Dredging of Tissa Wewa halted amidst protests by environmentalists

By Ifham Nizam- 2021/06/29

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.