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| Locals in Mannar staged protest against attempts by a private company to engage in sand mining. File pic |
Gulf of Mannar is a protected wetland covering an area of about 1,525.87 square miles and home to about 90,000 people
By Sandran Rubatheesan
(UCAN) Sri Lankan Catholic bishops joined environmental and rights activists to urge the government to reconsider its decision on oil and gas exploration in areas adjacent to the Gulf of Mannar, calling for prior consultation with stakeholders.
In a statement on Sept. 10, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka said they are concerned about mineral exploration permissions granted in Mannar Island, a Catholic-majority and ecologically sensitive region.
The statement, signed by 13 bishops, said the conference is worried because “people are disturbed by this ecologically damaging activity” and noted they have received information about “the drilling of land surrounding Mannar Island for oil and gas exploration.”
The bishops said they recognize “these may be positive initiatives towards economic development, but it is the duty of those responsible to conduct proper environmental assessments in a transparent manner and to make the public aware of such projects.
“A proper consultation to ascertain the local public opinion should be done prior to any such development activity. The livelihood of the fishing community and the water resources in Mannar Island should not be affected by such activity, so that the rights and the dignity of the people will be safeguarded,” the prelates said.
The Gulf of Mannar covers a land area of about 3,952 square kilometers (1,525.87 square miles) and is home to about 90,000 people, who rely mostly on fishing and agriculture for livelihood.
The wetland region is also home to the Vankalai Bird Sanctuary, situated on the migratory path of birds in South Asia. The wetland was listed as a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2010.
The bishops’ statement came as the government recently resumed issuing licenses for oil and gas exploration in Mannar. Media reports say the authorities also aim to award exploration permits to international energy companies.
Yardsan Figurado, president of the Mannar Social and Economic Development Organization, said that despite the eco-sensitivity, Mannar has become a center of development programs with little focus on the impact on local communities.
“Most of the programs are either being implemented or proposed on the main island, which has a very delicate soil formation structure due to its geographic location,” Figurado told UCA News.
Despite the island being prone to flooding during the monsoon, several windmill towers have been set up, he added.
Earlier, ecologists and island residents, including Catholics, staged weeks-long protestsagainst sand mining, windmill and mineral exploration projects, citing detrimental impacts on the environment and livelihood.
The protests forced the authorities to declare a temporary suspension of sand mining and windmill projects.
On Aug. 11, Protect Mannar Environment, a collective of grassroots-level environmentalists and civil society outfits, wrote to Catholic bishops seeking their intervention to protect the island from the potential impacts of proposed development projects.
N.M. Aalam, secretary of the Mannar-based Northern Fishermen Federation, said fishermen will lose their traditional fishing grounds and access to certain parts of the coastal area if the government’s gas and oil exploration initiative moves ahead.
“Unfortunately, we were not informed of or consulted about these projects. Fishermen must be given alternative job opportunities if they are proceeding with these since their livelihoods are at risk,” Aalam told UCA News.
The bishops have also called on the government to carry out “an impartial investigation” into mass graves in the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, particularly ongoing excavations in Chemmani mass graves.
They urged “truth and accountability” for the alleged crimes associated with Chemmani and other places during the nation’s 26-year-long civil war.
The armed struggle by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for a homeland for ethnic Tamils within Sri Lanka, and the army's move to suppress them, resulted in the death of more than 100,000 people. (Courtesy: UCAN)
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