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Nature
disturbed to resettle tsunami victims in South The Sunday Times learns that areas such as Rekawa and the scrubland in Bata-attha and Ussangoda had been cleared for resettlement. CEA Director General Manel Jayamanne said local agencies, some NGOs and other agencies are in a hurry to resettle people. "In Rekawa, people who had land between the lagoon and the sea, have moved 100 metres towards the lagoon, as they have lost their lands facing the sea. They have cut down mangroves near the lagoon once they occupied the place," Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha chairman K. Kithsiri said. Director General of Planning and Operations in UDA, Prasanna Silva said the clearing was not done by the UDA. "The clearing would have been done by other parties. We are regularising everything and are in the process of having talks with the CEA to identify lands," he said. Meanwhile, the Excavation Officer of the Archaeological Department regional office in Galle, W.K. Sanath said Ussangoda has been declared as a prehistoric site by the Archaeological Department. "In Ussangoda we found evidence of stone age people of the area and some stone tools as well. These areas cannot be used for resettlement," he said. "The clearing in Bata-attha and Ussangoda areas has been done in the few remaining scrublands. These areas serve as a refuge for many native and migratory birds, reptiles and many plant species," said M. Sandun J. Perera, Assistant Programme Officer, Ecosystem and Livehood Group of the World Conservation Union. |
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