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Dankotuwa's dark side

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema &  Marianne David

The clay mining industry has been a money-spinner for Dankotuwa for decades, but the industry that brings in money through large-scale exports and generates employment for villagers, also has a dark side to it - the environmental damage caused on a daily basis.

It is evident that these very villages that have been blessed with this natural bounty are also set to face severe repercussions due to the over exploitation of resources. However, the villagers of Dickwela and Yogiyana have taken a stand to prevent further environmental damage to their villages and their pleas have finally been heard.

A key concern was the large-scale mining of clay by a company named Sumagi Industries Pvt. Ltd, which according to them, having obtained a licence to dig up 80 perches of land, had extended this illegally to some 12 acres.

On Thursday, September 25, a report was submitted by Chairman, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), R. J. de Silva to parliament. Environment and Natural Resources Minister Rukman Senanayake has subsequently issued a directive to the Bureau that the company should not be issued a licence. The previous licence expired last week.

The villagers have formed an environmental society named Darani with Kotiyagala Sivali Thero as its head and are determined to put a stop to the illegal mining and the future problems it could cause. They claim even the wells in the area are without water because of large-scale mining that has caused all the water to flow into the dug up land which is on a lower level.

To date, one third of the land in the Dickwela, Kudawila and Galwaka Grama Seva divisions has been used for clay mining and in some cases, land has been dug up to a depth of over 50 feet.

During the rainy season, these holes fill with water, sometimes resulting in the death of people and cattle by falling into them and the accumulated water often help spread diseases such as dengue.

A study conducted by students of the Moratuwa University has revealed that the villages in this area would be prone to severe landslides and floods within the next 10 years.

The villagers claim that Sumagi Industries sometimes dig up the land using a backhoe while men holding arms are stationed on either side of the trucks, at times filling up to 40 trucks with clay. They further alleged that, to prevent some villagers from speaking about the issue, the owners have bribed them with money and have also threatened them.

Sumagi Industries first obtained an 'A' category licence for industrial mining from the GSMB on September 3, 1999 for a period of one year. It was renewed for another year in 2000. In 2001, the company did not renew the licence, but however obtained it once again in September 2002 up to September 2003 for a period of one year.

The Marawila Magistrate's Court cancelled this licence after villagers filed action and the magistrate having visited the place, held that Sumagi Industries had violated the provisions of the licence. The magistrate had further held that the GSMB official had misled court by submitting a report that stated that no conditions of the licence had been violated.

However, the damage did not end there. The GSMB then issued a special licence to the company and according to de Silva, it was issued due to Sumagi Industries successfully appealing to the Environment Ministry Secretary to restore their licence. After holding several discussions with Sumagi Industries and the Ministry, the Bureau had finally issued the special licence following the company agreeing to abide by the rules of that licence.

In that licence, the Bureau has imposed several conditions to minimise damage caused to the environment. However, there is video evidence of the GSMB officials visiting the area once again and admitting that Sumagi Industries has violated not only most conditions of the first licence, but also every single condition of the special licence.

The officer who visited the area was the Deputy Director, GSMB, Anil Peiris who submitted the final report that was presented in parliament stating that the conditions of both the licence and the special licence had been violated.

His report was in total contradiction to the reports made on two instances by two other officials from the GSMB who, having visited the site previously declared that Sumagi Industries had violated no conditions.

With the Ministry deciding to blacklist the company, the task ahead for the GSMB is to look in to the question of restoration of the area. According to de Silva, Sumagi Industries will be held liable for the restoration work.

However, the fact that the area has been subjected to illegal mining before 1999 could pose a problem in pinning sole liability on the company. Nevertheless, according to the report submitted by the Deputy Director, most of the damage has been caused by one source - Sumagi Industries. "The immediate problem we are facing is the need to restore the area," de Silva said.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Sunday Leader, Manager, Sumagi Industries, Madura Fernando said that the company has not violated any conditions of the licence or the special licence when carrying out their mining activities.

Fernando also denied charges of threatening the villagers. "It is we who have been threatened by them. We are the only company mining with a licence but we are being harassed," he charged.

He stated that the company is also rehabilitating the land continually and has planted banana, teak, mahogany and coconut trees in certain sections. He also said the company has not acted in a manner that would harm the environment and denied cutting a moat right down to the bank of the Maha Oya. Notwithstanding this denial, The Sunday Leader team clearly observed the existence of the moat during the visit to the site.

While the GSMB stated that Sumagi had failed to pay their royalties for mining carried out in the area, Fernando however said that the company had paid royalties for the mining activities carried out by them.

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