Wilpattu on fast track to regain its past glory

Sakuntala Jayasinghe – Anuradhapura

The Wilpattu National Park is being made attractive to local and foreign tourists after three decades of terrorist infiltration, Wild Life Department officials said.

The Park is now open to visitors and residential facilities neglected for long due to terrorist threat are also being revived with repairs being done to park bangalows, Wild Life Department officer S.M. Senadheera said.

The roads are also being repaired while the watering holes, villus and reservoirs that were covered with weeds and plants are also being cleared to enable animals to have access to drinking water.

The reservoirs of Mardanmaduwewa, Parcybendiwewa, Moragollawewa, Ikirigollewa, Walaswala, Palukolawewa and Ibbawala Mahawewa are being rehabilitated by the North Central Province Irrigation Ministry assisted by the Sri Lanka Navy engineers.

Navy is assisting the the Wild Life Department to bring the Wilpattu National Park back to its former state so that it would become a major tourist attraction . The private sector is also providing transport to view the wild animals especially the leopards and elephants now seen in their numbers, Senadheera said.