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Stop landfilling and building on reservation land: Farmers in Kataragama
Unauthorised constructions on reservation lands
Farmers’ Associations in Kataragama have petitioned the Environmental Unit of the Presidential Secretariat alleging that their cultivation plots adjacent to traditional irrigation tanks are being indiscriminately destroyed to make way for the fast expanding tourism industry.
They allege marshy wetlands are being filled to build hotels, rest houses and restaurants and that around 1000 acres of irrigation land would be destroyed if this landfill continued.
The Grama Niladhari divisions worst affected include Kataragama, Sella Kataragama, Kandasurindugama, Detagamuwa and Karavile covering the Kataragama Divisional Zone.
Businessmen from the towns are coming to their villages and threatening the livelihood of around 5000 families. The filling of irrigation tanks and the river basin is making paddy cultivation more and more difficult, Janasetha Farmers’ Association Secretary, W.A.K.Piyadasa said. He added generations have lived in these areas using water from these tanks and they have to be protected.
Anyone who comes to Kataragama or Detagamuwa can witness the construction of parapet walls coming up around hotels, guest houses and swimming pools that are being built. These have been mentioned in the petition submitted to the President and the Prime Minister, Mr. Piyadasa said.
He alleged that the landfilling has affected Goyagala wewa, Kohombha wewa, Chandere wewa, Kukulkatuwa wewa, Gerikatu wewa, Samurdhi wewa and the Akkara Visse wewa and the reservation areas have been forcefully encroached upon.
The farmers allege that the businessmen have prepared forged documents to show ownership of these reservation areas.
Janasetha Farmers’ Association president, Chief Incumbent of the Kirivehera, Kataragama, Ven. Kobawaka Daminda Thera said they had informed the authorities in writing about these activities.
He said the Goyagala wewa irrigated some 125 acres of paddy and sustained 48 farming families. The water capacity of this tank had drastically reduced due to unauthorised filling. “This is only one example. But the situation is similar with regard to 20 irrigation tanks surrounding the divisional area. We hope that the Presidential Task Force on Environment will carryout a probe on the matter,” the Thera said.
Ven. Kobawaka Damminda Thera
Meanwhile Kataragama Divisional Agrarian Services Development Officer Sunil Sriyananda said he had received similar complaints. “These lands are managed by the Divisional Secretariat” he said, adding that the tank reservation areas need to be surveyed before claims of encroachment of these areas are looked into,” he said.
Commenting on the matter, Kataragama Divisional Secretary, S. Weerakoon said the land area under the Divisional Secretariat is around 80,000 acres and about 80% of this land has been demarcated as forest reservations. “Some people prepare forged documents and sell lands to businessmen,” he said.
Moneragala District Secretary Mrs. D.S.Padmakularuriya conceded that unauthorised constructions had come up in these reservation areas in Detagamuwa.