Wells run dry in Gampaha owing to haphazard industrial use

The Gampaha district is gripped with a serious crisis where almost all the wells are getting dried up owing to the digging of a large number of deep- wells by industrialists.

It has caused serious environmental pollution and other disasters and inconveniencing residents. To plan out a strategy to protest and demand the government for solutions, a meeting was convened recently at the Janaawabodha Kendraya, Negombo.

Rev Fr Sarath Iddamalgoda, a veteran rights activist, speaking at this meeting said that they have met some high government officials to solve such problems like the Gampaha district water crisis but found that they are unable to solve them, and that law and order and all ethics in the country are failing.

He pointed out that even Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka and other intellectuals have accepted that these disasters are due to unplanned development activities that are taking place in the country.

He said due to these unplanned development activities during the last six months thousands of wells in Gampaha have gone dry and like in the dry zone, people in this dis- trict are compelled to go in search of water. This water crisis is also due to the digging of a large number of deep- wells by industrialists and also in the Free Trade Zone.

The participants discussed setting up a ' People's Alternate Courts' formed with specialists, researchers, legal officers, the civil society and the victims and the findings of these courts are to be submitted to the government for solutions.

Hemantha Vithanage, Executive Director, Environmental Justice Centre, said that the people who become victims of these disasters should be first enlightened of the dangers they would have to face, and organise them to launch protests and activate them to organise alternate forums to fight against the government.

Citing previous experiences, he said the Government would try its best to prevent such protests taking place while on the other hand people are coerced not to participate in those protests.

Participants decided to hold meetings in different locations in the district to plan out the setting up of People's alternate forums ( courts) and carry out major awareness campaigns to educate people on the impending dangers of losing their water.