Moragahakanda dam project: an ecological disaster

The Moragahakanda Kalu Ganga Dam project, the largest yet in the series of dams on the accelerated Mahaweli Scheme, is considered a pioneer in conservation. However, this too is rife with allegations of severe ecological harm that could've been avoided. 

The dam which was constructed in order to irrigate five districts resulted in the deforestation of thousands of acres in the Knuckles Mountain Range. While replanting strategies were run environmentalists noted that some trees that were cut down were over 500 years old. 

The Moragahakanda dam also releases its water into the Minneriya tank for irrigation purposes. This however has resulted in the disappearance of the Great Elephant Gathering of Minneriya as the herd's grazing area is now inundated even during the dry season. Ecologists also alleged that the failure to include important aspects such as fish ladders in the Dam may have resulted in the loss of fish species that are endemic to Sri Lanka. 

People translocated from the inundated areas into new towns like Laggala also claimed that their livelihoods had been at a standstill for the last 7 years. While agricultural lands had been allocated, farmers claimed that the lands were unsuitable for farming and that the fertilizer ban had made their soil unhealthy. 

The fertilizer ban which affected agriculture islandwide had severe impacts on the harvests that the irrigation from the dam was supposed to bring. Mahaweli Authority officials could not provide statistics of the yields brought by the project to the Sunday Times upon questioning. 

This documentary explores the environmental and social complications that the bad planning strategies of the project resulted in.

A documentary produced by the Sunday Times with support from the Earth Journalism Network (EJN). To read the full article, please click here.

Disclaimer: Reporting for this documentary ended in May 2022.