A jumbo solution for Mattala white elephant

The Mattala International Airport and the Suriya Wewa International Cricket Stadium are fast becoming white elephants. A Maintenance and Repair Organization (MRO) is yet to be established. Let us accept that it was based on a political whim; let’s ‘bite the bullet’ and cut our losses in these difficult times. As experts say mistakes pave the way for innovation, growth and creativity.”

In Kenya there is a hotel in the jungle called ‘The Ark’, built by a water hole in the jungle, where all kinds of animals come to drink, day and night. There are flood lights trained on to the water hole at night. There are animal spotters who activate buzzers in the hotel guest rooms, depending on the type of animal. Why don’t we convert Mattala Airport into a similar hotel?

The visitors will have large viewing areas to watch wild life. The Airports and Aviation Sri Lanka (AASL),Sri Lanka Tourism and the Wild Life Conservation Department could remove the electric fencing and reopen the water holes that were closed to prevent birds from nesting and in short throw it open to the elephants again. The Environmentalists knew that this was elephant land and and did too little too late. At present I am told that there are more than three breaches of the Mattala electric fence per week, by the elephants. There is also an airport in Ecuador which has been turned into a park. The Mattala Airport Terminal Building has large glass windows that would be great for viewing and photographing elephants. A large water hole by the parking apron could attract more elephants. The Control Tower could be used for elephant spotting. Converting Mattala Airport into an exclusive tourist hotel and the white elephant will turn out to be a money spinner.”

Pilots tell us that no proper wind and turbulence studies were carried out before the Mattala airport was established, no one seems to be bothered. The best of the best radio navigational and landing aids have been installed at Rajapaksa International Airport Mattala and remains largely unused, while Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana, some say is the ‘cradle of Civil Aviation’ in Sri Lanka , remains technically deficient. AASL could therefore reinstall some of the Mattala navigational aids at the Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana, at minimum cost or even installed at airports we have activated like KKS, Batticaloa or Weerawilla which also lack Navigational Radio aids. One of these airports could be the second International Airport for Sri Lanka.

There are increasing numbers of humans and elephants dying daily. It is truly a national crisis. The human, elephant conflict could be greatly resolved, to a great extent if Mattala Airport and Suriya Wewa Cricket Grounds, which are of no benefit to the general public, are given back to the jungle. It is going to be a courageous decision. The SLAF could initiate intense seed bombing to replace the 44,000 hard wood trees that were cut. It may take hundreds of years to recover. The Yankee Dollar is shooting through the sky. So, let us forget our egos and think out of the box. There is no shame in such an exercise. Let’s do something early and nip waste in the bud.

Think about it before it is too late, After all to ‘Err is human’
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