Walawe-Kolonne-Rakwana Frontiers

Park teams with elephants and birds

by Gamini G. Punchihewa

Somewhere in the deep Sabaragamuwa and lying in the lintels of the South-East section of our country, tucked away in the labyrinth of the entwining jungle fastness, encompassed by forest studded mountains lies a sprawling Park (one time denuded by unscrupulous illicit chena cultivators and illicit timber fellers) which has now turned into a safest sanctuary for the roaming elephants, deer, sambhur, wild boar, leopard, and hordes motley birds both native and migrant.

This vast parkland is skirted by one of our principal rivers namely the Walawe ganga.

This meandering but resourceful, Walawe ganga rises in the Horton Plains cascading down the Haputale-Balangoda-Kaltota escarpments and finally meets the sea at Ambalantota. For man's welfare and prosperity, this lonely river running into 83 miles was tamed by the construction of a dam across at Timbuketiya in 1968. Its resultant man-made-lake came to be called Uda Walawe Reservoir.

The construction of this Uda Walawe Reservoir commenced in 1964. It was constructed by the Gal Oya Development Board/River Valleys Development Board.

The Supply of technological equipment and supervision of installations were carried out by Skoda Export of Czecholovasika, while its headworks were carried out by Ceylon Development Engineering Company. The closure of the river took place on February 3, 1968. It was inaugurated by the late Prime Minister, Dudley Senanayake in the presence of the ex-minister of Lands, Irrigation, and Power, the late Mr. C. P. de Silva.

Uda Walawe National Park

Once a great irrigation tank like this Uda Walawe Reservoir was built in 1968. Its catchment and the virgin forest have to be preserved and conserved for posterity, in the name of conservation nature.

So with all hopes of saving the tank and its catchment of such vastness, the present Uda Walawe National Park (located at the 7th mile post of the Uda Walawe-Tanamalvila highway), was declared as a National Park by a Government Gazette notification No. 14 of 30.61972. The declaration of this park had been even mooted way back in 1968.

The park comprises 119 square miles including the water surface area of the tank, it being 13 square miles. Before we emerge into further disclosures on this fascinating park now teeming with wild animals, particularly the elephant assembling in big concentrations, other animal species, and a motley of birds both native and migrant varieties, let us pause for a while and peep into the grim past of its wanton massacre perpetrated on this virgin forest cover for doing chena cultivations, finally how this denuded parkland came to be later resuscitated.

Even before it was declared as a Park, the crying need for land hunger grew in laps and bounds, when multitudes of people from the locality and outside places squared on the forest cover.

That was the first disastrous turning point that paved its way for the rape of this sprawling virgin forest. In the wake of this drastic destruction, came the near decimation of many species of fauna-flora-avifauna that were copiously filled then.

Silver lining

The resultant catastrophe followed the disastrous slash and burn methods of clearing jungle for the cultivation of chena and other food crops. Despite the skeleton wild life conservation department staff stationed at Uda Walawe Park Office for its administration of the park (1975-76), still the department staff took prompt action under the laws of the country to evict the squatters from the parkland. At that time I was transferred from Gal Oya Project to the Walawe Project in 1970.

I was too then in close association with the past pioneer park wardens like A. B. Fernando, childers Jayawardena, the late Simon and in later years like Jayaweera, Muthubanda and a host of other park officials of the time, for the resurrection of this devastated parkland. At that time I was employed with the River Valleys Development Board as a village officer and Lands Officer.

Being a member of the Wild Life and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka for 45 years, I had pursued officially with its former Hony. President - Thilo Hoffman, General Secretaries like Lalith Senanayake, Dr. Ranjan Fernando, other committee members like Chandra Liyanage in spotlighting the grave situation prevailing for the resurrection of the park, and the eviction of the squatters through the good office of the then Director of Wilelife Conservation Department, the veteran wildlife conservation expert, Mr. Lyn de Alwis together with the Ministry officials.

The R. V. D. B. when administrating this Walawe region, its officials in collaboration with its officials and the staff attached to the Park administration, as mentioned earlier in the ilk of A. B. Fernando, Childers Jayawardena and their field staff took joint action swiftly in serving quit notices on the squatters to eject them. At that time, when the rape of the jungle was in full swing with upto 50% of its jungle cover destroyed.

I wish to recall with nostalgia being a lover of nature and wildlife, I also happened to be a frequent visitor before and after it was restored 20 years ago.

I had wandered into the almost nooks and corners in the company of the wildlife department past Park Wardens and the members and Hony. President of the Wild Life Society and Nature Protection Society and its Committee members which have been already mentioned earlier in this very article.

Once in 1976, at the request of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka, Colombo, I had the privilege of accompanying Mr. Vellmar, a then distinguished member of the World Wildlife Fund. Looking at the charred remains of the giant tree trunk that stood as mere skeletons aping a 'Forest Grave-Yard', with a deep sign wailed thus: "Oh, it is park without any animals and devoid of its forest cover, that it would take another 25 years for the destroyed jungle growth to rejunevate" How verily those predictions have now come true as the Park has almost re-junevated and filled with elephants, other animals, birds and what not of wild life! Then in another glaring news item in the 'Ceylon Daily News' of July 24, 1975, it spotlighted the forest massacre brazenly in these dismal words, "What's the use of a Park without animals asked Alice".!

Closest Park

The Uda Walawe National Park is the closest of all parks in our country from Colombo.

It's about 100 odd miles-along the Ratnaura-Pelmadulla-Embilipitiya-Nonagama highway. Its turn off is off the Uda Walawe Barrier Junction via the road leading to Tanamalvila. It's over the bund road of the Uda Walawe reservoir about 6-7 miles away. The park Office is located at the 7th mile post-the gateway to the interior of the Park. It is only 15 miles from Embilipitiya.

The other route (which is much closer) from Embilipitiya via the Moraketiya junction through Sevanagala Sugar Plantations which road falls close to the 7th mile post on the Tanamalvila road.

The other trunk road routes from Kataragama-Tissamaharama is via Tanamalvila-Uda Walawe road and from Galle-Matara via Nonagama Junction through Embilipitiya.