The Battle for Mannar’s Ecological and Social Future

Photo courtesy of Kumanan

On the northwestern tip of Sri Lanka, Mannar island stands as a crossroads of global ecology and local identity. On August 4, hundreds of residents including fishers, women, youth and faith leaders, emerged in unified protest. Their target: the rapid, large scale expansion of wind power infrastructure on their home, advancing under the banner of sustainable energy but raising alarms over deep social and environmental costs. Following the protest, a delegation met the Mannar District Secretary and the Additional Secretary. Residents reiterated their rejection of the wind turbine towers, highlighting that several villages near Mannar town had already voiced strong opposition to the plan.

On the previous day, the demonstrators blocked the transport of heavy equipment brought in via the Mannar-Medawachchiya main road, expressing outrage that project materials had been brought in despite consistent local opposition. The convoy consisting of flatbed trucks carrying wind turbine components and construction machinery was halted for several hours as protestors demanded an immediate halt to the delivery. The protest created significant concerns, drawing further attention to the growing tensions between the state’s development agenda and grassroots resistance.

Ambition and complexity

Following the launch of the 103.5 MW Thambapawani wind farm in 2020, a symbol of Sri Lanka’s clean energy transition, the government and private investors now press ahead with Phase II and beyond. This next wave proposes at least 100 MW of new turbine capacity, coupled with five kilometres of high voltage transmission, bringing total wind power deployment to 300 MW as part of long term national expansion plans. The advanced wind turbines are equipped for semi-dispatchable operation – fine tuning grid support and integrating with the increasing share of renewables across the island’s networks.

The park is expected to generate approximately 380-400 GWh annually, reducing carbon emissions by over 265,000 tonnes per year. In economic terms, its performance is robust: plant factors exceed 40% with returns ranging into the hundreds of millions in annual revenue. Cost per kilowatt hour ranks among the most competitive in the energy landscape, and recently awarded independent projects are pushing prices lower still with current bids below five US cents per KWh.

Mannar’s global ecological importance

Beyond its energy promise, Mannar possesses singular environmental value. The island, nestled in the southern arc of the Gulf of Mannar, is a vital sanctuary along the Central Asian Flyway, recognised globally as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and a Ramsar Wetland. Over one million migratory birds of 150 or more species, including several national Red List seabirds, traverse or winter on Mannar annually. This avian richness underpins not just global biodiversity responsibilities but eco-tourism potential for regional livelihoods.

Protected by designations including Adam’s Bridge National Park, Vankalai Sanctuary and Vidataltivu Nature Reserve, Mannar is as much a cradle of conservation as it is a frontier for renewable energy. Sri Lanka’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species further underscore international expectations for safeguarding these corridors.

Environmental assessment in the spotlight

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the latest phase of Mannar’s wind farms became a lightning rod for criticism when released for public comment in early 2024. Objections poured in from citizens, conservationists and scientists. The most pointed critiques include:

• Insufficient avifaunal studies: Survey windows were short and non-representative, missing critical migratory windows and underestimating year round bird movement patterns across the island.
• Arbitrary safe corridor design: The EIA mapped a supposed migratory path away from proposed turbines, unsupported by empirical data or internationally recognised tracking.
• Inadequate alternatives analysis: No systematic evaluation of less ecologically sensitive sites despite other regions near Mannar and Kalpitiya demonstrating high wind potential.
• Socio-economic omissions: The EIA fell short in measuring the disruption of fishing livelihoods, cultural displacement and the broader economic opportunity of nature-based tourism.

The human face of green power

For the people of Mannar, the promise of clean energy comes at a heavy price. Traditional fishers report that turbine vibration and noise drive fish farther offshore, increasing fuel costs and effort for each catch. Women, once integral to fish processing and sales, now seek work in distant canneries. Land has been allocated for turbines and transmission without full prior consultation or consent, leaving ancestral connections in jeopardy. The marginalisation of local voices in what ought to be participatory planning has amplified tensions even as some officials spotlight technical mitigations like AI-based bird detection and operational shutdown systems for turbines.

Balancing renewable aspirations with ecological reality

Sri Lanka targets a fully renewable energy grid by 2050 but as national and international experience show, green transition demands more than ambitious capacity targets. Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), advanced ecological sensitivity tools and robust cost-benefit studies must guide site selection and project design – not just grid economics or short term carbon savings.

Officials argue Mannar’s expansion is justified by previous EIA approvals, robust generation data and evolving mitigation technology. Yet, past and current impacts – bird collisions, habitat fragmentation, uprooted communities – demonstrate the limits of a one size fits all approach. The effectiveness of measures like radar-guided shutdowns or modified turbine designs for bird safety remains to be independently validated, especially in high density migratory sites such as Mannar.

What Now? A Model for Inclusive, Nature-Safe Green Growth

Mannar’s debate is not simply a contest between development and conservation; it is a test of Sri Lanka’s willingness to lead on truly sustainable, just energy. The path forward is clear:

• Robust environmental monitoring: Commit to long term, independent ecological research (not just one-off EIAs) to track turbine impacts and adaptively manage risks.
• Genuine public participation: Honor the rights of affected residents with transparent, participatory decision making and meaningful consent procedures.
• Rigorous alternatives assessment: Systematically evaluate all viable locations for wind development, optimising for both energy yield and minimal ecological/societal harm.
• Innovation and transparency: Deploy and disclose the performance of advanced mitigation strategies, inviting third party review and international best practice exchange.

The wind’s true direction

Mannar’s islanders stand not as opponents of progress but as stewards of Sri Lanka’s natural wealth and democratic promise. Their resistance is a demand for a future where green energy does not come at the expense of those who call these places home, human or wild. As the turbines rise, so too does the world’s gaze on Mannar – a beacon for how small island nations can reconcile climate ambition with lasting justice and ecological wisdom. Renewable energy must not come at the cost of human dignity, ecological integrity and democratic participation. The wind may be clean but only if it does not carry the scent of injustice.