Vandalised!

Forest Department initiates legal action against a mini hydro power project in the Sinharaja :

by Rukshana Rizwie

Conservator General of Forests, Anura Sathurusinghe

The construction of a mini-hydro dam blocking the Kosgulana River bordering the Sinharaja Forest has the Forest Department in a quagmire over the project's viability and the destruction it causes to the environment.

"Though the said company claimed there would be 'minimum damage' to the surrounding environment, forest patches are being cleared while trees within the forest reserve are being felled," said Anura Sathurusinghe, the Conservator General of Forests at the Department of Forest Conservation. "We have initiated legal action but more decisive action regarding the future of the project will be taken in the next few days."

Environmentalists opined that an 'illegal' mini-hydro project blocking the Kosgulana River has been causing havoc along the northern Sinharaja Rainforest buffer zone, approximately 4 km east from the Kudawa main entrance.

"A dam is been built blocking the Kosgulana river within the Sinharaja buffer zone. Several acres of rainforest have been cleared by heavy machinery and concrete laid out along the river bank," said Saman Perera of the Rainforest Protectors Sri Lanka.

He added that large trucks and machinery were being utilized for this construction has cleared what was once a small footpath in the Sinharaja buffer zone, between Kudawa and Kosgulana. "Along this small path to the south is the protected Sinharaja Rainforest and to the north, a hilly primary rainforest named Rajuwankanda that is yet to be declared as part of Sinharaja," he said. "Due to the expansion of this footpath, the rainforest has been fragmented with permanent damage already visible."

The narrow footpath bordering the forest is now used by trucks

The base of the 600 kilowatt dam

Trucks and machinery used on site. Pix courtesy: Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka

Perera alleged that the company in question has been engaged in clearing the forest for the last nine months to build this mini-hydro dam. "After several visits by officials from the company, they realized that they could only build a hydro-dam to generate 650 kilowatts."

Clearing trees

He added that the company was known to have conducted an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report but was uncertain if the EIA was duly conducted. "If it was, the company would not be allowed to construct a dam within a protected rainforest," he said. "The Forest Department has turned a blind eye to the situation which only exacerbated the matter."

When queried, the Forest Chief Sathurusinghe confirmed that an EIA was in fact handed to the Department prior to the commencement of the project.

"However due to the destruction, we have had to conduct an investigation of our own. Based on the opinions of our officials, this project poses too much risk to the forest reserve," he said.

"With such destruction happening just 4 km from the main entrance of Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest, why the Forest Conservation Department failure to take appropriate action is questionable," Saman Perera said. "The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has not done a proper EIA nor have they made it available for public comment."

He added that this is the second instance where the CEA has allowed destructive mini-hydro projects within the declared World Heritage Rainforest, the only one of its kind in the island. After allowing to continue the "Eli Hatha" or seven waterfalls mini-hydro project in Sripada (Peak Wilderness) which was a violation of the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance and the National Environment Act.

Long-term management

"These mini-hydro projects generate just a tiny amount of power (approximately 1 to 2 MW) but the destruction to the eco-system is detrimental." He said.

According to the UNSECO website, the forest is noted as a national heritage wilderness. The majority of the area within the property was originally declared a forest reserve in 1875, providing a long history of protection. The property is afforded the highest level of legal protection under the National Heritage and Wilderness Area Act of Sri Lanka and almost all the peripheral natural forests along the boundary have already been declared as conservation forests or reserved forests under the Forest Ordinance.

The values encompassed by the property were further recognized when it was declared a Biosphere Reserve in April 1978 and subsequently recognized as a world heritage site.

Threats

Threats to the integrity of the property primarily come from encroaching cultivation, particularly along the southern boundary. Development undertaken outside the property such as these hydro powered dams indirectly impacts the site through road developments which subsequently open up routes and entry points into the property, facilitating illegal logging and removal of resources, with illegal gem mining also posing a threat.

The traditional use of forest products is now restricted to areas outside the boundaries.

Low staffing levels hinder the policing of offences and a lack of funding is a barrier to the effective, long-term management of the area.

The management agency, the Sri Lankan Forestry Department has designated the management of Sinharaja a high priority, allocating funds according to the priorities spelled out in the management plan and on-going management programmers.