Unimaginable environmental destruction caused by central expressway construction

Colombo (News 1st): Concerns were raised again and again over the irreversible damage caused to the environment by the ongoing construction of the Central Expressway. This report highlights the implications caused by environmental degradation and the effects of it suffered by the residents of Mallawapitiya, Kurunegala. An age-old water catchment area that falls under the purview of the Mallawapitiya divisional secretariat in the Kurunegala District, is on the verge of destruction. Caused by the levelling of mountainous regions in the area to make way for the Central Expressway, the destruction began about one and a half years ago. Today the people in the area are experiencing first hand its adverse effects. The Maguru Oya which is among the main sources of water that nourishes the Deduru Oya begins from this mountainous region. Of the streams that would have covered much of the area before, what remains is shocking. Residents of areas of Thalampitiya, Mahagama, Kumbumbuwa, Bulugolla, and Kohilagedara are already suffering from a lack of drinking water, an issue that has never in the past affected the region. Against a backdrop where people have no water for their consumption, farmers' ambitions of watering their crops have been reduced to a mere dream. This is a serious crime. On one hand, you have the wewa 300m away and when all the trees are cleared out the people will not have any water. The divisional secretaries and Grama Seva officers are responsible. There is also a  political force behind this, that political force should also be held responsible.