Supported by the #InternewsEarthJournalismNetwork, @tharushineethr1 did a brilliant job mapping the far-reaching, widespread environmental impact of the foreign-funded Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga reservoir project. @earthjournalism
sundaytimes.lk/220320/news/mo…
sundaytimes.lk/220320/news/mo…
She spent weeks researching it. The project has destroyed elephant corridors, exacerbating the human-elephant conflict in agricultural areas, especially Matale. Agitated elephants were ruining crops and property built across inter-generational migration routes.
Because Moragahakanda releases water earlier than usual into Minneriya tank, #elephants can't eat the lush grass that sprouts on the tank bed during dry season. The ‘Great Elephant Gathering of Minneriya’ has been decimated.
Between 2016 and 2021, there is a 95% drop in elephants assembling there every September, says Sumith Pilapitiya, eminent wildlife researcher and former WCD Director-General. Read on for more insights.
The ‘Gathering’ was one the biggest in South-East Asia and attracts hordes of tourists, especially in August-September when around 300 elephants congregated. Since the completion of the Moragahakanda reservoir, this has slumped to around 20.
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