by Melani Manel Perera

Villages in northern Sri Lanka have been protesting for weeks against the second phase of a 50 MW wind power project. The latter has “serious environmental consequences”, Fr Marcus Adigalar, parish priest of Thalaimannar, told AsiaNews. The project impacts marine and coastal ecosystems. Dissanayake is open to dialogue. Young people are calling for permits to be cancelled and a protected area to be created.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – In Mannar Island, northern Sri Lanka, villagers have been staging a protest for nearly two weeks demanding a halt to the second phase of a 50 MW wind power project, arguing that it is an environmental disaster and poses an existential threat to their livelihoods.

The protest is widely supported. Young people and religious leaders have joined in, raising their voices, and the government put the project on hold and started talks with residents.

Dozens of villagers, young and old, came together, holding signs with slogans such as “Don't kill our lives and build up Wind power”, “Don't play with our future”, and “The wind power plant is a deathblow to us”.

The villagers participated in the protest taking turns, the last one with people from the villages of Vankalai and Thalai Mannar.

Following a meeting on 13 August in Colombo with representatives of civil society groups and religious leaders from the Northern Province, the government decided to suspend the project for a month to study the issues affecting the population of the Mannar area. It stated that, during this period, measures will be taken to identify problems and provide timely solutions.

Father Marcus Adigalar, parish priest of Thalaimannar and president of the Mannar Citizens' Committee, spoke to AsiaNews about the situation “We cannot allow this project to go ahead as it will have serious environmental consequences, just like what happened after the implementation of the first phase of the project,” he said.

In recent years, the region has been continually flooded due to the redevelopment of natural waterways and the construction of new roads.

For this reason, “we cannot allow this project to be built here," said the parish priest, who has strongly opposed it from the beginning. His and other priests' closeness to the population has been the great strength that has allowed the protest to continue unabated, some young people told AsiaNews.

Mannar Island is a wetland of international importance and home to the Vankalai Bird Sanctuary, one of the most important wetland habitats in South Asia. Thousands of migratory birds stop here every year, and thousands of fishing families depend on the surrounding sea for their livelihoods.

The wind energy project under construction on Mannar poses a serious threat to this fragile ecosystem. Global studies on wind energy projects that fail to take environmental systems into account show that wind turbine blades alter bird flight paths and increase the risk of fatal collisions.

Furthermore, coastal mangroves and littoral vegetation are destroyed, damaging fish breeding grounds. Construction noise, vibrations, and increased traffic threaten marine species, particularly those already endangered. Coastal erosion is also increased, reducing access points for fishing activities.

Environmental impact assessments prior to construction were inadequately conducted, and the voices of local communities have been ignored.

“Under the name of ‘renewable energy’, we cannot destroy nature, wildlife, and the livelihoods of people. Protecting Mannar's land, sea, and skies is our shared responsibility,” people who sat for the long protest said.

The fishing industry is the primary source of livelihood for thousands of families, and many fishermen have reported a reduction in their catch in recent years.

“It could be due to turbines or many other factors but we cannot prove it. The government is also not looking into this,” lamented N. M. Aalam, secretary of the Federation of Northern Fisheries Cooperatives, in Mannar, speaking to AsiaNews.

During the discussion on the topic, President Dissanayake emphasised that energy is a national resource, not limited to a single region, and that electricity costs impact not only household bills, but also production costs, foreign investment, and the entire economy.

He stressed that the government is always ready to discuss the project's impact on people's livelihoods and daily lives, as well as address public concerns.

Young people argue that the proposed sand mining activities also jeopardise coastal protection, freshwater aquifers, and marine biodiversity, insisting that these environmental consequences are irreversible.

Following the protest march held on 6 August, a signature campaign was launched calling on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to revoke all existing permits and approvals related to ilmenite sand mining and to declare Mannar Island a protected coastal ecological zone.

Finally, Father Marcus told AsiaNews that the population does not intend to give up their protest, and that all stakeholders, including the Diocese of Mannar, are engaged in discussions with government authorities to reach an amicable solution.

“We do not want to create a fight or an unpleasant situation, but we, our people, must live on this island peacefully like in the very far past. We should be able to breathe freely. That is enough,” he added.

• sri lanka
• northern province
• mannar island
• wind power
• fishing communities
• environment