Megapolis ministry unable to deter wetland-negative development in Colombo city
Many of Sri Lanka’s current generation of youth and youngsters are unaware of the fact that Colombo is a city built on a wetland which has a beautiful history behind, how people survived over the ages and made use of the natural resources sometime back. With development increasing and tall buildings, malls, boutiques and multimillionaire companies coming up around every corner of the city, people do not realise the value of a natural wetland. These were some of the thoughts that probably went through participants at a ‘Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy’ workshop organised by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLRDC) together with the World Bank Sri Lanka organised at the Grand Monarch Hotel in Thalawathugoda.
Officials from SLRDC, World Bank Sri Lanka and Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development were present at the workshop. International Wetland Scientist Dr. Matthew Simpson making a presentation on ‘Urban Wetlands; Current International Thinking’, said that according to research findings, floods are still a big issue in Colombo since 65 per cent of canals are polluted in the city and 40 per cent of wetland which covers around 58 acres of land have been lost since the 1980’s. Wetlands are important for human well-being as well as for certain animals to survive, he noted. On the sidelines of the workshop Mr. Simpson told the Business Times that Colombo has so much of wetlands remaining and these need to provide legal protection by the relevant authority against disruptive city development.
Wetlands are natural resources used to store water during the dry season and enables a smooth flow of rainwater preventing flooding which is currently the biggest issue in Colombo. Development of wetlands by balancing the natural resources without disrupting the environment is good, as long as proper measures are taken for the flow of water, he added. Under the ‘Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy’ it was mentioned that 75 per cent of the wetlands will be lost in the next century if continuous loss and degradation of wetlands take place in the city.
During the Q & A session of the workshop it was revealed that the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development which was set up under the present government has no power to control any of the disruption that takes place in the city. There is no legal framework to protect the wetlands and not much concern is drawn towards the conservation of them.