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Minister wants plan to protect catchment areas from forest fires

by Florence Wickramage

Urban Development and Water Supply Minister Dinesh Gunawardene has instructed officials of the Water Supply and Drainage Board and the Ministry to launch a programme in consultation with the Central Environmental Authority to protect water catchment areas in the central hills from forest fires.

This follows an inspection tour Minister Dinesh Gunawardene undertook recently to the Poonagala mountain range where he witnessed forest fires raging at the time of his visit.

Forest fires prevalent in the hill country as a seasonal occurrence during this period is impacting negatively on the water catchment areas which in turn affects the drinking water supply to the entire country.

Communities living in forest areas in the hill country wilfully set fire to stretches of forest land during drought seasons to hunt wild animals such as the wild boar, deer and sambur. These forest fires destroy water catchment areas in the central hills.

Minister Gunawardene said that scant attention has been paid to the prevention of forest fires and that the public have not been adequately educated on this aspect.

Therefore to ensure a regular supply of drinking water to the public, water catchment areas have to be protected and conserved, the Minister added.

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