Muthurajawela to be gazetted as a sanctuary at last

By Ifham Nizam

Environmentalists, researchers and scientists yesterday praised Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera for taking action to gazette Muthurajawela as a sanctuary and prosecute the factories that pollute water bodies.

Amaraweera has instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Anil Jasinghe to survey Muthurajawela and gazette it as a sanctuary urgently.

Following discussions at the Ministry recently on the environmental damage to Muthurajawela, which is a sensitive ecosystem and a haven for many fauna and flora species.

On Sunday, the Minister visited the wetland, following a complaint made by the Muthurajawela Sanctuary Preservation Association about the environmental damage.

The Minister witnessed the environment damage and instructed his officialss to take appropriate action.

Drawing attention to the large scale landfills and the discharge of harmful waste into the environment, the Minister said steps would be taken to remove all unauthorised constructions in Muthurajawela forthwith.

He also requested the Survey Department to survey the lands belonging to the wetland urgently.

The Minister did so after the Divisional Secretary of Ja-Ela, T. Rajika informed the Minister that since the Muthurajawela Sanctuary had not been surveyed and gazetted, the extent of land it encompassed could not be determined.

The Minister instructed the relevant authorities to expedite the demarcation of the Muthurajawela Sanctuary.

Amaraweera also said that some 90 per cent of the establishments around the Bolgoda Lake in Moratuwa had not obtained the Central Environmental Authority approval.

Amaraweera also inspected the unauthorised constructions around the Bolgoda Lake and the waste disposal methods that pollute the water body.

He stressed the need to amend the National Environmental Act to prevent pollution.

Accordingly, draft amendments to the National Environmental Act had already been submitted to the Attorney General for his observations, the Minister said.