The Government is considering declaring the Kadugannawa mountain slope an environmental protection zone amid growing concerns over recent landslides and increasing climate-related risks, Mawbima newspaper reported.
Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, responding to an inquiry by Mawbima, said attention is being given to bringing the Kadugannawa slope under protected status. He said discussions are already underway with relevant institutions through the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), following landslides reported in the area in recent days.
The Deputy Minister stressed that with the intensifying impacts of climate change, the continued use of slope areas for human settlements and development activities must be carefully reconsidered in order to minimise future disaster risks.
Meanwhile, Central Environmental Authority Director General Kapila Mahesh Rajapaksa told Mawbima that plans are in place to declare the Kadugannawa Biosphere Park area an environmental protection zone under the provisions of the National Environmental Act. He said the CEA has the legal authority to gazette environmentally sensitive areas as protection zones, regardless of whether settlements exist within them.
Rajapaksa noted that areas such as Thalangama Lake and the Hanthana region have previously been preserved using similar legal mechanisms. He added that about two months ago, the CEA initiated a new annual process to identify and gazette areas requiring protection as environmental conservation zones.
While earlier designations mainly focused on biodiversity value, Rajapaksa said Kadugannawa was selected due to its unique natural diversity and increasing vulnerability to erosion. The proposed designation aims to prevent further environmental degradation in the area.
To determine the boundaries of the proposed protection zone, preliminary discussions have already been held with experts from several institutions, including the National Building Research Organisation, Road Development Authority, Divisional Secretariat, and the Railway Department. He said that once base maps are obtained, a detailed scientific study will be conducted.
Based on the findings of that study, the area is expected to be referred to the Attorney General’s Department for legal clearance to formally gazette Kadugannawa as an environmental protection zone, Rajapaksa added.
