News

Govt.-backed racketeers run riot: 3,000 acres grabbed in Somawathiya National Park within two days

Published

4 years ago

2021/02/19

By Ifham Nizam

Another 1,000 acres of the Somawathiya National Park were been grabbed yesterday by an organised group who removed boundary posts put up by Department of Wildlife, and placed them further inside the National Park, thus bringing the extent of the sanctuary land encroached in two days to 3,000 acres.

Environmentalists said government supporters were responsible for the land grab.

Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of Sri Lanka, Convener, Supun Lahiru Prakash told The Island yesterday that a group led by a high-ranking official of the Medirigiriya Divisional Secretariat had entered the Park on Wednesday had encroached on 2,000 acres of forest land.

“This land grab took place in the Palliyagodella area. We strongly condemn the behaviour of the Divisional Secretary and request the relevant authorities to protect the Somawathiya National Park. If not, it can lead to encroachment of Wildlife protected areas in the country and current deforestation will worsen.”

Defence Secretary retired General Kamal Gunaratne earlier said that he had found that some Divisional Secretaries were issuing licences to clear forest lands and the practice had to be stopped.

Prakash said the officials of the Medirigiriya Divisional Secretariat were acting in clear violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2009 and the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980.

Our sources in the Forest Department confirmed the land grab.

Our efforts to contact the Medirigiriya Divisional Secretary were in vain.

The Somawathiya National Park is one of the main protected areas located in the Mahaweli wildlife region and plays a key role as an important elephant home range.

Prakash, who is also a specialist on the country’s elephants, said that 30% of the free range elephant population in Sri Lanka lived in the Mahaweli Wildlife Region and if they lost part of their home range, it would increase the human- elephant conflict and elephant conservation would be badly affected.

The Polonnaruwa District has reported the second highest number of incidents of the human-elephant conflict, and encroachments will lead to further escalation of the problem in the district, environmentalists say.

There was a similar attempt to encroach on 2,000 acres of land from flood plains in the National Park in Polonnaruwa recently.

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INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo

Published

1 hour ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.

During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.

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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

Published

6 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

Published

7 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.