News

Protected marine parks not spared from blast fishing

Published

3 years ago

2022/07/17

(Mongabay) It was a perfect morning in Pigeon Island National Park in eastern Sri Lanka, where a group of tourists in a boat was taking in the rich marine life in the water around them.

All of a sudden, there was a loud blast close by. As silence settled once again, they saw the fish that had been flitting nimbly about now either floating dead on the surface or struggling to swim. Through the clear water, they could see more dead fish in the seabed.Hans-Georg Kehse, the leader of the tour group, realised they’d just narrowly escaped an explosive meant for catching fish.

“Fish bombs or dynamite fishing has become a common occurrence in and around Pigeon Island National Park, where sounds of such explosions have become frequent,” said Kehse, who operates a dive centre near the park.

He estimated that the recent blast occurred only about 400 metres, or a quarter-mile, from his tour group. Any closer, Kehse said, it could have been a human tragedy, which would have dealt a devastating blow to Sri Lanka’s already beleaguered marine tourism industry.

Dynamite fishing relies on an explosive to kill or stun large numbers of fish. The shockwaves from the underwater blast can kill a fish or rupture its swim bladder, resulting in the fish losing its buoyancy. They then become easy pickings for fishers, who just have to scoop them out of the water. But the practice is indiscriminately killing or injuring all marine creatures in the vicinity and damaging marine habitats such as coral reefs.In a marine park like Pigeon Island, corals constitute the main underwater life support system, and the repeated blasts can shatter the substrate of that coral growth, preventing its recovery, said Arjan Rajasuriya, a leading coral expert in Sri Lanka and former researcher with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA).

Most of the corals in southern Sri Lanka are already bleached, and those in other areas are threatened. The eastern coast, where Pigeon Island is located, has the highest cover of live corals, but blast fishing poses a serious threat to them, Rajasuriya told Mongabay.Shipwreck sites, which attract large numbers of fish, have also become targets of blast fishing, according to Dharshana Jayawardena of Dive Sri Lanka, a diving tour operator. That’s especially concerning, given that dive tourism is seen as key to helping the tourism industry in Sri Lanka recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis, Jayawardena said.

At the rate at which blast fishing is taking place, including at dive sites, it’s just a matter of time before a tourist gets injured, which would spell the end for Sri Lanka’s dive tourism industry, Jayawardena told Mongabay.

Among the sites where blast fishing is rife is Trincomalee in the country’s east, Galle in the south, and Mannar and Jaffna in the northern Pigeon Island is a particular concern because it’s one of just three marine national parks in Sri Lanka — a purportedly protected area administered by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). A naval camp is located close by, from where the explosions can be clearly heard.

DWC director-general Chandana Sooriyabandara said the department’s officers on the ground work hard to tackle blast fishing whenever possible. Officers stationed near Pigeon Island said they try to go after the perpetrators whenever they hear an explosion, but these activities are so well coordinated that the fishing boats out at sea are quickly tipped off about the approaching patrol boats, allowing them time to flee.

The Sri Lankan Navy has apprehended several fishermen involved in blast fishing in recent years, seizing explosives that include TNT, C4, and gelignite. The latter, a water-based blasting gelatin, has increasingly become the explosive of choice.In 2017, the Navy seized 52 kilograms (115 pounds) of water gel. In the first few months of 2019, they seized 63 kg (139 lbs). Following the April 2019 Easter church bombings, there was a massive crackdown on the circulation of explosives, resulting in a drop in blast fishing during that period.

The distribution of explosives in Sri Lanka is regulated by the Navy. Explosives that end up being used in blast fishing either leak from this distribution chain or are smuggled into the country by sea from neighbouring India. The Navy says it has intensified its patrols of this sea route to crack down on the smuggling of explosives and other contraband.

But even these efforts are being undermined due to the unfolding economic crisis, the worst in Sri Lanka’s history. Acute shortages mean fuel for patrols by the DWC is being rationed. The Navy, meanwhile, is focused on another pressing problem: stopping the flow of desperate Sri Lankans trying to migrate to India.

Coral expert Rajasuriya said it’s impossible to identify the number of people who have access to explosives. The problem of blast fishing has gone from being a conservation issue and is now of national concern, he said. He called for strict vigilance and intelligence gathering, similar to the situation in the wake of the 2019 terrorist bombings, to identify how these explosives are being sourced.

Blast fishing is especially rampant in Mannar, in Sri Lanka’s northern region, according to S.S.M. Peramunagama from the Sri Lankan Department of Agriculture, who has researched destructive fishing activities there. It’s widely thought that blast fishing in Mannar is practised by fishers coming from other regions, but the reality is that it’s the local fishers doing it, Peramunagama said.

When fish reach the market, it’s difficult to determine whether they were killed by a blast, even for fisheries inspectors. “Another difficulty in enforcing the law is the degree of political interventions that had often [led to] the release of the arrested fishers,” Peramunagama told Mongabay. He also highlighted the personal risk that the blast fishers themselves run, with loss of limbs a very real danger whenever they handle the explosives.

A 2021 review of the existing scientific literature on blast fishing shows it’s a worldwide problem that’s driven by more than just poverty. “Blast fishing is happening in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe since explosives started [becoming] available relatively freely in the late 19th century,” said lead author Melissa Hampton-Smith of the University of New England, Australia. The study identified particularly destructive practices in parts of Southeast Asia, Tanzania, the Red Sea, and many other areas in Asia.

Though poverty is often cited as the main factor driving fishers to resort to blast fishing, the biggest contributor is the easy access to explosives, Hampton-Smith said. Access to credit and the prospect of increased catches were also identified as bigger drivers than poverty, she added. The review also indicated that blast fishers tend to be wealthier than fishers who don’t practice blast fishing.

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I invite you to step into 2026 with renewed energy, hope, and determination – PM

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/1

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya in her New Year message invited all Sri Lankans to step into 2026 with renewed energy, hope, and determination.

The PM’s New Year message:

“As we move forward to the New Year of 2026, it is timely to reflect on the year 2025 that has passed. The year 2025 can be granted as a year having made a number of decisive and progressive steps with a people oriented government.

I am confident that, within a new political culture, we were able to strengthen transparency in state governance and lay the foundation for an efficient and corruption free public service.

We can be satisfied with the progress achieved in several key areas during 2025, including economic stability, the increasingly positive and optimistic international perception towards our country, the establishment of transparent systems of governance, and the strengthening of the sovereignty of the legislation system.

However, the unfortunate disastrous situation we experienced towards the end of 2025 was a challenging period for our nation. While it deeply moved us all, the spirit of solidarity, compassion, and collectivity shown by Sri Lankans during that difficult situation received admiration across the world.

As we step into the New Year 2026, we hold commitment to overcoming those challenges, healing from the disaster, and restoring the lives and livelihoods that were affected.

Moving forward with the goals such as initiating qualitative and sustainable transformation in the education sector, digitalizing all sectors of the public service, creating an enabling environment for entrepreneurs, artists, and creators with innovative ideas to rise on the global stage, and building a compassionate, environmentally friendly society free from drugs and harmful substances I would like to remind, at this moment, that the responsibility of rebuilding this nation rests upon the entire nation, together with the government, transcending differences of ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation, and united by a strong Sri Lankan identity.

Transforming all the challenges we experienced in the past year into sources of strength, I invite you to step into 2026 with renewed energy, hope, and determination.

I extend wishes for a victorious New Year filled with peace, happiness, and prosperity.”

News

National Audit Office reveals NHSL lapses

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/1

Thilina Walpola

Reagent scandal:

Deputy Director of the National Hospital, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, has been interdicted by Health Service Committee (HSC) of the Public Service Commission (PSC) following a preliminary inquiry into several complaints received against him, government sources said.

They said certain matters referred by the Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya, too, had been taken into consideration.

A Health Ministry official said there was no truth in Dr. Bellana’s claim, as reported in the 30th December edition of The Island, that the Health Ministry had sacked him on the approval of the HSC of the PSC over him taking up the massive Rs 900 mn fraud involving the supply of chemical reagents to the laboratory of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo, which is the premier hospital in the country.

Sources said that there was absolutely no basis for this allegation. The official said that Dr. Bellana had been interdicted for issuing statements that caused controversy and turmoil among the public. That’s the most serious offence that had been taken into consideration when the decision to interdict him was taken, sources said. “There will be a spate of charges in the charge sheet to be issued soon.”

The interdiction of medical officers could not be carried out by the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, as the Ministry was not vested with disciplinary authority, sources added.

Dr. Bellana said he stood by what he revealed and had evidence to support his claim.

Health Ministry sources acknowledged that the National Audit Office (NAO) on June 6, 2025, had called for information in respect of chemical reagents procured by the National Hospital Colombo NHSL laboratory from 2022 to 2024.

Responding to another query, sources said that a separate investigation by the Internal Audit of the Ministry of Health was on into issues raised by the Audit query pertaining to the lab of the NHSL.

Having pointed out that the government paid Rs. 894,186,168 (2022), Rs. 713,652,615 (2023) and Rs. 936,152,767, totalling Rs 2,543,991,550 for chemical reagents during that period, NAO sought an explanation from the Health Ministry as to how Rs 12,894,697 worth of chemical reagents past expiry dates were found in six laboratories at NHSL during examination carried out on April 7,8,10,21 and 22 in 2025.

The NAO also raised the failure on the part of the relevant authorities to secure the approval of the Medical Supplies Division (MSD) before placing orders with local suppliers for chemical reagents.

The Health Ministry was questioned over the absence of proper stock keeping regarding Rs 2544 mn worth chemical reagents issued to NHSL laboratories. The NAO ascertained that Financial Regulations 751 had been violated. As a result of the absence of credible stock keeping, the NAO hadn’t been able to ascertain whether shelf-life expired chemical reagents were misused, the government authority stated.

The NAO asked for an explanation regarding the payment of Rs 912,838 over the required amount to a local private supplier (NAO named the supplier) for chemical reagents obtained.

In one of the most serious observations, NAO pointed out that shelf-life expired chemical reagents had been used for tests. The NAO raised this while pointing out the Health Ministry violated a key prerequisite in the procurement of chemical reagents that their shelf life should be at least 85% at the time of receiving consignments. Instead, all stocks procured had less than six months shelf life, NAO stated.

NAO declared that some suppliers refrained from mentioning the date of manufacture and the time of expiry.

The above mentioned were some of the issues that had been raised by Audit Superintendent Y.M. Sugathadasa on behalf of the Auditor General who is the head of the NAO. The post of AG remains vacant since December 8, 2025. Earlier incumbent W.P.C. Wickremeratne retired on April 8, 2025 after having served as AG for several years. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Constitutional Council haven’t been able to reach consensus on a permanent appointment yet.

By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️

News

NPP’s CMC budget passed after four Opp. members switch allegiance

Published

4 hours ago

2026/01/1

Thilina Walpola

The Opposition has claimed that the government forced three of its Colombo Municipal Council members to to skip yesterday’s vote on the annual budget of the Council. The three councillors who voted with the SJB-led Opposition on 22 Dec., to defeat the NPP, skipped yesterday’s vote.

Two of them didn’t turn up yesterday while the other one left the Council early, claiming his wife was not well. One of the four SLMC councillors switched his allegiance to the NPP. having voted with the Opposition on 22 Dec.

As a result, the CMC’s annual budget was passed with a majority of two votes.

The budget proposal received 58 votes in favour, while 56 councillors voted against it. Last week, the Opposition obtained 60 votes to defeat it, while the NPP managed to secure only 57.

When the 2026 budget of CMC was first presented to the council on 22 December, 60 councilors voted against it while 57 members voted for the budget.

In the last Local Government Elections, the NPP secured power in the CMC and its mayoral candidate Vraie Cally Balthazar was elected as the Mayor of Colombo by securing 61 votes. (SF)