Truth, lies and reality

Officials say no resettlement in the Wilpattu National Park, environmentalists claim otherwise:

While the controversy over the alleged resettlements in the Wilpattu National Park and grave environmental concerns have resurfaced, Cabinet ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Rishad Bathiudeen, the latter being directly involved in the controversy, have collectively claimed that no resettlements were taking place within the boundaries of the national park and its vicinity.

by P. Krishnaswamy and Dhaneshi Yatawara

Mannar District Secretary M. Y. S. Deshapriya who is the district level authority on the controversial issue of alleged resettlement in the Wilpattu National Park, told the Sunday Observer an on-the-spot inspection conducted by a high level government team on the alleged encroachment into the Wilpattu National Park has confirmed that there have been no such encroachments either into the Park, its 1.25 km buffer zone or the park reservation areas.

The resettlements in question are quite outside these areas, he said adding that there was no truth in allegations on encroachments into the national park. The issue was only allocating the required extents of lands for elephant corridor in the Kal Aru river basin, one to the extent of one km and the other to 1.6 km.

The resettled people have been allocated lands legally. But the settlers have expressed discontent over the allotment of extended lands for the elephant corridors and this requires sorting out, he said, adding that they should adopt an attitude of compromise.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, Nihal Rupasinghe, said a ministry team had visited the Wilpattu National Park, its buffer zones and the reservation areas for a first-hand information on allegation into the park and submitted a report, identifying the issues requiring intervention, to President Maithripala Sirisena.

The President will appoint a committee soon to sort out the issue. The President also issued a special decree that prohibits clearing the area surrounding the national park and allocating lands.

However, JVP frontliner and Western PC member Lal Kantha refuting these claims said the Wilpattu National Park, the Kal Aru river basin, Periyamadu and the Northern sector all belonged to one natural environmental and biodiversity network, each closely interacting and affecting the other.

It is ‘we’ who have segregated them for our own needs but otherwise they are ‘one whole’, he said.

Lal Kantha insisted that a committee should be appointed to immediately ascertain the veracity of the different claims and, at the conclusion of the investigations and inquiries, if any one is found guilty he should be punished, or left alone if not found guilty and that is what the JVP insists upon, he said.

It should be in the similar manner as the present Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) and other units that are investigating crimes and corruption during the former regime, he said. Similar activities as in the national park had taken place in the past in places such as Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Monaragala and Mannar.

These are not only detrimental to national interest, the environment but also to the future generation, he said. In the future, boundaries should be clearly marked to such sensitive areas so that they will not be encroached for other purposes, he said.

He pointed out that the Director General of the Forest Department had openly admitted at a media conference that under the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa they did away, under political pressure, with many basic requirements on lands exceeding 100 acres in extent for development-related or other activities, including environmental impact.

Assessment

Environment Conservation Trust Director Sajeewa Chamikara insisted that over 1,500 people have been resettled in an area around 5,000 acres in the Kallaru Forest. He added that the resettlement has not happened in the Wilpattu National Park but the Kallaru forest is part of the forest network and comes under the Forest Conservation Ordinance of the Forest Department.

“Modaragan-aru Oya lies in the Northern Boundary of Wilpattu National Park.

The Wilpattu North Sanctuary and the Kallaru Forest starts at the end of the Wilpattu North Sanctuary. Under the Forest Conservation Ordinance this area is also being protected,” he said.

In addition to all the calamity, resettled human lives and the biodiversity in the Wilpattu Forest Reserve are hit by water scarcity and an emerging human - animal conflict. The problem will aggravate if the settlers compete to take water from reservoirs (willus) in the Wilpattu Forest Reserve which are meant for the animals, environmentalists warn.

“People will soon have to abandon this area because there is no water,” said Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice Hemantha Withanage. The Centre, jointly with the other environment conservation organisations worked together to point out the severity of the damage the authorities are causing since 2012 by resettling Muslim people in these remote lands.

“The only water source available is the water that is used to fill reservoirs (willus) in the wildlife park in the drought season.

“Forest destruction is already affecting the wildlife and if people start competing for water, human - animal conflict could trigger causing a disaster,” explained Withanage.

Elephant corridors exist in Kal Aru and near Zeenath Nagar, said Withanage. Today the nearly one kilometre-wide elephant corridor is now full of houses and a disaster will soon take place, these conservationists warn.

Withanage highlighting historical records said that history shows no stories of humans living in these areas for the past three to four decades or even 100 years ago. How could there be established settlements in these forests? Trees cut down are clearly over hundreds of years old, the environmentalist questioned.

The settlement in Marichchakattu is mostly of cadjan huts but well built houses are in other settlement areas such as Sannar even in 2012, said Withanage explaining their ground observations.

To avoid further damage and loss of human lives and wildlife the only option now available is removing these settlements, he pointed out.

Petition

Withanage said that Centre for Environment Justice will file a court case against all the relevant authorities for the injustice they have done for the people and the wildlife of the country.

The Green Movement of Sri Lanka is compiling another petition against the authorities on the damage they are causing to the country with these massive resettlements, said Bandu Ranga Kariyawasam, spokesperson for the Green Movement.

Resettlements are in Silavathurai, Sannar in Wedithalathivu and Periyamadu areas. As of today most of these areas have now exceeded the land areas initially released by the Forest Conservation Department, accused Kariyawasam.

According the him the forest is getting cleared in Sannar and Periyamadu areas.

The total area destroyed is nearly 2,390 acres. Any forest clearing over 12 acres (five hectares) of land and establishing any human settlement for over 100 families compulsorily need the Environment Impact Assessment report, said Kariyawasam. “It is a complete violation of the National Environment Act by the authorities. And the proper procedure to select people for the settlement has not been followed too by the District Secretary, according to the evidence we have gathered,” said Kariyawasam.

The timber is illegally traded, though the proper practice according to the rules and regulations of the country is to send the timber to the State Timber Corporation when state lands such as forest reserves are cleared. Huge amount of funds are pumped into the resettlement program from the Economic Development Ministry as well as numerous foreign funds mainly for housing. It is time to evaluate whether all these funds meant for the betterment of these communities are genuinely used by politicians for the people rather than fattening their own pockets.