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New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya, Highway over wetland halted to devise plan

12 Feb 2021

  • CEA promises EIA if go-ahead given

  The controversial proposed construction of the New Kelani Bridge (NKB) extension to the Athurugiriya Elevated Highway has been put on hold on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to ensure it is constructed without harming the Thalangama Wetland. “We have been instructed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to come up with a plan to ensure that if construction occurs through the Thalangama Wetland, it would be done with minimum environmental impact,” CEA Chairman Siripala Amarasinghe told The Morning yesterday (11). Accordingly, discussions had taken place yesterday between the Ministry of Environment, the Road Development Authority (RDA), the Urban Development Authority (UDA), and the CEA to formulate such a plan. The NKB-Athurugiriya Elevated Highway Project is being constructed under two phases. The construction of Phase I from Kelaniya through Dematagoda to Rajagiriya has already begun, while Phase II would follow one of two proposed routes to Athurugiriya, either through the highly residential area of Pothuarawa or through the Thalangama Wetland. The 118 hectare (ha) Thalangama Wetland area is gazetted as an environmentally protected area. Amarasinghe clarified that if the route does go through the Thalangama Wetland, it would only impact 18 ha of the area. However, he added that the proposed route through Thalangama would be confirmed only if a viable plan is formulated. Meanwhile, residents, farmers, environmentalists, and nature-lovers announced that they would conduct a protest near the Thalangama Lake Bridge tomorrow (13) from 10 a.m. onwards to raise awareness on the issue. Speaking to The Morning, Preethi Perera, a resident in the area, noted that the President himself had expressed on multiple occasions that the environment takes pride of place in his vision for Sri Lanka. As such, the residents, he noted, are expecting that the wetland will be protected. Meanwhile, residents also raised concerns over the potential floods that could occur if construction does proceed. Environmentalist Nadeera Rajapakse had also raised the issue recently in her work regarding urban wetlands, where she claims that if Colombo was to lose all of its wetlands, the city would face an annual cost of up to 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) in dealing with flood-related damage. Responding to these concerns, Amarasinghe said that if the route does eventually go through the Thalangama Wetland, it would do so following a thorough environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted by the CEA and would adhere to a plan that would minimise the impact on the environment. “We are ready to take responsibility if the construction of the highway proceeds through the wetland and floods occur,” claimed Amarasinghe. The protected Thalangama area is both historically and environmentally significant. The Thalangama Lake, believed to have been built in the 15th Century and used to bathe elephants belonging to the royal army of the Kotte Kingdom, enables paddy cultivation and provides a home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, including the endangered fishing cat and otter. It is also part of a network of wetlands around the city of Colombo that helps keep it safe from floods. As such, in 2018, Colombo was declared the first capital city to be accredited as an International Wetland City by Ramsar, the International Convention on Wetlands which recognises wetland sites of international importance.


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