Closing the estuary
Kallarawa is a fishing village rich in fisheries resources located in the Trincomalee District. Yan Oya falls into the sea, from Kallarawa. Fishermen believe that the Yan Oya will bring a rich harvest to the Kallarawa Sea. The Kallarawa Sea is popularly known by fishermen as the Female Sea. The reason for this is that the fish in the high seas come to the mouth of the Kallarawa estuary for their breeding. The Kallarawa fishermen make a living by fishing in the Kallarawa Lagoon, which joins the Yangoya to the Sea during the dry season. Due to this it is a well known fact that Kallarawa fishermen are a group of fishermen who are well to do and do not have to depend on any one.
However, in 2011 a company that bought land near the estuary blocked the natural estuary with sandbags and diverted the Yan Oya. The fishermen say that the villagers of Kallarawa have been employed as daily wage for this purpose. The villagers of Kallarawa say that this company called Sentinel Realty is a hotel group owned by Milinda Moragoda.
At present, the Kallarawa joins the sea at a distance of about 800 m from the mouth of the estuary. Also, the estuary is not directly facing the sea and the tide is not flowing properly. Due to this, the fish that come to lay their eggs from the sea have to come to the lagoon. As a result there is a drop in fish breeding. Therefore the livelihood opportunities of the fishermen have been restricted. The few who are into fishing have now become labourers for large scale business owners.
Manel Podineris, Secretary of the St. Anthony’s Minority Fisheries Society, Kallarawa, said that the Coast Conservation Department and the Central Environmental Authority were reluctant to intervene despite repeated requests to the authorities to restore the Kallarawa estuary to its original form.
The Trincomalee Bureau of the Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department has informed the Kallarawa fishermen to submit affidavits stating that the Kallarawa estuary had joined the sea from the original point and to produce evidence if they can for the flow of the Yan Oya estuary.
Accordingly, the affidavits and documents were handed over to the relevant institution by the Kallarawa St. Anthony Small Scale Fishermen’s Association on 14 March. The Kallarawa small scale fishermen are requesting the government to restore the Yan Oya, which fell into the sea near their village about 10 years ago, and the Kallarawa estuary back to its natural setting.
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