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Urgent moves to stop Lovers Leap waterfall becoming a trickle
The Governor speaking at the event where the committee handed over the report
The picturesque ‘Lovers Leap’ waterfall in Nuwara Eliya is fast drying up due to the overuse of water at its source — and steps are being taken to preserve it.
A committee appointed by Central Province Governor Niluka Ekanayake to advise her on measures needed to preserve the waterfall, in its report last week, identified three places for people to take water – at a higher place above the waterfall, the location of the waterfall and below the waterfall.
As an immediate measure, those who are using the waterfalls’ water in the upstream will be asked not to do so and the Provincial Council will supply water to them. The pipelines that take the waterfall’s water to the Kovil on Pedro Estate would also be shut,except during the festive season.
As a long-term solution, the report recommends utilising water from Piduruthalagala to supply Kandapola Jaya Lanka Village.
Calling for the construction of water reservoirs, the committee report says only local councils and the National Water Board should be allowed to tap water from the reservoirs and residents should be supplied with water through pipelines.
The Committee that made the recommendations included District Range officer M.T.R. Kularatne, Assistant Divisional Secretary D. A. P. Danthasooria, Municipal Commissioner R.M.R.B Ratnayake, Engineer K.G, Kothalawela, Environmentalist R.M.K Bandara and Divisional Secretary U.M. Padma. Governor Ekanayake thanking the committee for its work said, “We have to act in a fair manner on this subject. We don’t want to hurt anyone. We all need water. But there should be some justification for it.”
Former Mayor Mahinda Dodampage said the Nuwara Eliya MC had acquired eight acres of land from the adjoining Pedro Estate to build a reservoir to supply drinking water.
'Lovers Leap' waterfall