Sri Lanka It's Happening

April 11, 2007

The government has started work on the second phase of the Upper Kothmale Hydro Power project. That means the St Clair water fall will disappear soon. And that's a best case scenario.

They will be tunneling through the Great Western range. The lower hills areas of those hills make up some of the best tea growing areas in Sri Lanka. The places close to the summit are covered in thick jungle. If a crack or a leak should develop in the tunnel this jungle and the tea bushes will disappear because the ground water will seep into the tunnel. That's not the worst case scenario either.

The hill around the Pundaluoya and Watagoda areas are unstable. The tunnel might set of massive land slides. The government certainly doesn't care about the loss of lives that may result. But they certainly will care if the slide results in the Kothmale river itself is dammed.