Proposed elevated highway across wetlands provokes uproar

Environmentalists warn that if the second phase of the proposed Elevated Highway runs across Thalangama Environmental Protection Area, Ramsar Wetland city status of Colombo may be at stake. Residents lament that one of the most residential and peaceful areas of the city will be essentially made unlivable causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem.

by Randima Attygalle

The construction of five new flyovers and the four-lane Elevated Expressway connecting the New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya was launched by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa last month. The flyovers and the Elevated Expressway are planned to ease traffic congestion in Colombo, its suburbs and Kandy. The contract for the four-lane Elevated Expressway from the New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya entailing a budget of LKR 134.9 billion was awarded to the China Harbour Engineering Corporation (Ltd) to be completed in 36 months.

The 17.3 km long expressway is to be implemented in two phases- Phase 1 from New Kelani Bridge to Rajagiriya and Phase II from Rajagiriya to Athurugiriya. Phase II of the project has created controversy and uproar among environmentalists and the public as it’s to be built over the Ramsar listed Thalangama Environmental Protection Area (TEPA). Out the 10.4 km stretch of the second phase, 3.15 kms of road crosses the Averihena tank and paddy fields which are part of TEPA.

Despite Sri Lanka being a state party to the Ramsar Convention the proposed highway project is a gross violation of the provisions of the charter, charge residents from Thalangama and Averihena. Colombo District has already lost 40% of its wetlands resulting in massive floods and the proposed construction is a double whammy, they point out.

“Already water flows into our gardens when it rains heavily and erection of intrusions such as concrete pillars to accommodate an elevated highway will make things worse,” points out Prithiviraj Perera, a retired professional from the UN International Civil Service and Sri Lanka Public Services Institutions. Being exposed to noise and air pollution 24/7 would affect the quality of life of residents living on either sides of the wetland, whose homes are presently covered by trees and green habitats, Perera says.

Thalangama wetland is one of the few remaining green patches near Colombo. It is also a birds’ paradise and a haven for nature photographers. “It is a picturesque site of scenic beauty which is popular for filming of TV programmes, films and taking of wedding pictures. The area is also popular for jogging, star gazing, bird watching and environmental educational tours,” points out the senior professional who notes that destruction of an internationally recognized Ramsar Wetland will impact directly on the Green Development Principles which are championed by the government under the ‘Vistas of Prosperity’.

He says that the best alternative for the Expressway is to take the route from Makumbura, Kottawa through Ruwanpura and over the existing four lanes in Pannipitiya, right up to Battaramulla, which has already been mooted by several authorities. “This shall cause least damages to residents, housing and sensitive ecosystems with any extra costs of rerouting being financed through the issuance of ‘Green Bonds’ as done in many other countries.”

The second phase of the highway will plough through one of the most residential and peaceful areas of the city and will essentially make the area unlivable lament residents. The proposed route affects the residential property that has been in lawyer Rehan Almeida’s family for at least four generations. “According to the current route, the highway will go right across our property along Kaduwela Road in Battaramulla, completely destroying my home and partially destroying my father’s home. My brother’s house is narrowly missed by a matter of feet and will be rendered uninhabitable. The affect to our property is fatal. No amount of compensation can replace the damage caused. We will essentially lose everything, as we have been advised that the property will not be suitable for residential purposes any longer,” says Alemeida.

Several more houses and a sizeable number of small scale businesses will also be destroyed with absolutely no option to relocate, he says.

By plotting a route through the Thalangama wetlands, the country is also losing an asset which cannot ever be replaced, points out the lawyer who questions the logic of “cutting a peaceful community in half” and exposing residents to all kinds of pollution when an alternative route has been proposed by experts who have studied the impact and consequences of this project.

Almeida also charges that destruction of the environment by a project of this nature is a violation of the directive principles of state policy which are safeguarded under the Constitution. He further says that the solution is not to re-gazette the Thalangama wetlands to allow constructions but to find an alternative. “The task of the government is to safeguard our natural assets, not bulldoze them.”

Many farmers from the area who have been cultivating their ancestral paddy fields for generations lament the irreversible damage the proposed Expressway could cause to the eco system of the area. Most farmers in the area who cultivate traditional rice varieties also fear the threat of flooding if the proposed highway is realized.

It is also learnt that the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) had filed a Writ petition in the Court of Appeal seeking an order preventing the construction of the Elevated Expressway over TEPA. It is also gazetted as an Environmental Protection Area by the Central Environmental Authority (CEA). Despite this, recently the Cabinet approval was given to re-gazette the area enabling the construction of the expressway whilst ‘preserving the environment.’

Director General, CEA, Hemantha Jayasinghe told the Sunday Island that the gazette is now pending observations of the Legal Draftsman’s Department. “Once the Legal Draftsman’s Department reverts with their comments, a careful EIA will be done by the CEA before relevant authorities decide if construction would continue or not along the TEPA,” Jayasinghe said.

To recognize the importance of cities and urban wetlands, Ramsar Convention introduced the Wetland City accreditation scheme in October 2018. It provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or man-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their conservation efforts. Under this scheme, 18 cities including Colombo have been listed as the first Ramsar Wetland Cities. Colombo is the only Ramsar wetland City in South Asia and the only capital city to be accredited.

“Thus it is important for Sri Lanka to continue to protect the wetlands in Colombo in order to maintain this status. If the second phase of the Elevated Highway is to be built, it will cause significant impact to TEPA, one of the two protected wetlands in the Colombo Ramsar City site. (the other is the Jayawardenepura-Kotte Sanctuary),” points out Prof. Devaka Weerakoon from the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo. Prof. Weerakoon, an authority on wetlands, warns that such a move may result in withdrawal of the Ramsar Wetland city status of Colombo.

“This will be most unfortunate as many agencies worked very hard to achieve this status. Therefore, de-gazetting the EPA and building the road that is currently one of the options being considered, should not be taken as a major achievement but another example of a short-sighted decision taken under the label of development.”

TEPA provides many ecosystem services, especially functioning as a water source for paddy fields that are cultivated under the tank, source of food (freshwater fish), flowers, recreation and associated livelihoods and flood retention especially for highly populated metropolitan Colombo urban area. The proposed route across TEPA will not only spoil the aesthetic beauty and tranquility of the environment but also affect the air quality along the flyway corridor, points out Prof. Weerakoon. “The proposed flyway will have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of the inhabitants who are currently settled along the flyway corridor.”

The need for Phase I of the proposed Elevated Highway is very clear affirms Prof. Weerakoon. “It is quite beneficial to those who enter Colombo through the new Kelani bridge via the Katunayake Expressway en route to Borella, Rajagiriya or Battaramulla where most of the state agencies are located. Commuters have to spend a considerable time on the road due to traffic congestion in Dematagoda, Borella, Rajagiriya and Battaramulla resulting in unnecessary fuel usage and increased emissions. The expressway will provide fast access to these areas and suburban centres such as Pelawatte, Thalawathugoda and Maharagama. Further this will enable a large pool of motorists fast access to the Katunayake Expressway. Therefore the need for Phase 1 is very clear.”

However the controversial Phase 2 cutting across TEPA which will entail a heavy environmental cost needs to be reassessed including a detailed analysis of viable alternatives, maintains Prof. Weerakoon.

Pix credit: C. Kirinde