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| Sunday, 8 August 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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New lease of life for neglected lake Believed to be the site of the 'Borelasgamuwa Treasure' during the reign of King Vijayabahu, the Maharagama Lake performed a more mundane, but useful role in flood control during the 1920s before negligence transformed it into a silted and polluted body of water, where even aqua life failed to survive. by Don Asoka Wijewardena
The Maharagama Lake which has been neglected by successive governments is being developed with a view to enhancing its natural habitat, assisting economic development in the area and providing a host of recreation and leasure facilities. Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply, Dinesh Gunawardena, who took an initiative to develop the Lake has already given the greenlight to commence necessary development activities in accordance with the newly formulated plan of the Maharagama Urban Development Project. The Maharagama Lake with a historical background which dates back to the reign of King Vijayabahu V1 (1510-1522), is believed to be the site of the famous 'Boralesgamuwa Treasure' mentioned in the Vijayabakollaya (1521). However, according to the collected data available in the Department of Irrigation, this Lake was created during the period between 1920-1935 as a measure to control the constant flooding of the area. An extraordinary feature of the Maharagama Lake is that it is not fed by any river or rivulet but is located on a flat land, 14 feet above the sea level. The area covered is 11.5 hectares and the rainwater collected in the Lake has been instrumental in providing irrigation facilities to over 232 acres of paddy lands and has proliferated to the marshes around Bellanwila. This Lake has also been regarded as the breeding ground for many varieties of aquatic lives. The surrounding area has given a unique natural habitat for several species of birds.
Urban Development Ministry officials say that due to haphazard developmental activities initiated by successive governments and sheer neglience of the concerned authorities, the Lake is at present in a dilapidated condition with unfavourable environmental conditions, especially for bird species and aquatic plants. The bird species found to be under threat of extinction and aquatic life was reduced to four varieties due to environmental pollution caused by encroachments on the bund and the discharge of effluents from nearby industrial complexes and houses. Overgrowth of salvinia has also posed another hazard, while the cultivable acreage has been drastically reduced. On a directive of Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, important decisions were taken to develop and enhance the pristine beauty and value of the Lake, with a water storage plant, which would ease the water needs during drought periods. A special feature will be an inland fishery. Minister Gunawardena has directed officials of the UDA, the Irrigation Department and the Maharagama Urban Council to join hands to implement the Maharagama Lake Development Project with all available resources. The develpment strategies that have been devised are based on providing irrigation facilities to farmers in the surrounding areas, constructing pavements around the Lake with shady trees and constructing a children's park as a special attraction. The island is to be converted into a garden and a jetty will be made
available with boats as recreation for people who are bent on pleasure
seeking. Efforts will also be made to develop and maintain an ecological
balance of the area.The vision of the Minister Gunawardena is to let the
trees blossom, birds come back to their nests, and resuscitate aquatic
life. Bomuruella Hydro Power Project : EFL wins first round by Shanika Sriyananda The Court of Appeal last week ordered the implementation of the hydro power project by a private company on the Bomuruella falls on the upper reaches of the Uma Oya, Nuwara Eliya, be suspended. this follows a plea made by the Environmental Foundation Ltd (EFL). The EFL filed a case against the project requesting that the approval granted by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), be cancelled. It also requested the court to quash the annual permit given by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The proposed hydro power project, estimated to generate 9.2 MW, is in the Kandapola - Seetha Eliya Forest Reserve, which belongs to the Forest Department, and is located downstream of the Bomuruella reservoir. "The proposed site is in an environmentally sensitive area with rich bio-diversity but no EIA has been carried out so far. Only an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Report, not for public comment, was prepared", Vinod Moonasinghe, EFL information officer, claimed. According to the EFL, the private company was granted the approval based on the IEE, which is a mere report to ascertain the environmental impacts of the project. The EFL has also charged the responsible authorities for not carrying out site inspection to evaluate the geological features of slope stability and drainage pattern of slopes between the wire and the fore bay tank. " The power house is to be constructed at an elevation of nearly 1270 metres above sea level and the necessary slope excavation could effect the stability of the hill side", he said. The EFL has warned of grave and irreparable damage to the environment if the project is implemented, including deforestation, loss of endemic flora, soil erosion and earth slips. " Over 1420 trees will be cut to construct the power plant and
this would affect the rainfall pattern," Moonasinghe added. Guide to National Parks : Lahugala Kitulana Located in the basin of the Heda Oya in the Moneragala district, Lahugala Kitulana is one of the smallest parks in the country. Popular among bird watchers and elephant lovers it was declared as a Sanctuary in 1966, and became a National Park in 1980. The park filled with the chirping calls of rare birds, still preserves remnants of the Magulmahavihara, which was built in remembrance of the marriage between King Kavantissa and Princess Viharamaha Devi. Encompassing area of 1,554 hectares, the park has a flat terrain with occasional outcrops. Waters of three tanks - Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa flow through the park to join the Heda Oya. Lying in the dry zone and nearly 16 kilometres from the coastal town of Pottuvil in the Eastern Province, the Lahugala Kitulana park is a dry mixed evergreen forest with scrubs. Weera, palu, halmilla, milla, satin and ehela are the common tree species that grow in the park with beru, a tall reedy grass covering the tanks. The beru grass in the tanks has made the park a feeding ground for elephants. Herds of over 150 elephants at the Lahugala tank is a common sight from July to August. Though this is small in size, the park is home to the endemic toque macaque, common langur, sloth bear, jackal, rusty spotted cat, fishing cat, leopard, wild bear, Indian muntjac, spotted deer, sambar, pangolin and black naped hare. The avifauna diversity of the land had made Lahugala a popular haunt among bird watchers. This harmonious land is the nestling place for wetland birds like pelican, purple heron, painted stork, lesser adjutant stork, white bellied sea eagle, grey headed fishing eagle, common kingfisher, stork billed kingfisher and white breasted kingfisher. Endemic comb duck, rare red faced malkoha and Sri Lankan Spurfowl are also inhabitants of the park. Endemic frogs - bufo athukoralei, rana limnocharis, rhacophorus maculatu, kaloula pulchra and microphyla rubra and some important reptiles species like - python, rat snake, flying snakes, cat snakes, whip snakes and russell's viper are also residents of the park. Lahugala Kitulana is 318 kilo metres away from Colombo, access to those arriving from Beragala and Koslanda is via Pelmadulla and Wellawaya via Moneragala. The other route is via Thimbolketiya, Udawalawe and Thanamalwila. Lahugala Kitulana National Park, which was closed to visitors due to security reasons, was opened to the public from last year. Source : Department of Wildlife Conservation Compiled by Shanika Sriyananda Butterflies of Sri Lanka A large format poster of butterflies of Sri Lanka with photographic images of 57 species of butterflies has been published by Jetwing Eco Holidays. The images are by wildlife populariser Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne.
The idea for the poster came after Wijeyeratne visited the Nature Society of Singapore and received a poster published by them. A keen wildlife photographer, he immediately saw the potential for creating awareness of the diversity of butterflies in Sri Lanka through a similar photographic poster. Sri Lanka has 242 species of butterflies including a group of insects known as the Skippers. A significant number are endemic although the species considered as endemic vary from one author to another. Posters such as this will help to create awareness of the island's precious bio-diversity. Jetwing Eco Holidays has also used the poster as a marketing tool to develop butterfly watching tours to Sri Lanka. The poster is available at leading bookshops. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
The poster is designed to fill a gap in the natural history literature
on Sri Lanka. At present there is no photographic guide to the butterflies
of Sri Lanka showing species photographed under wild conditions Chandrika
Maelge, team leader of Jetwing Eco Holidays, states that the poster is
stepping stone. She believes it will at least provide a means to identify
some of the commoner butterflies until the publication of a guide book
which her team is working on, is in print.
