-
Petition before court seeking suspension of project
-
EIA being conducted; project likely to commence soon: CEA
-
Phase II of the project on hold due to protesting residents
amongst environmentalists and conservationists alike, while the residents surrounding the area live in a constant state of uncertainty, with the threat of losing their homes looming over their heads.
The Thalangama Wetland and its environs are identified as an EPA under the National Environmental Act (NEA), especially for its ecological, hydrological, and historical importance.
One of the major drawbacks of developmental projects in the present day is the harm that they cause to the environment and natural habitats. Whilst development is essential for a country to move forward in the world, if it does more bad than good, is it up to those calling the shots to reconsider certain decisions that may bring about irreversible consequences?
While the Gazette Notification No. 1487/10 issued on 5 March 2007 is to be re-gazetted by the Ministry of Environment to pave the way for the construction of the proposed Elevated Highway Project, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is yet to be implemented, The Sunday Morning learnt.
According to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, more commonly known as RAMSAR, Colombo is said to be the world’s only wetland capital city, owing to its ecological importance and abundance of biodiversity. Although the capital has seen a fast pace of development, it has most certainly not come without a cost.
Moreover, the Elevated Highway Project is to be implemented in two phases, Phase I is a four-lane section of road stretching over 6.9 km from the New Kelani Bridge to Rajagiriya, and Phase II of the project stretches over 10.4 km, which extends from Rajagiriya up to Athurugiriya, and would connect with the Outer Circular Expressway.
The contract for the construction of the project had been awarded to the China Harbour Engineering Corporation (Ltd.) last May on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis for 18 years, The Sunday Morning learnt.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Central Environment Authority (CEA) Chairman Siripala Amarasinghe stated that although the project is still in its preliminary stages, it is likely that it would commence soon.
According to Amarasinghe, several studies have been conducted to ascertain any potential environmental drawbacks if the project were to commence, given the environmental significance of the area, and several alternatives have been proposed.
“The CEA had several meetings with the respective officials in this regard, and if we are given a proposal which is convincing and would lead to minimal environmental impact to the environmentally protected area, then we would be able to fully give the green signal for the project. However, discussions are still ongoing in this regard and nothing has been finalised with regard to the company that would handle this project, or the proposal; it is a work in progress,” he said.
However, he further went on to say that the project would likely continue along the proposed route via the Thalangama EPA and affirmed that an EIA would be conducted and thoroughly analysed before arriving at a final conclusion.
Furthermore, a writ petition has been filed before the Court of Appeal by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), seeking an order preventing the construction of the highway over the Thalangama EPA, The Sunday Morning learnt.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, CEJ Chairman and Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare stated: “We have asked for the suspension of the elevated highway project, especially taking into account the part which goes through the Thalangama EPA. The wetland is an ecologically significant and sensitive area.”
Phase II of the project has temporarily been put on hold, as the residents in the Thalangama and Averihena areas had opposed the construction of the highway.
Moreover, according to Dabare, Cabinet cannot override the existing provisions of the gazette, as this is illegal, and the matter would be taken up for support on 12 July.
However, speaking with The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Environment Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe stated: “The project will commence.”
Residents disgruntled The Thalangama region is known for its scenic beauty, especially given that it is an urban biodiversity hotspot in the heart of the bustling capital that has remained untouched thus far. Stretches of greenery, paddy fields, and the Thalangama Lake, as well as the Averihena Lake situated in the vicinity, only add to the region’s serenity. Residents of the Thalangama and Averihena areas are in a quandary over the potential acquisitions of their properties, lamenting that they run the risk of losing ancestral land and property over the project, and that the environmental impact it would leave on the region would disturb the tranquillity. The Sunday Morning reached out to several residents in the area and they all had similar stories to tell in this regard. Dilsiri Welikala and his family have resided in the area for generations, and they now face the dilemma of having to give up property that has been in the family for decades. Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Welikala said: “I worked really hard to build my house, and I am sure that’s the case with everybody else who has had to face this dilemma. We went through all the processes of obtaining approvals, bank loans, etc., and then out of the blue, we were informed that our property is to be acquired for the highway project. “It's very unfair that we haven't been informed of this, and we are still being kept in the dark. The authorities have given the nod to this project without even having discussions with the inhabitants of the area,” he lamented. According to Welikala, although the main objective of the project cites easing traffic congestion, the project has very little to do with the convenience of the general public. “There are better alternatives. The Outer Circular Highway is there, and there is absolutely no need for this connection. We feel that the project is to benefit other parties, and if this project were to commence, it would leave behind a significant social and environmental impact. “We are also not sure about the compensation that would be given out, nor is there any guarantee about it. Nothing has been communicated to the residents in this regard; we hadn’t even been informed when the authorities came to survey the property. Nothing was communicated to us officially,” he concluded. Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that it has only been a couple of years since they had moved into their newly built house, which would be impacted by the project. “Before we went ahead with the construction of the house, we got the necessary approvals from all the local authorities. They gave me the assurance that there wouldn’t be any construction or development projects in the vicinity, and that we could go ahead with the house. “Once we had that assurance, we went ahead, and now they are saying that the property would be impacted. No legal documents or legal officers came and addressed this matter, and the residents are being kept in the dark. So far, we have no information in this regard, nothing about a possible acquisition, and neither is anything being said about the compensation. I wanted to raise my concerns on this. If this project is to be implemented, it would mean that we would lose our home, a home that we had put our blood, sweat, and tears into,” they stated. Stating that the authorities hadn’t even given them a heads-up in this regard, as their house had been built as recently as 2018, they stated: “This is ridiculous and so unfair, not only to me, but to all the residents in the area that have had to live in uncertainty because of this project.” “We didn’t get any legal documents, while the surveyors who came to survey had barged in without any prior notice, and this was during the height of the pandemic. Although the surveyors had stated that we would be informed through a formal letter, nothing has been communicated to us in this regard yet. There is so much uncertainty, as to how we are going to face this. I’m certain that this project had been in the pipelines for a while, and had been planned well in advance; it is most definitely not a project that had been decided upon overnight,” they stated. Preeti Perera, another vexed resident, speaking with The Sunday Morning, expressed his apprehension on the project. “We have lived in this area for the past two decades, and this is an extremely environmentally sensitive area, which has also been identified as an EPA under the Environmental Act no. 47 of 1980. “This project would impact the authenticity and integrity of this site, while there would be noise pollution and also air pollution, and thousands of residents on either side of the sensitive area would be exposed to it 24/7. The residents would have to witness this intrusion right in front of their eyes,” he noted. According to Perera, even Environmental Impact Assessments tend to downplay the actual impact and justify projects of this stature, and further noted that there is very little clarity when it comes to the process. “The fact that Cabinet had given the nod to the project regardless of the site being gazetted as an EPA is extremely disheartening and unsettling. We would like to ask the authorities to conduct an EEIA, which is an Economic and Environmental Impact Assessment, which would show the losses to biodiversity and the health of human beings, as well as the physical intrusion into the site, and how it could potentially cause irreversible damage,” Perera noted.