News
Environmental lawyer warns Lankans to be wary of Indians wanting windfarm in Mannar
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Research has shown that Mannar is not an area with a high potential for wind-power and Sri Lankans must be wary as to why India’s Adani has chosen this area to develop a wind farm, environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardana says.
Gunawardana said the wind-power project in Mannar can’t be justified on the basis of facts and figures, and therefore the government had started presenting false analogies to confuse people and achieve its objective.
For example, when talking about the proposed Adani wind-power project in Mannar, some writers and journalists without any conscience tell the public that Sri Lankans had to choose between an uninterrupted and cheap supply of electricity and nature, Gunawardana said.
“In 2022, we went without power for over 12 hours. Now, there is uninterrupted power supply, but people can’t pay the bills. The people might think environmentalists are overreacting,” he said.
The Sustainable Energy Authority had prepared a document on wind-power generation, where they had identified areas that had high potential for electricity generation, he said.
“They have identified locations in seven districts as areas with high potential for wind-power generation. Mannar is not one of them. The island of Mannar has areas that have medium and low potential. Shouldn’t a local or foreign company that wants to invest in wind-power choose one of those areas with high potential for wind-power generation? Why is Adani choosing Mannar instead of going to a high potential area?” he asked.
Gunawardana said the government and others pushing for wind-power in Mannar had not explained why Adani was building turbines in a low potential area for wind-power.
The Adani wind-power project had 52 turbines, and the Indian company had asked for 150 hectares to establish them, Gunawardana said. They also wanted 75 hectares for roads.
“Altogether over 225 hectares are earmarked for this project. They want 7.5 acres for one turbine. Do you need that much land to establish a turbine?” Gunawardena asked.
Gunawardana said Mannar was an area suspected to have valuable mineral resources. The environmental impact assessment said that the Sustainable Energy Authority would take over land from the people and hand it over to Adani, he said.
“This is illegal. A state institution can only take over land for a public purpose. Here, the Sustainable Energy Authority is acting like a broker. I don’t think this is legitimate,” Gunawardena said, noting that Adani was planning to sell Sri Lanka a unit of electricity at a price which was 200 to 250 percent higher than that of a unit of electricity produced with wind power in other parts of the world. The country would also have to make the payment in dollars, he said. The government had also agreed to buy wind power from Adani at a fixed price for 25 years, Gunawardena said, adding that due to advances in technology, the cost of renewables was decreasing.
“The government hides all these facts by creating false analogies to undermine and humiliate activists who try to raise public awareness. There are books on suppressing activists and hiding the truth. Many scholars have written PhD thesis on this particular subject. So, the government has a playbook already,” he said.
“The republic of Sri Lanka constitutes the land and the surrounding seas. Once we sell these to foreign companies, people and the government will have no control of the destiny of our country,” he said.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that addressing the drug issue in the country must be treated as a national priority, highlighting that it must deliver results at the ground level.
A meeting to brief the Prime Minister on the National Strategic Plan for the Management, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Persons with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) 2026–2030 was held with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and other key stakeholders on 13th of March at the Temple Trees.
The discussion focused on the proposed national strategy developed to address the growing health, social and economic challenges associated with substance use disorders in Sri Lanka. The strategic plan aims to strengthen prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration services through a coordinated and evidence-based national approach.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to existing gaps in early identification of substance use disorders, continuity of care, community-based follow-up and reintegration of recovering individuals into society. The plan proposes several key interventions, including strengthening screening and symptomatic treatment at primary healthcare and outpatient levels, improving hospital-based treatment and follow-up services, expanding residential rehabilitation facilities, and enhancing community-based rehabilitation and relapse prevention programmes.
Special emphasis has also been placed on providing targeted support for vulnerable groups, including children and adolescents, pregnant women, mothers with children and prison inmates.
Speaking on the importance of strengthening the national response to drug issues, the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya noted that the drug menace has evolved into a serious social crisis that threatens social stability and security of families and the nation as a whole highlighting that law enforcement and rehabilitation in this regard must be given equal priority.
The Prime Minister further underscored the importance of including public awareness initiatives and responsible media reporting as key components of the national strategy.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Anil Jasinghe, officials from the Department of Prisons, Bureau of Rehabilitation, Sri Lanka Police Ministry of health, Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Justice and National Integration ,Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other relevant department and ministries.
[Prime minister’s Media Division]
In light of the prevailing geopolitical developments in Middle East, the petroleum product supply chain has been adversely affected. At the same time, the demand for fuel has increased abnormally, resulting in a depletion of the country’s existing fuel stock. Therefore, it has become necessary to carefully manage the available fuel reserves in order to sustain the nation’s economic activities.
Furthermore, it has recently been observed that certain groups have been illegally purchasing fuel in excessive quantities. The Government of Sri Lanka intends to prevent such improper consumption and ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply for the day-to-day needs and economic activities of the general public.
Accordingly, a QR code system will be implemented with effect from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.
Fuel will not be issued by any operating filling station in the country without a valid QR code from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026.
Steps to Obtain the QR Code
- Users who have already registered for the QR Code
- Users whose vehicle ownership and registered mobile number remain unchanged since their initial registration may download their QR Code from the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from midnight on 14.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Login’ button.
- Users whose vehicle ownership or registered mobile number has changed since their last registration are required to re-register their details through the website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/ starting from 6.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.
- Users who have not previously registered for the QR Code and users with newly registered vehicles at
the RMV - Registration can be completed starting from 06.00 a.m. on 15.03.2026 through the
website https://fuelpass.gov.lk/, using the ‘Vehicle Registration’ button.
The number of litres allocated for each category of vehicle is stated below.
A special fuel issuance system will be implemented for vehicles required to support national production and essential services.
| Vehicle Class | Capacity control volume for fuel pass
(L) |
| Buses | 60 |
| Motor cycle | 5 |
| Van | 40 |
| Motor car | 15 |
| Motor Lorry | 200 |
| Land Vehicles | 25 |
| Three Wheeler | 15 |
| Special Purpose Vehicle | 40 |
| Quadricycle | 5 |
[Sri Lanka Transport Board will issue fuel to the private buses].
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.
Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.
He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.
According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.
The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.
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QR code system will be implemented for fuel with effect from 06.00 a.m. today (15th)
Showers will occur at several places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-western and Uva provinces and in Galle, Matara, Mannar and Anuradhapura districts after 2.00 pm.
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