Genuine leaders are individuals with a visionary mindset – in other words, they are dreamers. Dreams evolve into strong hopes, and those hopes mature into unwavering determination. Through determined and purposeful action, such dreams can ultimately be transformed into tangible realities.

“I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King Jr. That dream later materialised as civil rights legislation in the United States, laying the foundation for a society in which African Americans – previously denied basic human and civil rights – could finally claim them. Martin Luther King Jr. planted that seed of transformation.

Honourable President Anura Dissanayake’s move to establish an authority with special powers to protect the highly sensitive Central Highlands following the Ditwah cyclone tragedy of November 2025 is historical. This satisfaction is heightened by the fact that this idea was once articulated by this author late last year. 

That article, published on 25 December 2025, noted as follows:

“The conservation of land above five thousand feet represents the President’s vision and direction. However, it is the responsibility of planning and environmental professionals to translate that vision into a clear, scientifically grounded action plan. As professionals, therefore, what must they do?

“Those who love this country and are committed to protecting the harmony and peace of the land must learn from the past while critically reflecting on both global mistakes and the internal mistakes made by humankind. On that basis, professionals must construct this vision using sound scientific principles and modern technological foundations. Only then can this vision be materialised. 

“That realisation lies in the conservation of all environmentally sensitive zones in the country, including the highly sensitive Central Highlands. Among these, the Central Highlands constitute the most critical ecological core of Sri Lanka.

“This proposal was to establish a new institution with authoritative powers under a designation such as the Central Sensitive Zone Conservation Authority. This authority should be embedded as a principal proposal within the National Physical Plan. Operating under national sensitive-zone regulations and guidelines, this institution should ensure effective implementation through an institutional structure capable of transcending existing administrative limitations.

Furthermore, this institutional framework should facilitate active public participation, supported by universities such as Peradeniya and Sabaragamuwa, voluntary organisations, political authorities, and even the armed forces.

“Every inch of land in Sri Lanka is sensitive. This understanding of ‘sensitivity’ was deeply embraced in our ancient planning methodologies. That is why our ancestors did not construct massive dams in the Central Highlands. Instead, they built anicuts – low, environmentally responsive structures – to divert water through channels to reservoirs located downstream. For example, the Magalla Reservoir was fed by an anicut known as Radavibendi Ella, constructed across the Deduru Oya. Anicut technology represents an exceptionally environmentally friendly and scientifically sound approach.

“However, this wisdom was later abandoned in favour of large-scale dams across major rivers in the Central Highlands. Major rivers embody the natural rhythm of the land. Even globally, beginning with projects such as the Aswan Dam, humanity made grave errors by acting against these natural rhythms.

“While these actions cannot now be reversed, present conditions, contemporary needs, and advanced knowledge and technology demand that we engage with such environmental sensitivities with extreme caution. This responsibility rests with all professionals in the field. Development that proceeds without clearly defined boundaries, systems thinking, and the protection of rivers, streams, canals, and forests has never succeeded. Highly sensitive land must therefore be handled with the utmost care.”

What this earlier article emphasised was that the entire country we inhabit is intrinsically sensitive, and that failure to recognise and act upon this reality exposes this land to face catastrophic consequences. The Ditwah disaster itself provided stark evidence of this truth. Among all regions, however, the Central Highlands have demonstrated an exceptionally high level of vulnerability and damage.

Protecting the sensitive Central Highlands is therefore not merely a regional concern; it is fundamental to the survival of Sri Lanka as a whole, particularly in relation to watershed protection and long-term ecological stability. As such the proposed institution should have superseding powers over all other enactments to acquire lands, funding and whatever resources deemed necessary. 

For centuries, Sri Lanka practised a settlement-planning tradition guided by hydraulic engineering wisdom. Through a scientifically grounded systems-thinking approach, entire river basins – encompassing living and non-living elements, humans and wildlife – were treated as a unanimous integrated system. Abandoning this approach in modern planning exposes the nation to severe and potentially irreversible risks.

Addressing this challenge requires an impartial and comprehensive analysis of how unified, nationwide environmental governance has deteriorated in the recent past. Such an analysis is essential for correcting past mistakes and establishing a robust policy framework to prevent their recurrence. The President’s initiative must begin precisely at this critical point.

All professionals, social and environmental activists, together with the collective strength of the new Government, must unite to ensure lasting harmony between humanity and the motherland.

(The writer is a former Deputy Director (planning), Central Province of the Urban Development Authority, a geographer, a rural and urban planner, and sustainable planning specialist for Sustainable Cities International, Canada. She is a social activist and a writer with research interests in ancient hydraulics in planning)

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The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication