A satyagraha protest, which demands an end to the occupation of the Vavuniya ponds in order to build a tourist centre, was initiated by the People's Action for Vavuniya in front of the Vavuniya District Secretariat on Friday morning.
The protesters said that the ponds are the source of ground water for agricultural purposes, agricultural irrigation and animal husbandry in the Vavuniya District, and that many ponds and agricultural lands in the area are being occupied and continue disappearing.
According to the protesters, the watershed of the pond will be in danger of further depletion if the small-scale tourism centre, which is currently being started, continues to expand. The tenant of the resort has erected buildings in violation of the agreements made with the municipality, they claimed.
The demonstrators are demanding that the soil in the pond be completely removed and the water area of the pond be restored, and that the park be set up with floating mechanisms without affecting the water surface.
Those who took part in the protest were carrying banners with slogans such as, “Is turning ponds into sewers development?”, “Do not make future generations beg for drinking water!” and “Let’s protect our pond!”.
The protest was attended by public organisations from the district, youth and social activists and political parties.