News
Mannar wind power project gets one month breather as protests continue and govt. holds talks
View(s):By S. Rubatheesan
For the past two weeks, Mannar villages have been on a continuous sit- in protest in the town area demanding a stop to the proposed second phase of the 50 MW wind power project alleging it poses an existential threat to their livelihood and would be an ecological disaster.
The villages take part in the protest on a rotational basis. Yesterday it was the turn for the villages of Vankalai and Thalai mannar to participate. Dozens of villagers gathered at the site along with youngsters carrying placards such as ‘Don’t play with our future’ and ‘The windpower plant is a deathblow to us’ among others.
“We cannot allow this project to go ahead as it will have serious environmental consequences just like what happened after the implementation of the first phase of the project. Unlike before, our region is continuously flooded in recent years due to the rearrangement of natural waterways, setting up new roads etc,” A. Rohan, who joined the protest from Vankalai told the Sunday Times.
Villages take part in the protest on a rotational basis
Meanwhile following a meeting with civil society representatives the government decided to suspend the project temporarily for one month and develop a framework to identify and resolve the issues local communities would face as a result of the project.
With fishing being the main livelihood of thousands of fisherfolk families, many fishermen who engaged in coastal fishing strongly believe that setting up massive turbines and the vibration felt on sea ground had reduced their fish catch in recent years compared to the past.
“It could be due to turbines or many other factors but we cannot prove it. The government is also not looking into this,” said Northern Fisheries Cooperative Federation Secretary N.M. Aalam from Mannar.
Mr. Aalam was among the civil society leaders who met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Wednesday after protesters blocked the entry of five containers carrying equipment into Mannar at midnight and launched a continuous protest.
The container lorries were allowed to enter and unload equipment following the intervention of the Mannar Magistrate Court.
Accordingly, the construction of the two wind power plants, one of 20 (MegaWatts) MW which is already underway and the other of 50 MW have been put on hold despite tenders being called and contracts awarded.
President Dissanayake emphasised that energy is a national resource, not limited to one region and that electricity costs affect not only household bills but also the cost of production, foreign investment and the entire economy.
He stressed that the government is always prepared to engage in discussions about the project’s impact on people’s livelihoods, the economy and daily life and also address public concerns.
President Dissanayake indicated that all the country’s resources belong to its people and that energy is not confined to any one region but is the rightful possession of the entire nation, according to a statement issued by the President Media Division.
He also pointed out that further delays in development projects would mean missing opportunities to uplift the national economy and noted that opposition to such projects hinders the government’s ability to provide relief to investors and industrialists.
When concerns with regard to ilmenite sand mining were raised at the meeting, President Dissanayake assured that those projects would not proceed without the approval of the Central Environmental Authority’s assessment reports.
It was also revealed at the meeting that earlier the Adani Group had planned to purchase a unit of electricity at USD 0.0826, equivalent to LKR 25, while the unit price of electricity generated from this wind power project would be USD 0.0465, which is LKR 13.
The government’s policy is to maintain the average production cost of a unit of electricity at LKR 13.
Fr. S. Marcus Adigalar, President of the Mannar Citizens Committee told the Sunday Times that protesters are not giving up the protest but all stakeholders, including the Mannar Bishop’s house are engaged in discussions with government authorities to reach an amicable solution.
| Youth to the forefront in protest against proposed ilmenite mining Mannar youth staged a protest last week (August 6) against ilmenite sand mining activities in the district alleging that the island’s unique ecological and cultural heritage were under imminent risk due to the proposed mining activities. Organised solely by the youth, the protest is an awareness campaign on the potential dangers the district is facing and the challenges to the livelihoods of thousands of people who depend on its fragile eco systems, they said. The youths alleged that the proposed sand mining activities endangers coastal protection, freshwater aquifers and marine biodiversity while stressing that these environmental consequences are irreversible. A signature campaign was also launched following the protest march demanding president Anura Kumara Dissanayake to revoke all existing permits and approvals related to ilmenite sand mining and declare Mannar island as a protected coastal ecological zone. Moves are underway by international companies to obtain industrial licences to engage in mineral sand mining activities in the region after initial assessment revealed significant deposits of ilmenite during exploratory assessments carried out in the past. | |
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