Mannar Island communities face ecological disaster from Wind Power projects – Sajeewa Chamikara
Environmental activist Sajeewa Chamikara has warned that the wind power development projects, being rolled out on Mannar Island, pose an unprecedented threat to both the island’s human population and its fragile ecosystem.
Chamikara, representing the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform, said that plans, jointly prepared by the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA), Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), have been designed with the sole aim of generating electricity, neglecting the social and environmental realities of Mannar.
“Our studies clearly show that the ADB’s and SEA’s plans for Mannar are focused purely on energy output. They pay no attention to the livelihood and future of island residents or the island’s complex biodiversity and land-use systems,” Chamikara told The Island.
He said the ADB’s research reports were prepared with the primary goal of facilitating private sector investment, rather than ensuring a just transition to renewable energy as required under the Paris Agreement, to which Sri Lanka is a party.
“By ignoring the principles of a just transition, these agencies have overlooked the negative impacts on fishing communities, agricultural livelihoods, and the island’s natural systems,” he said.
According to Chamikara, the declaration of over 53% of Mannar Island’s land area as an “Energy Development Zone,” in 2014, has resulted in grave socio-ecological imbalances. The island — home to more than 66,000 residents — supports vital ecosystems, such as mangroves, lagoons, and salt marshes, which are legally protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.
He noted that several international environmental conventions had been violated, including the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Migratory Species (Bonn Convention), and the Paris Climate Agreement.
“The ADB’s actions contravene its own environmental safeguards. The construction of the 100 MW Thambapavani Wind Power Project, and its high-voltage transmission lines running through the Vankalai Ramsar Wetland, have caused serious environmental damage,” Chamikara alleged.
He added that the continuous noise and lighting from turbines, as well as new access roads, have disrupted migratory birds and nesting sea turtles, while flooding caused by blocked canals has affected hundreds of fishing families.
“The project’s Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) failed to assess the impacts on migratory birds, wetlands, and the livelihoods of local people. This negligence has led to ecological destruction and social unrest,” Chamikara said.
He further warned that new projects being promoted by foreign and local companies — including Hayleys Fentons and Liege Capital Holdings — appear to be moving forward without proper environmental clearances or Cabinet-level transparency.
“Some projects are operating without valid environmental approval, violating multiple national laws — including the National Environmental Act, the Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Act, and the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance,” he charged.
Chamikara urged the government and the ADB to immediately suspend the ongoing and proposed wind power projects on Mannar Island until a comprehensive, participatory environmental review is conducted.
“Renewable energy is vital, but it must not come at the cost of destroying the very ecosystems,” he added.
By Ifham Nizam ✍️
Copied: https://island.lk/mannar-island-communities-face-ecological-disaster-from-wind-power-projects/
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