Concerns mount over destruction at Rambakan Oya

COLOMBO (News1st): Ven. Wakmulle Uditha Thero of the National Bhikku Front has raised concerns over severe environmental destruction in the Galwalayaya reserve of the Rambakan Oya. "We wish to tell (State Minister) Wimalaweera Dissanayake to visit these areas instead of challenging others to show him where deforestation has taken place," Ven. Uditha Thero noted. He observed that lands had been cleared to make way for a road while an agrarian well had been dug to obtain water. "Whose needs are they trying to fulfil by digging into the earth to obtain water and engage in cultivation?" the National Bhikku Front member queried. Locals pointed out that chainsaws had been used in a bid to cut down trees in the area as well. "These lands in the Rambakan Oya are home to a bounty of natural resources," a resident observed.