The dawn of the New Year was a nightmare for the living organisms in the Muthurajawela Sanctuary. This is because they were caught in a raging fire which commended on the evening of January 1. The fire spread and destroyed more than 100 acres of land in the sanctuary between Pattiyawela and Pubudugama, an area which runs parallel to the Colombo - Katunayaka Expressway.   

The Air Force, armed forces, the Police and villagers made a collective effort to douse the fire. An MI -17 helicopter was deployed to extinguish the fire. A 2400 litre Bambi bucket was used in eight operations. The helicopter was piloted by Squadron Leader Prasanna Gunaratne and co- piloted by Flight Lieutenant Indika Bandara, according to the SLAF website.   

• "The illegal landfilling occurs during broad daylight, starting from Saturday noon and continuing till Monday morning, all this taking place while government officials are on leave"

• "An MI -17 helicopter was deployed to extinguish the fire"

Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippili of the Early Warning of Disaster Management Centre said in response to a query that the fire had not damaged any property or human lives.   
By the night on January 2, the spreading of the fire was controlled, except in small patches here and there. Pamunugama Police is conducting further investigations. The police suspect that the fire was caused as a result of actions by hunters during their effort to capture the wild animals.   
A source said fires have become a frequent occurrence in the sanctuary close to Pubudugama village; where the drug addicts have increased in their numbers as of late.   

Tortoise meat and shells in custody   

It is said that the drug addicts set fire to small areas in the sanctuary to capture wild animals like the Sri Lankan Spotted Chevrotain (Meeminna), Bengal Monitor (Thalagoya), Fishing Cat (Handun Diviya), Tortoise and a bird species called Vil goya, which weighs around 2 kg. Eventually, the meat is sold to the close-by restaurants in exchange for money to quench their thirst for drugs.   
The villagers said that the fires in the sanctuary started about four years ago. They added that the area is a grassland consisting of reed species like Spear Grass (Iluk) and Ceylon Citronella grass (Maana) as well as Kadol plants (a common native mangroves plant). The dryness in weather, arid grass and the rough winds must have fuelled the escalating fires.   

Large-scale racket   

Meanwhile, the Kandana Police had arrested a suspect involved in a large-scale racket of capturing and killing of tortoises and selling their meat. More than 12 dead tortoises, eggs, meat, and 200 tortoise shells were seized along with the knives used in the activity, some three "weeks ago.   

‘Society of Protecting Muthurajawela Sanctuary’ member Dinusha Nanayakkara, a resident of the area, said that the fires in the sanctuary are more an annual occurrences now. Even during the previous year, a fire broke out and surprisingly the culprits were kids, initiating the fire for no reason.   

The land where the fire broke out is frequented by people who go fishing. Nanayakkara said that capturing of wild animals such as rabbits, porcupines, monitors, and crocodiles is yet another fact which is associated with the fires within the sanctuary.   

• "Drug addicts set fire to small areas in the sanctuary to capture wild animals"

• "The villagers said that the fires in the sanctuary started about four years ago"

• "More than 12 dead tortoises, eggs, meat, and 200 tortoise shells were seized along with the knives used in the activity, some three weeks ago"

“There are no possibilities of wildfires taking place in this area and the cause for them is definitely linked to humans. Eggs of migrant birds are destroyed along with the local animals and their habitats. With the presence of dry weather, the fire spreads fast. I am clueless as to who might have caused the fires this year. Somehow Muthurajawela is being destroyed each day,” he remarked.   

Following the political turmoil experienced during the past few months, the Muthurajawela ecosystem was left to itself, and we realised how political assistance is linked with its’ destruction, he said.   
“The President ordered expansion of the sanctuary up to Negombo, an area that includes the lagoon attaching other areas with an environmental value such as marshlands outside the sanctuary. The new maps already prepared aren’t gazetted yet. The success of this would be a giant step towards protecting the Muthurajawela wetland.” explained Nanayakkara.   
Soon after the president’s visit to Muthurajawela in March last year, illegal activities taking place such as garbage dumping and landfilling were banned and halted. STF units were deployed to safeguard the area.   

STF posts withdrawn   

Sources say the STF posts were withdrawn after six months and landfilling is still continuing in indirect ways. 
After the forest is cut and cleared in massive scale, villagers construct roads and dump garbage everywhere. Finally, rotting garbage is covered with loads of soil transported by the tippers. Large-scale landfilling commenced in the Delathura area a few days ago, where more than 100 loads of soil brought from tippers were used in the filling according, to the sources.   

The illegal landfilling occurs during broad daylight, starting from Saturday noon and continuing till Monday morning, all this taking place while government officials are on leave. 
The villagers state that the officials of the wildlife office, located in the area, are said to maintain a low profile regardless of whatever happens.   
Colombo has been declared as a Wetland City by the International Ramsar Convention. The presence of the Fishing Cat, (an endangered species of wild cats in Sri Lanka) played an important role in obtaining the wetland certification of Ramsar. Safeguarding urban wetlands for mitigating floods in Colombo metro area was another initiative.   

• Eggs of migrant birds are destroyed along with the local animals and their habitats

• STF posts were withdrawn after six months and landfilling is still continuing

• Ignorant villagers keep destroying the wildlife in Muthurajawela

Meanwhile, ignorant villagers keep destroying the wildlife in Muthurajawela; slaughtering and burning alive the valued Fishing Cat and other wild animals. 
The curse of the hunters does not stop there as their activities continue setting fire to one of most precious ecosystems in Sri Lanka. (Additional Reporting by Ja - Ela P.H.P. Perera)

Pics by P. H.P. Perera, 
Dinusha Nanayakkara