Authorities plan to introduce stricter controls on tourist boats in the Madu Ganga in the Galle District to limit damage to the wetland, following a meeting chaired by Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody on Friday.
About 327 boats run by 70 operators currently use the river, an internationally recognised Ramsar wetland, officials said at the meeting at the Balapitiya Divisional Secretariat. They said the traffic has contributed to riverbank erosion, mangrove degradation and disturbance of fish breeding grounds.
Until a legal framework is drafted by the Legal Draftsman’s Department and gazetted, interim guidelines will apply. Permits would be limited to boats with engines of 15 horsepower or less, running on petrol, and boats could operate only between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. All tourist boats must register with the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The maximum number of boats will be set after a scientific assessment of the river’s carrying capacity. Authorities also agreed to set up a joint monitoring committee with the Sri Lanka Police.
The measures affect operators and tourists who use the river.
