News
Walking park on Parakrama Samudra endangers ancient reservoir
Project suspended after protests
Text and Pix By Karunaratne Gamage
The Maha Sangha on Friday took a stand against the possibe destruction of the bund of the historic Parakrama Samudra, endangered by the construction of a new walking path.
Bhikkus from multiple temples across the Polonnaruwa District made their way to the construction site on Friday (27) morning to witness for themselves the danger to an ancient water conservation system.
Monks representing all three chapters in the District attended the protest demanding the government to suspend the project of constructing a 1.7 km walking path on the bund of the tank.
Adhikarana Sangha Nayake of the North Central Province and Chief Incumbent of the Polonnaruwa Kaduruwela Jayanthi Vihara Ven Kaduruwella Dhammapala thero said the bund of the ancient Parakrama Samudraya was being bulldozed for the construction of this path.
Bulldozers were being used to dump rocks off the bund into the reservoir to construct a new walking path around the ancient water system. This eight-foot wide walkway would extend 1.7 kms. from the Divisional Secretary’s official residence to the D. S. Senanayake memorial at the Number 01 Sluice Gate.
The project proposal came from the Urban Development Authority and construction is estimated to cost Rs. 34 million.
Polonnaruwa Deputy Sanghanayake chief incumbent of Pulasthigama Sri Sakayabimbarama, Ven Yatihalagala Upatissa Thero said that the farmers in the area have pointed out that the construction will inevitably damage the reservoir.
He said that the massive 116,000-acre-feet of water that the reservoir holds, is protected by the bund and area residents point out that during certain seasons with the increase in winds speeds, it stays firm against almost ocean wave-like movements.
Water has become the most vital component for the existence of human beings, animals, and the plantation.
“Even the great King Parakramabahu who ruled the country for 33 years from 1153 AD- 1186 AD asked his countrymen to use water sparingly.
History reveals that King Parakramabahu had made an immense contribution towards the agricultural ecoomy in the country and the Parakrama Samudra was his greatest ever contribution to the people of Sri Lanka,” Ven Upatissa Thero said.
The Bhikkhus dispersed after Polonnaruwa District Secretary WA Dharamsiri and Irrigation Department officials visited the protesting monks and pledged that they would suspend the project until a further review meeting attended by all stakeholders are held.
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), was held today (21) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the discussion, Admiral Paparo extended his best wishes to President Disanayake and the new government on their planned initiatives. He also acknowledged Sri Lanka’s continued support in ensuring the security of the Indian Ocean region and maintaining a peaceful maritime environment.
Furthermore, Admiral Paparo reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to strengthening the enduring bilateral ties between the two nations and expressed support for Sri Lanka’s new governmental policies.
President Disanayake conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States in enhancing human resources within Sri Lanka’s defence sector. The President also acknowledged the longstanding support extended by the U.S. in this regard.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Nelson of the U.S. Army, and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the United States Indo-Pacific Command David Ranz were also present at the meeting.
SriLankan Airlines has announced that SriLankan Airlines flights UL 503 (Colombo to London Heathrow), scheduled to depart at 12:50 hrs and UL 504 (London Heathrow to Colombo), scheduled to depart at 20:40 hrs today [21 March 2025], have been cancelled.
Passengers requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the SriLankan Airlines Customer Centre at 1979 (within Sri Lanka), +94117 77 1979 (international) or +94744 44 1979 (WhatsApp chat) or reach out to their nearest SriLankan Airlines office or their travel agent.
The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.
London’s main airport, which is Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.
“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “Passengers can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said the roads leading to the airport were blocked, causing “traffic chaos locally”.
“But local traffic disruption is nothing compared to the air traffic disruptions that will be spreading around the world,” he said.
Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.
The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.
[Aljazeera]
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