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Proposals to reclaim encroached land around Wilpattu Sanctuary
View(s):A government committee appointed to look into disputed lands around the Wilpattu Sanctuary has recommended that encroached plots be reclaimed.
Abandoned houses. Pic by Hiran Prikyankara Jayasinghe
Musali Divisional Secretary, K.S.Wasantha Kumara, a member of the Committee told the Sunday Times a detailed report with the recommendations had been submitted.
“Certain areas in the buffer zone around the sanctuary and the lands belonging to the Wildlife Department have been encroached upon,” he said adding that the Forestry Department was trying to reclaim those lands without a proper plan.
A visit to the area by journalists this week revealed that some of the houses built in the areas were under utilised and that most of the occupants had left the area. Closed structures had been eroded by the jungle. While the Electricity Board has given connections to such housing units, the houses still remained unoccupied.
The acute shortage of drinking water, a lack of sanitary facilities and other basic amenities have prompted those in the area to vacate their homes. According to reports no feasibility study on the environmental impact of the housing project in the nature reservation was put forward prior to its commencement. The housing project has affected the ecological balance and sustainability of animal life in Wilpattu and Kallaru.
The President previously ordered the suspension of human settlements in the reservation and declared the Kallaru forest as a conservation reservation since 2016.
Environmental Attorney, Jagath Gunewardena commenting on the developments said the cleared land belongs to the Marrichchikaru – Kallaru area which is home to a thriving growth of medicinal plants and valuable timber trees. Further, it was pointed out that Ayurvedic plants such as Himbuttu and Kotala are no more as the jungle has been cleared indiscriminately owing to the development of settlements.