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Dredging of Tissa Wewa halted amidst protests by environmentalists

Published

5 years ago

2021/06/29

By Ifham Nizam

Environmentalists yesterday welcomed Archaeology Director General Senior Professor Anura Manatunga’s intervention to halt the removal of soil and mud from the Tissawewa at Tissamaharama, by a Chinese company

Social Scientist and environmentalist Dr Ravindra Kariyawasam told The Island that be it an American or Chinese company, they were here for a reason and they were least concerned about local ecosystems or archaeological sites.

Dr. Kariyawsam, who is also the Convener of the Centre of Environment and Nature Studies, stressed that Sri Lanka’s tank system was internationally known.

“The Chinese don’t know about our eco systems. Otherwise, they would not have built the Port City here. Tissawewa is about 1,000 years old has a unique eco system, which will be destroyed by haphazard dredging.

Kariyawasam said that in 2010, the World Food Programme and World Health Organisation ranked Sri Lanka as the fourth country with the highest rate of deforestation, a position that it still hold today,.”

“Decisions like this can set a bad precedent for future threats to our forests and nature,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, a senior archeologist said that any renovation work on the Tissawewa should be approved by the Archaeological Department and that a Chinese company had dredged the reservoir using heavy machinery without permission. “We are told a senior minister is behind such a move, the Department had taken up the matter with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.”

Hambantota District Assistant Director of Archeology Wasantha Alahakoon has written to the Irrigation Department requesting that the project be halted until permission is obtained from the Archaeological Department; the work was suspended on Friday.

The Department of Irrigation had not yet sent a letter requesting permission for such activities, he said.

Senior Professor of Archeology Raj Somadeva said he believed that the ancient city of Magama had been located near this reservoir and many artifacts may have got washed into the reservoir.

He said that thousands of Gaja Lakshmi coins had been found during previous excavations and that the removal of mud from the Wewa must be done after investigations by the Archaeological Department.

In March, government initiated a programme to clean 103 rivers and strengthen the banks of tanks in the country.,

The Chinese joint venture to renovate irrigation tanks here was launched on Monday (21) and the opening stage will see the renovation of the Tissawewa.

“The water released from the Uma-Oya project will reach the Anuradhapura District soon. Therefore, it is our responsibility to ensure that we store this water in our irrigation system, without allowing it to reach the sea,” Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said during the launch of the project.

According to the Minister, the government of Sri Lanka is not incurring any cost for the installation of the machine.

“We are not paying to install this machine. They have to remove silt from the tank and pay us as well for it. They can take the sand and clay removed from the tank and sell it,” the Irrigation Minister said.

The Tissawewa is believed to have been constructed by King Yatala-Tissa who established the Ruhunu Kingdom or his uncle, King Devanampiyatissa who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom during the 03rd century BC.

The furor caused by the Ministers comments resulted in a press statement issued via the Department of Government Information, in which the Ministry of Irrigation affirmed the government will act responsibly towards addressing the drinking water crisis as well as protecting rainforests which are home to national water resources.

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

10 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

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Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

12 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando