“There’s no fish near the coast anymore,” S.K. Cruz lamented. The fisherman has been facing hard times looking after his four-member family since the government opened a 103.5 megawatt wind power plant on the coast of the Gulf of Mannar in northern Sri Lanka four years ago.
He used to take his plastic boat nine kilometres out to sea in the morning and return home with a decent catch by the evening. This is now a thing of the past.
Now he needs to travel at least 27.7 kilometres and spend three times more on fuel to get a decent catch to put food on the table. If he goes further he could trespass into Indian waters.
He blames the noise from dozens of wind turbines for driving the once-rich fish stocks further away from the coastline, causing misery for thousands of local fishermen like him.
More than 40,000 people in Mannar—mostly fisherfolk—have been up in arms against the Thambapavani power plant commissioned by the state-run Ceylon Electricity Board [CEB].
Before the first phase of the plant was opened in 2020, thousands staged protests, saying it would jeopardise their livelihoods and the local environment.
When the initial project was proposed in 2018, we vehemently opposed it considering the impact on fisheries and environmentally sensitive areas of our region. But they went ahead despite our protests but this time we are determined since we have already lost our livelihoods
S.K Cruz
Now, the authorities have approved construction of the second phase to be built by Adani Power, a company owned by Indian billionaire, Gautam Adani.
The company plans to invest US$355 million to generate a total of 234 megawatts. Government officials said the project is expected to be completed by December.
Cruz, however, said opponents are more determined to oppose the second phase as they have already been hit hard by the plant’s negative impacts.
“When the initial project was proposed in 2018, we vehemently opposed it considering the impact on fisheries and environmentally sensitive areas of our region. But they went ahead despite our protests but this time we are determined since we have already lost our livelihoods,” he recounted.
“The fish, prawns, and crabs don’t come near to shore as before due to vibrations from the turbines,” he added, saying that many fishermen have already switched to other jobs as daily labourers or have migrated abroad in recent months.
As was required the government had conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment study before the deal was struck for the second phase of the project. It acknowledged that there was “a growing concern among some fishermen that noise generated from wind turbines would scare the nearshore fish away and the catch of artisanal fishers would be hampered.”
The [Environmental Impact Assessment] report also noted a higher number of bird collision incidents from September 2021 to March last year in the area of the plant with 376 bird carcasses found despite the plant having the latest radar technology to detect flying flocks and shut down the turbines
However, the report dismissed the concerns saying, “However, there is no scientific evidence for such a claim that noise generated in the air would have an impact on fish. The wind turbines will be distant from the coast, and the sound pressure from the turbines will be negligible when reaching the sea to be sensed by the fish. However, wind turbine noise could have some moderate impacts on fishermen, especially at night when ambient noise is low.”
The report also noted a higher number of bird collision incidents from September 2021 to March last year in the area of the plant with 376 bird carcasses found despite the plant having the latest radar technology to detect flying flocks and shut down the turbines.
Once fully operational, the power plant will be the largest wind energy project in Sri Lanka.
P. Ayngaranesan, an environmentalist and former agriculture, livestock, irrigation and environment minister of the Northern Provincial Council said that any such energy project, be it renewable or fossil fuel ones, cannot be constructed at the expense of the local environment and people’s livelihoods.
Environmental and civil society groups as well as Catholic Church have joined fishing communities in staging mass protests demanding the project be halted. The authorities are determined to move ahead.
Father S. Marcus, president of the Mannar Citizens Committee, an advocacy group, said, “If this project is implemented, we fear the consequences for the whole of Mannar Island will be disastrous, as this flat land is home to natural sanctuaries and home to seasonal migratory birds from other continents.”
Bishop Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar issued a pastoral reflection for Lent on February 27 where he also touched upon the power plant.
“It seems that the government will continue pursuing the full implementation of the project, but we will also continue to express our opposition through other avenues as well,” Bishop Fernando said. Rubatheesan Sandran, UCAN
