Killer crocodiles send shockwaves along Nilwala waters

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

The beauty of the Nilwala river (Matara ganga) on the southern plains of the island exerts an irresistible, compelling influence on the viewer. But the people on either side of the river are now bitterly disappointed with the river's captivating allure which disguises danger and death lurking underwater. Now the people have little prospect of having close dealings with the river as it has become the abode of a team of crocodiles seeking to prey on whoever comes within their reach.

Cascading down the Gongala hills, the Nilwala river (or Matara ganga as popular folk poetry refers to it) serves as an undeniable elixir of life for people before it joins the sea at Thotamuna.

The river substantially supports the villagers' struggle to make a living by cutting clay bricks and supplying sand. People supplying sand are seen toiling pretty hard to bring basketfuls of sand from the riverbed and to empty them into the canoes.

Earlier the Nilwala river had become a significant place in Sinhala and Tamil New Year festivals in which competitors swam across the river. The villager had a plunge into the water after the day's hard work and the village women, accompanied by their children, used to be at the river for all washing purposes.

Children and youngsters habitually played various water sports on the river until they recoiled in horror at the very sight of the river teeming with crocodiles. By all counts, the river, the village and the people's struggle for life have become inseparably intertwined. And it is pretty impossible for people to overlook the river simply due to crocodiles. However, this problem is to be dealt with successfully.

Predators

Crocodiles of the Nilwala river became highly publicised when tragic cases of women and schoolchildren attacked by them hit the headlines of the electronic and printed media a few weeks ago.

The villagers' experience reveals that the crocodiles which lived earlier used to 'bask' on the sandy islands in the middle of the river and on its banks. But they exhibited no tendency to attack or prey on people. Most often they were seen swimming up and down the river and sometimes.

Certain crocodiles had been familiar with the people who fed them. All of a sudden, there has been a lethal conflict between villagers and the crocodiles of Nilwala - a replayed version of man-elephant conflict.

A few weeks ago, the killer crocodiles - the new generation - began to launch their attack on the villagers. A shocked mother finds it difficult even to relive the terrifying ordeal in which her daughter was taken underwater trapped in the jaws of a giant crocodile.

The girl student was having a wash in the shallows of Nilwala in preparation to go to school when the crocodile seized her and disappeared into the water. In spite of everything that mother did in desperation to save her child, the schoolgirl fell victim, to the predator while the mother watched with disbelief.

Just a week before the tragedy, a woman who was washing clothes on a rock on the river had been captured by a crocodile while her two sons kept on screaming in horror.

Man responsible

The solution to the problem? Is it to kill the crocodiles. This is where it is difficult to reconcile the demands of environmental conservation and man's struggle for safety. For the authorities, it is purely a matter of confrontation of principles.

However, as other environmental issues, man has been instrumental in paving the path for this unanticipated misadventure.

Unlimited digging of the riverbed for sand has gradually made the riverbed lower than the sea level.

The sea water blends with the river water producing ideal conditions for the breeding of the variety of murderous crocodiles popularly known as 'Geta Kimbula.'

This is said to be the most dangerous of all crocodile varieties.

Most obviously, the waste released to the river from butchers and fish stalls in towns along the Nilwala river, has considerably increased their appetite for human flesh. The low, overhanging branches of trees and thickly grown bushes on both sides of the river have produced a dark atmosphere which itself is natural breeding condition for murderous crocodiles.

Confined spaces

Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has revealed to the media that approximately 300 crocodiles in the Nilwala river. Wildlife Director General K. D. Ratnayaka has roughly calculated the number of crocodiles to exceed 100.

However, the Government and villagers living close to the river have improvised enclosures within the river where people can use the river with the utmost security from possible attacks by crocodiles.

But some enclosures built by villagers are proved to be inadequate in strength and technology to avert intrusion by crocodiles. Even the schoolgirl had fallen prey to the crocodile while she was washing herself within an unsafe enclosure built by villagers.

With the intensified threat from crocodiles, the government has allocated Rs 12 million to construct 30 enclosures.

It is revealed that no person has encountered crocodiles within the enclosures built by the Government and authorities advise the people to use such enclosures.

Even the enclosures built by the Government are now overloaded with garbage and mud but the users seem to be rather oblivious to their responsibility to clear them.

The enclosures are far apart and people find it extremely difficult to reach them.

Unfortunately the enclosures fail to include a large number of people at a time and some people are inclined to avoid the enclosures which are congested with people engaged in washing.

Dr. Kantha Prasad, together with a team of members of wildlife organisation has launched an operation to entrap the crocodiles in the Nilwala river. Accordingly, they captured a crocodile and have made arrangements to release it into a place of safety.

Wildlife Director General K.D. Rathnayaka said that capturing a crocodile does not at all narrow down the threats to villagers from killer crocodiles. According to him, only a few crocodiles out of many varieties are life-threatening and there is no proper place where captured crocodiles could be released.

The Wildlife Conservation Department has set upon 50 acre 'Crocodile Park' in the terrain Kirala Kele - Matara.

Therefore, the wildlife authorities have suspended catching crocodiles until the completion of such a park.

In the interim, the Disaster Management Centre has adopted measures to establish new safety enclosures in the river, to cut off overhanging branches and bushes growing on the river, and organise public awareness programs at village level.