Private Mini-Hydro: Energy Generation Or Willful Destruction?
By Sriyantha Perera –February 7, 2017
Sriyantha Perera
In an article published in Ceylon Today titled “Small Hydropower Developers Cry Foul”, dated Sunday January 29, Thusitha Peiris and Anil Makalande of the Mini Hydro Developers Association have made baseless allegations that Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka (RPSL) is a foreign funded NGO aiming to destroy the hydropower sector.
Such accusations made through the media with no facts to prove their veracity are clearly an attempt to distort the facts and mislead the public.
I established RPSL as a volunteer environmental organization in 2010 as our motherland had a lack of participation by individuals on a volunteer basis to protect the remaining forests, waterfalls and wildlife. We have carried out small projects successfully with the means of limited funding, such as native tree planting projects in the wet zone, trash cleanup and awareness projects, reporting environmental issues through media and pushing the government authorities responsible for protection of the environment to act on urgent issues.
RPSL is a volunteer-based environmental organization supported and funded by concerned citizens of Sri Lanka. Funding has always been an issue for us as we are intentionally not tied to any NGO, whether local or foreign. Our strength lies in our people who care about the country and will stand up to protect the last remaining rainforests and water rights for our future generations.
Therefore Mr. Peiris and Mr. Makalande of the Mini Hydro Developers Association are welcome to look at our bank account and transactions if they are so concerned, before making false allegations to mislead the public.
The protestors who participated on January 25 in front of the Central Environmental Authority against the mini-hydro mafia comprised volunteer activists, concerned citizens, and over 200 hundred villagers whose lives are affected adversely. The participants arrived of their own volition and at their own expense, out of genuine concern to protect the water rights of villagers, farmers and wildlife.
The Mini Hydro Developers Association’s move to ‘play the NGO card’ at this time shows their shocking desperation to protect their business interests at any cost. I vehemently reject their allegation on behalf of our volunteer based organization and on behalf of those who unselfishly gave their time and energy to speak out against the destruction of Sri Lanka’s waterfalls, streams and rivers.
Here are some facts about the ground situation.
Ecological and Social Impact Due to Private Mini Hydro Projects
Mini Hydro plants have a severe negative impact on the environment, society, agriculture and tourism sectors. Diversion of water away from the natural streams through concrete channels for several kilometers, near complete obstruction of waterfalls, construction of diversion channels within protected forest reserves such as Dellawa rainforest in Sinharaja rainforest complex, have all created an ecological disaster.
At Anda Dola, a tributary of Gin Ganga in Galle District more than 6 km of stream will go dry due to diversion of water for the construction of a mini-hydro plant. Villagers no longer have the right to water for consumption and agriculture. Many endemic and endangered freshwater fish such as Barred Danio (Devario pathirana) and Ornate Paradise fish (Malpulutta kretseri) living in these waters also lose their habitat and are pushed towards extinction.
In Belihul Oya valley within the Nuwara Eliya District, more than 500 acres of paddy fields and hundreds of farmers are severely affected due to Deegalahinna, Medapitiya and Manakola mini-hydro projects.
While the approvals given by Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and Irrigation Department state an unobstructed opening should be kept at all times to release a small amount of water downstream as environmental flow, many sites such as the Hulukelidola mini-hydro plant in Kalutara District have built controllable gates that open when Government officers come for inspection and close as soon as they leave. At other sites, these openings for environmental flow are being blocked to extract the last drop of water for the mini-hydro plant in order to maximize the profit at the expense of water needs of people and wildlife living downstream.
