UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE inside Sinharaja forest

 The picture shows illegal sand mining taking place
(Photos by Samantha Perera) 

•  Anyone stepping into Lankagama can observe large-scale sand and timber smuggling occurring in the surrounding forests, streams and places close to the Gin Ganga
• Sand mining continues in streams and rivers near the Sinharaja Reserve with the knowledge of a former political bigwig 
• A road is being further widened under the pretext of providing access to a house of a local politician’s uncle, but the real intention is to mine sand
• Critics opine that allowing sand trucks to enter Gin Ganga would cause severe environmental damage to both the Sinharaja Reserve and the river reserve

The Sinharaja Forest, spread across the districts of Ratnapura, Galle, and Matara, covers an area of 11,187 hectares. There are 22 villages surrounding this forest, and Lankagama, one of them, is located in the Galle district at an altitude of 827 feet above sea level. In the past, there were considerable discussions about expanding and modernising the existing road from Lankagama to Neluwa. This road passes through Lankagama, Kolonkotuwa, Warukandeniya, Madugeta and Hathpitiya before reaching Neluwa. It begins near Brahmana Ella in Sinharaja and runs for about 1.1 kilometres along the Sinharaja border. The total distance from Lankagama to Neluwa is 18 kilometres.

Lankagama has also been designated as an eco-tourism zone by the Forest Conservation Department. In this scenic paradise, villagers can sell products like Kithul jaggery and treacle at competitive prices. However, during a visit this newspaper made to Lankagama, large-scale sand and timber smuggling occurring in the surrounding forests, streams and places close to the Gin Ganga could be observed. At present, sand mining in Gin Ganga has been banned. 

However, with the knowledge of a former local politician and a former national-level politician, sand mining continues in the streams and rivers near the Sinharaja Reserve. The Lankagama-Warukandeniya ‘old Gamsabha road’ stretches close to Hariyawa Dola Reserve, close to the Brahmana Ella catchment area in Lankagama. Hariyawa Dola flows into the Gin Ganga. An unauthorised sand mining site has been operating at this location for some time, reportedly with significant backing from a former local politician. This Gamsabha road is about five feet wide. An access road to the houses has also been requested, but residents have not used it for some time due to the availability of an alternative route nearby. It has now been reported that a local politician in Neluwa is attempting to build a wider road to his uncle’s house from the Hariyawa Dola Reserve, claiming that the existing road is too far. Residents of the area said that this politician is receiving strong support from the Neluwa Divisional Secretary.

According to the residents, the road is being further widened under the pretext of providing access to the house of a Neluwa local politician’s uncle, while the real intention is to secretly mine sand in the Gin Ganga. Additionally, the distance from the Hariyawa Dola Reserve to the Sinharaja Reserve is about 50 metres. Anyone who visits the site can see that further widening of the Gambsabha Road and allowing sand trucks to enter the Gin Ganga would cause severe environmental damage to both the Sinharaja Reserve and the river reserve.

The road going through Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Prof. Sunil Kariyakarawana, the owner of Sinharaja Eco Lodge holiday resort near the Hariyawa Dola Reserve, has strongly opposed the project, emphasising the serious environmental damage it would cause. He said that after he pointed out the environmental destruction that would result from building this road merely to reach a single house, Neluwa government officials began exerting significant pressure on the holiday resort, claiming it was illegally constructed in the Ginganga and Hariyawa reserves. This matter is mentioned in a letter sent by the Neluwa Divisional Secretary to the Presidential Secretary under No. NEL/DS/LAND/01/35. Dated 02.02.2024, the letter was issued under the subject of preventing survey work related to widening the six-foot road in the Sinharaja, Neluwa and Hariyawa Dola reserves. In the letter, the Divisional Secretary justifies approving the road expansion for the residents using that route.

Under the Land Development Ordinance, no one is permitted to provide a road through a reserve, as stated in Sections 50, 52, and 227. In this context, how Neluwa Divisional Secretary R. M. S. Priyadarshana justifies providing access through a reserve to residents who already have an alternative route is problematic. On 23.08.2024, the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Council, and Local Government, in a letter numbered HAF/INV/ADM/02/09, informed Sunil Kariyakarawana of an investigation report on preventing the destruction of the Sinharaja River Reserve and the Hariyawa Reserve. According to the letter, the survey work on the road has been halted. It also states that attention has been paid to the environmental destruction caused by the road due to bank erosion. Additionally, it calls for the removal of unauthorised constructions. However, residents of the area said that despite this, the road is still being provided through the intervention of the Divisional Secretary.

Locals further claimed that the Neluwa Divisional Secretary is attempting to cut through a protected area, just 50 metres from the Sinharaja Reserve, to create a road for the uncle of a local politician. They accused him of misusing his authority by refusing to provide a road to the house of an ordinary resident in Neluwa. They alleged that the Divisional Secretary initially approved a road to the house of a person named Lionel Sirisena in the Moragahakanda area, but after 58 days, he banned the road and restricted access to it. Land areas in Neluwa belong to the government. The only way to access Lionel Sirisena’s land is via a drainage ditch, which passes through a difficult rocky terrain on a mountain slope. Following a request for road access, the Divisional Secretary facilitated the construction of a road through a land belonging to Lionel Sirisena’s sister. In this manner Sirisena built a road to his house. However, despite the road being sanctioned by the Divisional Secretary himself, its use was later prohibited, citing it as illegal. Sirisena wasn’t provided with an alternative route.

No hopes of building a road 

Sirisena’s wife is a disabled woman who is about 60 years old. She is unable to reach her house via the steep hill road and is currently staying at her daughter’s house in Ambalantota. Additionally, Sirisena himself was struck by lightning on 26-04-2024, and the accident has significantly reduced his mobility. He said that he has been severely inconvenienced by the Neluwa Divisional Secretary, who initially provided a road to his house, but banned its use within 58 days. As a result, Sirisena has requested for a road at least five feet wide to access his home. 

 He further added that, despite the Divisional Secretary’s promise to provide an alternative route, the only access given to him was across the drainage ditch, a path that is extremely difficult to navigate. The former Grama Niladhari officer of the area had instructed to develop the drainage ditch road and construct a road, but he was transferred to another location. Due to this, Sirisena now sees the possibility of having a road to his home as nothing more than a distant dream.

• Commercial buildings have been constructed near the Sinharaja Brahmana Ella Reserve, close to the Sinharaja Reserve border

The challenging road one had to take to reach Lionel Sirisena's residence

The brother of Kariwasam Jagodage Priyantha from the Moragahakanda area, Neluwa, had been using water from a water hole located on a private land for years, and later, with the support of the landowner, turned it into a well, using it for drinking water over the years. However, the situation changed when the landowner, for personal reasons, refused to let him continue using the well and removed the water pipe. Since Priyantha’s brother is currently abroad, Priyantha has taken the responsibility of addressing the issue. Priyantha said that after informing the Divisional Secretary about the water problem, no proper justice was done. He also underscored that his brother’s son suffers from kidney disease and criticised the Divisional Secretary’s decision, likening it to the arbitrary rulings of King Kekille. Instead of ensuring continued access to the well that had been in use for years, the Divisional Secretary granted permission to draw water from a nearby stream as an alternative. However, Priyantha stated that the water in the stream is highly contaminated. He has his concerns especially considering the health concerns of a child suffering from kidney disease apart from no practical measures being taken to verify the cleanliness of the stream water. In such a situation, rather than creating a solution to restore access to the well, the Divisional Secretary is directing people toward an alternative that forces them to consume unsafe water.
Kapila Edirisuriya, a resident of Pannilamulla, Panagoda, was granted an 8-foot-wide road across his paddy field in the Neluwa Agrarian Services Division area by former Neluwa Divisional Secretary Chathuranga Gunasekara. However, according to Kapila Edirisuriya, the road had been widened to 15 feet, resulting in the destruction of his field. A road is provided after reclaiming a field, despite an alternative route to the relevant house already existing. Despite raising this issue with the current Divisional Secretary, Shantha Priyadarshana, Edirisuriya said that no action was taken to rectify the situation. Currently, the field remains uncultivated, with rubble from the road blocking its use. He also reported the matter to the Galle District Secretary, but no proper response has been received thus far. Edirisuriya added that for the past four years, he has repeatedly requested the Divisional Secretary to intervene and save his field, but his concerns have been ignored.

An investigation was carried out by the Labuduwa Agrarian Services Department, which confirmed that the road was constructed in violation of the Agriarian Act. As a result, on 12.11.2024, the Labugama Agrarian Services Center issued an order to restore the paddy field to its original state within 14 days. However, Edirisuriya said that the Neluwa Divisional Secretary is refusing to comply with these orders. Instead, the Secretary claims that the land exceeds an acre in size and denies the existence of a paddy field at that location.

The area where the Hariyawa Dola flows into the Gin Ganga is not related to a road issue. There is a problem concerning the hotel and the reserve there. The land belonging to the hotel occupies that part of the reserve. I stopped this activity. Now a court order has been sought to allow the survey”
- R. H. S. Priyadarshana Neluwa Divisional Secretary

Similarly, commercial buildings have been constructed near the Sinharaja Brahmana Ella Reserve, close to the Sinharaja Reserve border. These structures were built by relentlessly cutting down trees and removing soil; creating a serious risk of landslides. Although the Forest Conservation Department opposed these constructions, the intervention of the Neluwa Divisional Secretary led to their approval. A spokesperson for the Forest Conservation Department stated that these buildings were justified by claims being made that they were constructed on licensed lands. This destruction continues despite the fact that the Forest Conservation Department has put up signboards along the Sinharaja Reserve border, explicitly stating that it is illegal to cut or damage even a branch of a tree in the area.

Meanwhile, there are also allegations that the Neluwa Divisional Secretary has been involved in facilitating the transportation of sand from Hambantota to Galle via Neluwa. Local residents added that sand can be transported directly from Hambantota to Galle using the main road, yet the route through Neluwa is being used to support illegal sand mining operations along Gin Ganga. The people further claimed that no government official responsible for Neluwa has taken a stand against this activity. 

Similarly, Endi Ela in Delwewa originates in Nilwala area. It has been reported that a swimming pool has been built across the Edi Ela at an estimated cost of approximately Rs. 2.5 million. Local residents claimed that the general public is not allowed to bathe in this area, which has instead become an exclusive recreational spot for government officials in Neluwa. The authorities have failed to prevent the construction of a pool across a naturally flowing stream. The people of Neluwa alleged that this is due to the fact that these officials themselves frequent the location for leisure.

Additionally, the illegal hunting of wild animals and the sale of their meat have become a flourishing business in Sinharaja. Sources state that certain government officials in Neluwa are among those consuming this bush meat. The residents of Lankagama are well aware that these activities are supported by former politicians and members of the underworld. Furthermore, it has been reported that a government official in the Neluwa area granted permission to use a mobile tree cutting machine for illegal tree felling in the Sinharaja Reserve and surrounding protected areas. Allegedly, permission for such activities was authorised while the official was heavily intoxicated at a party while being hosted by a friend. It has also come to light that a licence has been issued to facilitate the deforestation activities using the mobile tree cutting machine.

This newspaper made further inquiries from the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, and the Regional Mining Division was also contacted, but no response was received. 

In response to inquiries made from Neluwa police, a spokesperson thee said, “Roadblocks have been set up to enforce the law and check for illegal sand transportation.”

“I don’t have authority to issue commercial licences for sand mining”

NELUWA Divisional Secretary

People have claimed that, despite complaining to the Divisional Secretary about the ongoing process in the Neluwa area, no proper action has been taken. The Daily Mirror also contacted Neluwa Divisional Secretary R. H. S. Priyadarshana to obtain his views regarding this issue. Priyadarshana said: “The area where the Hariyawa Dola flows into the Gin Ganga is not related to a road issue. There is a problem concerning the hotel and the reserve there. The land belonging to the hotel occupies that part of the reserve. I stopped this activity. The hotel owners did not permit a survey of that land, but now a court order has been sought to allow the survey..

“The Gamsabha Road is situated on a land for which a licence was issued 20 years ago. We have discussed providing an alternative route for those lands. There is no sand mining in that area. I am not involved in sand mining matters. The permits for that are issued by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau. I have granted permission to meet the non-commercial sand needs at the request of the public. The Bureau issues permits for commercial sand mining.

“The police should be responsible for checking illegal sand mining and transportation. I do not have the authority to issue commercial licences for sand mining, as my responsibility is limited to non-commercial mining. I acknowledge that illegal sand mining is taking place in the Gin Ganga, but I have not granted permission for such activities. I have instructed the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau and the police to take action, but illegal mining continues.

“There is a construction near the Sinharaja border above Brahmana Falls. The land in question is not part of the Sinharaja Reserve, but is instead a licenced land. The forest conservation boundary lies beyond the building, and there has been no landslide in that area. I did not give authority to make a road to give access to a house and ban that passage after 58 days. I did not issue any letter related to such a decision. If a road was provided, I wouldn’t have issued letters again to close it.

“This pool across Edi Ela in the Nilwala area was built before my tenure, and it was a large water project which was halted. It is a very old project. Permission was not granted to build a road over a paddy field. It was only granted for one acre of land, but there were two acres involved. Measurements are being taken to identify and separate the paddy field from the land in question.”