Villagers in Mannar Island, northern Sri Lanka, have compelled the government to suspend the second phase of a 50-megawatt wind power project after nearly two weeks of protests warning of ecological destruction and threats to local livelihoods.
Fishing communities, young people, and church leaders led the demonstrations in Vankalai and Thalaimannar, carrying placards that read, “Don’t gamble with our future” and “The wind farm is a death blow to us.”
The suspension followed an August 13 meeting in Colombo between government officials, civil society groups, and religious leaders from the Northern Province.
Authorities said construction would be halted for one month while they study the issues and propose solutions.
“We cannot allow this project to go ahead because it will have serious environmental consequences, just as it did after the first phase,” Father Marcus Adigalar, parish priest of Thalaimannar and president of the Mannar Citizens’ Committee, told AsiaNews.
He pointed to recurrent flooding in recent years caused by altered waterways and new road construction. “Therefore, we cannot allow this project to be built here,” he added.
Mannar Island is a wetland of international importance and home to the Vankalai Bird Sanctuary, one of South Asia’s key habitats for migratory birds. Thousands of families also depend on the surrounding seas for fishing.
Critics say the turbines threaten this fragile ecosystem by disrupting bird flight paths, destroying mangroves, damaging fish spawning grounds, and disturbing endangered marine species through noise and construction activity.
Protesters argued that renewable energy projects should not come at the expense of nature, wildlife, and community livelihoods, stressing that safeguarding Mannar’s land, sea, and skies is a collective responsibility.
N.M. Aalam, secretary of the Federation of Northern Fisheries Cooperatives, noted that fishermen have seen reduced catches in recent years.
“It could be due to the turbines or many other factors, but we cannot prove it. Even the government is not investigating this,” he said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized the project’s national importance but pledged openness to dialogue.
Meanwhile, youth groups are pressing for permits to be revoked and for Mannar Island to be declared a protected ecological zone.
