Crocodile threats to visitors of Wetland Park, Nugegoda

It was only a few days ago that two TV channels gave a live cover of how a man was being dragged into the water in the Diyawanna Park, and the victim was reported to be a 40-year-old resident of Rajagiriya. It is suspected that crocodiles have invaded Wetland water streams, too, using the unhindered canals connected to Diyawanna Oya.

These crocodiles are visibly seen all hours of the day at the end of the Wetland Park, popularly known as the Weli Park, especially right around the children’s park and the calamity to human life is unavoidable, if the crocodiles are not relocated from the water streams surrounding the park at the earliest opportunity. These young crocodiles would inevitably breed more, using the ideal conducive environment available for them, thus creating more threats to the visitors in the years to come.

These young crocodiles have a routine habit of enjoying a sunbath on the banks of the walking paths in the morning hours, according to visitors. These creatures are a protected species in the country according to the Flora and Fauna Act, and the visitors and highly populated families living along the banks would resort to retaliate in a harmful manner, if any major calamity takes place.

The children are the more vulnerable group to be affected, and the parents should exercise more vigilance to protect their children. In addition to children, I have seen some visitors sitting, lying down or relaxing. Some practice meditation like yoga. This is the time when there is no attention, and one could get attacked by the creatures. Nobody can tell, or predict when such events could happen. Some parents have a bad habit of leaving the children in the children’s playground and going for jogging, exposing the children to a huge risk. The situation is more precarious when there is no electricity at night due to breakdowns. The whole area was in full darkness during the last two Saturdays, as the CEB had restored power supply well after 2000hrs after a breakdown.

It is a matter of solace that the area surrounding the children park is fenced, restricting the movements of these crocodiles and monitors, but they have ample access to encroach on the children park through other means, as the rest of the walking paths are not well secured and protected.

Various birds have come to make this park their habitat. Some are exotic species bred after spending money. Crocodiles can easily eliminate them. It was a common sight of innocent local species of monitors (kabaragoya) swimming in the water or walking on the embankment of the children park, sometimes even crossing the track just in front of you. Not everybody knows how to differentiate them from crocodiles, and children or the elderly might ignorantly walk by the side of a crocodile.

The safety aspects, cleanliness, standard of discipline, etc., of the park have seen a visible deterioration during the last few months, and involvement of the multiplicity authorities is the bane for this sorry state of affairs. It is the task of the Sri Lanka Navy to maintain the entrance area, which is maintained meticulously. The Low Lying and Land Reclamation Board is in charge of the cleanliness of the rest of the park. The Urban Development Authority has the overall administrative authority. The Kotte Municipality is entrusted with the removal of garbage. The rationale for having multiple players is not a good management strategy, and there could be a situation where responsibilities cannot be pinpointed, if there is a breach of standards. The erection of the name board regarding the parking of the vehicles inside the park, stands to be corrected, as it gives totally two different meanings, despite the wide publicity given in the papers a few moons ago.

Sound management system is sine-qua-non for the smooth functioning of an organisation, without overlapping duties, and these administrative lapses need to be straightened out as a matter of high priority.

ATHULA RANASINGHE