Yasika Subasinghe
Sri Lanka is poor in fuel resources such as coal, oil and natural gas, but is blessed with a number of sites suitable for hydroelectric power generation, which is economically efficient. The government has been supplying affordable energy to the people of Sri Lanka and the domestic industry by actively implementing hydroelectric power development projects. However, in the beginning of the 1990s, as a result of economic expansion and development, the demand for electricity in Sri Lanka increased by more than 8% on average, and the balance between the supply and demand of electricity became tight in the second half of the decade; thus it has been anticipated that Sri Lanka could be hit by a critical supply-demand situation for electricity in any dry year.
Kukuleganga Hydropower Project is designed to alleviate the tight supply-demand situation for electricity by utilizing Sri Lanka’s precious hydroelectric power resource to supply the affordable electrical power. In a preliminary feasibility study conducted in 1989 with funds provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this project was conceived as a multi-purpose reservoir-type hydroelectric power plant with an output of 144 MW. After that, as a result of the feasibility study conducted with funds provided by the World Bank in 1992, a lower output Run-of-river type hydroelectric power plant equipped with a regulation pond was planned, because a reservoir-type hydroelectric power plant requires a large-scale resident relocation.
Environment Impact Assessment was carried out in 1993 and the operation was commenced in September 2003. In the EIA they have divided the Environment as Physical Environment, Ecological Environment and Socio-Economic Environment. The existed environment prior to implement the project was identified and then the possible Environmental impacts were predicted. The impacts were identified according to the short term and long term aspects. Short term impacts may arise due to temporary structures such as construction sites, construction camps and temporary roads. Long term impacts may occur due to permanent structures like diversion weir, regulation pond, quarry, dump site, work adits, waterways, power cavern, open air switch yard, new access roads, new transmission lines and resettlement host area. At the same time there might be positive and negative impacts on the environment.
When considering the impacts on the environment impacts on Physical environment, Ecological environment and Social environment should be identified separately. Impacts on physical environment are Soil erosion, shore erosion, decrease in ground water level, increase in BOD and COD, off localized slope movements, surface water quality will be reduced and visual quality will be affected. Some of the Ecological damages are submerging of 25ha agricultural land, inundation of 10ha of Hallokaya Mukalana, changes of Hydrology and Limnology, decomposition of Organic matter and nutrients, spreading of aquatic weeds, affecting river-rine vegetation, habitat loss for reptiles and amphibians, reduction of DO in the bottom of regulation pond, and weir acts as a barrier to the migratory fish. Social and economic impacts can also be identified such as decrease in water quality and potential of Malaria vector breeding.
Once the impacts are identified EIA should be able to give possible mitigatory measures for each impact in order to prevent or to minimize the damage to the environment. EIA report on the Kukuleganga Hydropower project consists of many mitigatory measures and many of them have been implemented in association with the project. There seem to be a good relationship with the people in the area and the staff of the Ceylon Electricity Board. Resettling is almost completed and resettling family was given a house with adequate facilities and a land for cultivation. Two main access roads were developed thus it provided access for better schools and employment opportunities
Even though the mitigatory measures are implemented in order to minimize the environmental impacts, there are many other consequences where there the mitigatory measures are not sufficient to compensate the damage and as well as unidentified impacts may occur after implementing the project. Thus continuous monitoring and follow up should be done in order to maintain the smooth flow of the project.
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