The Environment Ministry, with support from the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), is currently assessing the sources of pollution in the Hamilton Canal. The move comes as the Ministry considers suggestions from the related Ministers and authorities on cleaning the waterway and mitigating its adverse impacts.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Environment Minister, Anton Jayakody said that several polluted points of the canal have been identified and that assessments are underway with CEA support to pinpoint the polluters. "The District Development Committees of the Gampaha District and the Puttalam District and the Tourism Ministry have suggested to proceed with the cleaning of the canal under the project ‘Clean Sri Lanka’. The Environment Ministry and the CEA will be taking charge of continuing its cleanliness thereafter," he said.
He further noted the proposed new Environmental Act is yet to be enacted. "Once it is approved, the CEA gets the legal powers and provisions to act against any party that is identified to cause pollution," he added.
When queried on potential severe impacts on the fisheries industry, he said that there is no official identification or information regarding effects on fisheries resources due to the pollution. "What we are most keen about is to check whether any heavy metals are being released to the water resources which will adversely affect the public and to take legal actions against those alongside the river who do that," he concluded.
His comments follow renewed concerns from residents living along the Hamilton Canal and fishermen from the Negombo Lagoon. They report that large-scale pollution is destroying fish breeding grounds, worsening floods, and turning the lifeline waterway into a serious public health hazard. Tensions escalated last week when Police officers, during the removal of unauthorised constructions along the canal in Wattala, came under attack and sustained minor injuries. The attack was allegedly carried out by a person engaged in an illegal trade.
The canal, constructed by the British colonial administration in 1802 to drain salt water from the Muthurajawela wetlands, has a long history of neglect. Reports as early as October 2017 highlighted it as drowning in neglect, with complaints from residents about blocked drains, solid waste, and untreated wastewater discharges. Previous Governments have initiated various projects to develop the canal as a tourist attraction and a mode of public transit, yet, the issues remain the same to date.