News
Man-made canal splits Godahewa fishing harbour into two
View(s):Pix and text by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi
Fishermen say that, apart from distorting the natural beauty of the lagoon, the project poses a major threat to their livelihood.
They say the canal has made boat manoeuvring a difficult task when they take the boats to the sea or bring them back to the shore.
Some 80 boats go fishing from the harbour, which is used by some 300 fishermen and about 500 others indirectly involved in the industry.
Fisherman M.M. Sampath said that before the canal was built, five fishermen would draw the boats to the shore, but now they needed about 50 people.
He said their complaints to the authorities had yielded no results.
Another fisherman said there was also a threat of fishing boats being washed into the sea while they struggled to bring the boats back to the shore.
A Coast Conservation Department senior official said they were unaware of the issue. However, a Disaster Management Centre official said the canal had been dug to avoid flooding in the area.
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