Planners warn hill country not safe

~ Continuous resettlement endangering ecosystem

By Nadia Fazlulhaq

The glorious hill country of Sri Lanka famed for its beauty and unique climate would not be healthy to settle in, with heavy rain, landslides and earthquakes likely to continue in the future, the Town Planners Association warns. Town Planners Association past president Lakshman Jayasekara said town planners have re-identified these fragile areas and urge all parties to be more vigilant, take measures to protect these areas and conserve them.

“We can’t tell the people living in Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla to re-locate immediately but there is a risk in living in some areas. We have to put into their minds the reality and remind them those beautiful areas would disappear if continuous resettlement take place,” he said.

Central fragile Areas

Explaining the causes of destruction Mr. Jayasekara said that heavy rainfall which encourages earthslips and minor earthquakes although not felt by people have an adverse affect on mountains. “Rains and earthquakes are the main reasons which could cause the collapse of mountains. Sri Lanka is experiencing heavy rain compared to the past. There is a huge atmospheric change in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka and our country is in the earthquake zone so a series of minor earthquakes are having an effect on loosening of the earth” he added.

He said constructing houses and commercial buildings on the tops of mountains is dangerous and advised that such constructions be minimised. According to Mr. Jayasekara settlements, cultivations and plantations in the central areas have taken place by clearing forests thus making the soil more vulnerable to earthslips.

“All water resources are blocked because houses are built over natural water producing areas. There were many waterfalls in Nuwara Eliya, which do not exist at present. There were 103 river and major water canals in the hill country a hundred years ago but now only a few exist. The main reason is that plantations had come up close to the waterfalls and lands were cleared by cutting down trees, so when it rains the waterfall route is blocked,” he said.

Mr. Jayasekara said history records that the hill country provided water right up to Jaffna and ancient kings planted trees in the hill country hiding themselves in fortresses built in thick forests, away from the Portuguese. But with plantations introduced by the British and settlement staking place, it was the beginning of the destruction of the water and land resources in the hill country.

“We have to consider moving people from upcountry. For instance, we see that the poverty line is highest in Nuwara Eliya and around 30-40 per cent of the youth there come to work in the towns and suburbs where most of them would settle. There is also a significant number of people leaving vulnerable areas in the hill country,” he said.

He said although national planners took up the position that Peradeniya should be re-located they were opposed by other parties. “National planners have the ability to study present day signs and changes and determine future changes. The hill country is a protected area and it is scientifically proven that in the next 10-15 years living there would be highly dangerous,” he said.