runs high. They are the very houses where these people were born and bread, and lived their whole lives. Some just a few years old... others over 80... all awaiting a verdict "legally acceptable anywhere anytime. Not just word of mouth. We know what happened to our friends and relatives when they built Kothmale (reservoir)", is the demand of Arumugam Sadalingam, a resident in Talawakelle Estate. Houses "It is good to see if they give us what they promise. Here the constuction was stopped for the past 2-3 years. We cannot even repair our houses. But, we want to see the houses built and given to us before we leave the settlement" says S. Jayanthi 37. Her father had been the first settler in Kumarasiripura in 1936. Though sad to let go of the familiar house she is agreeable for resettlement. A chorus of voices agree. "No one here wants to oppose the project. It is good for us as well as the whole country. What we want is legal assurance," says A.M.M. Marimuttu, 44, of the same hamlet. "It is good to submerge these settlements. The people there live in hell during the rainy season. This is an 'orphaned' town. There's no one to help us.
When the town is about to get some benefit - the very politicians who should be happy about its development oppose and create chaos because of petty individualistic politics" says Palitha Karunaratne, a businessman in the town. He looks forward to the infrastructure development, to improve his business. Meanwhile, the residents look for assurance, in the form of a certificate from the relevant authorities through the Government Agent (District/Divisional Secretary) of the area. Past experience, such as the Castle Reigh in the 1960s and the Kothmale Reservoir in the 1980s and the political culture of promises never kept and the petty individualistic politics of bringing up personal issues before national concerns have created reservations in some people. Though the project has a component on consulatation of people for resettlement it seems that this is not being implemented adequately. Transparency is what they clamour for and a bottom up process which takes the grassroot needs to the higher levels, instead of the ramming down of projects designed in the cool rooms. An urgent national need and a sigh of relief for those who endured the suffering of regaular power-cuts for long hours. UKHP, formulated by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) through a feasibility study under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be inaugurated tomorrow, Monday, May 20, 2002 by Karu Jayasuriya, Minister of Power and Energy at Talawakelle. The project plans to divert the waters of Kotmale Oya at the Talawakelle intake dam erected within 01 kilometer from Talawakelle town through a headrace tunnel (length 12.5 km) to a power house located about 1 km downstream of Pundal Oya and Kotmale Oya explained Shavindranath Fernando, Project Director UKHP. Water of six tributaries will be diverted through diversion tunnels and headrace tunnels to the Talawakelle regulation reservoir using regulation ponds created with dams between the height of 2 meters (minimum) to 30 meters (maximum). The project, was a point of controversy between environmentalists and energy activists on its adverse impact on waterfalls. It was feared that the waterfalls would no longer be seen because the waterflow will be reduced. However, after many a discussion and adjudication a verdict was given by the Secretary, Ministry of Forestry and Environment in March 2000, approving the project subject to the strict adoption of the proposed mitigation measures to overcome the potential adverse issues and concerns brought up. A committee consisting representatives of the Environment Foundation Limited along with the representatives of related ministries and government departments is appointed to monitor the progress and adherence of mitigation measures. According to Fernando, mainly affected will be the St. Clair Waterfalls. A fall where 98% of the water will be tapped for power generation. The mitigation method proposed is the intermittent discharge of water (50% of the annual average runoff) 10 times during the day. Devon Oya waterfall where 88% of the water will be tapped will have a maintenance discharge (30% of the annual average runoff) 10 hours during the day. Mitigation measures will not be taken for the maintenance of Poona Oya, Ramboda Oya, Pundal Oya (Dunsinane) since the tapping of water will not affect the existence of the waterfalls. While 79% and 58% of the waters of Poona Oya and Ramboda Oya waterfalls will be tapped with dams constructed upstream at Pundal Oya, waterflow downstream will be pumped up to the nearest regulation pond. However, St. Andrew's Cascade with a catchment area of about 3.3 square kilometers will become non-existent. Challenge Re-settlement or relocation of 460 households, about 50 business premises and 10 community structures, is a challenge says Karu Jayasuriya, Minister Power & Energy. Plans are under way to keep the settlements within the Urban Council limits within an acceptable distance from the original settlement and to provide better housing and services for the households. Each individual sub-community will be offered the opportunity to resettle together avoiding community fragmentation and maintaining existing social networks. The minimum housing unit would be of 500 square feet consisting of 2 bed rooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and a toilet. The extent of the housing unit will depend on the extent of the present housing facility. Water and electricity will be provided to all households, he explains. The UKHP project is being initiated with a US $ 297 million (33 billion Japanese Yen) loan from the government of Japan. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
area. A
public tap stands aloof... its water had run dry long years ago... The
drain bisects the path, its waters have turned a dark muck. Outside the
houses sit old women in dark coloured sarees their mouths red with beatal
chewing. They are shrivelled and thin as the reed they use to weave
baskets with. Some wash kitchen utensils that were used the night before.
Runny noses... everywhere. Children run about.... with dirty tattered
clothing barely enough to cover their little bodies. Some are completely
naked. It is a chilly morning.
