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Moragahakanda water imperils Minneriya jumbo gathering
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A herd of elephants who appeared to have withered for lack of feeding opportunities
By Kasun Warakapitiya
Officials from the Wildlife Conservation and Department of Irrigation have different views and priorities.
Environmental activist Sajeewa Chamikara from the Movement for Land and Agriculture Reform said the elephant gathering in Minneriya is a famous annual wildlife event.
The gathering coincides with the time when water at the Minneriya tank recedes from end June to mid-October, exposing the tank bed and allowing new grass to grow.
“This year the gathering did not properly take place. The water levels of the tank did not go down due to the water released from the Moragahakanda tank,’’ he said.
Mr Chamikara explained that the elephant gathering is biologically important as hundreds of animals of different herds gather to feed.
“This allows the gene pool to remain healthy as animals from different groups and areas are able to mate,” he said. Supun Lahiru Prakash, the convener of the Biodiversity Conservation and Research circle, said that when elephants lose their traditional dry season feeding grounds and face food shortages they inevitably raid homes of farmers, home gardens, and paddy fields.
A dead elephant calf in the area
“It will only cause the innocent poor farmers who are suffering from the human-elephant conflict to fall into a more critical situation and another new group will become victims of unplanned development,’’ he said.
Female elephants and their calves do not encroach on human habitats and could die of starvation and malnutrition. This, in turn, could impede elephant conservation and accelerate the extinction of the Asian elephant.
Minneriya Park Warden D.K.P.M. Pradeep Kumara told the Sunday Times the elephants appeared to have withered for lack of feeding opportunities.
“If the authorities decide to at least allow the water to drop from May to October next year (2023) the elephants would be able to feed well,’’ he said.
He said female elephants give birth to calves once every four to five years. The gathering plays a major role bringing herds together allowing the gene pool to widen when they mate.
Safari jeep drivers operating at the Minneriya Park, too, said tourism has dried up.
Driver Asanka Dharmasinghe said he gets a trip once a week compared with about six in previous years.
“We were forced to take tourists to an eco park of the forestry department. Only around 50 to 70 elephants were seen near Minneriya tank, and that is very low compared with before,’’ he said.
Chandana Sooriyabandara, the director general of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, claimed that officials did join the water panel discussions and can only do so if invited.
He said that the department opposed making the Minneriya tank a stock tank for Moragahakanda tank water when it was mentioned in the environmental impact assessment of the tank.
“Environmental impact assessments are only considered documents to pass projects; the authorities do not really look into the real impact,’’ he said.
Supun Lahiru Prakash
He said that the elephant gathering is a rare event and is biologically important to the animals and has become a major tourism attraction.
“Minneriya and Kaudulla tanks have filled up; elephants have no place to graze, then when food is scarce they come on to farmland for food and come into conflict with people,’’ he said.
The director of irrigation, water management, D. Abeysiriwardena told the Sunday Times that irrigation tanks serve agriculture, hydro power generation, as a source of drinking water, for industry, environment, forests and wildlife, flood retention, and recreation.
In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic slowdown, electricity generation was hampered due to fuel shortages, he said.
The water panel comprising the Mahaweli Authority, Irrigation Department, National Water Supply and Drainage board, Ceylon Electricity Board and other stakeholders decided to use irrigation tank water for maximum hydro power generation and for agriculture.
“Hydro power water from Moragahakanda goes to Minneriya, Kaudulla and Kantale mainly, while also indirectly feeds Parakrama Samudraya and Grithale tanks,” he said.
Mr Abeysiriwardena said this was a special circumstance and a national need. Water storage was needed at Minneriya tank for agriculture, inland fishing, drinking, and other purposes.
“At the time the decision was made, the wildlife department was not a member of the water panel but they, too, were included after they complained about elephant grazing lands. However, their participation at meetings was limited,” he said.
“For future meetings we have included all sectors, including wildlife and for weekly decisions on tank water management. By considering all factors and using water management technology, water panels try to accommodate requests from all sectors, including wildlife.’’
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