In 1928, one Silv a of Akurala was acquitted by the Balapitiya District Court of illicitly having collected sea coral from the sea beach at Akurala. THe court ruled that a Government Agent had no power to prohibit the removal of coral from the bed of the sea, that authority resting with the Governor alone.Reference
In Seenigama, Telwatte and the other villages to the north of Hikkaduwa the main industry was coral mining to make lime for buildings. People continued mining the coral reefs – even though it is illegal - because they are poor; it is back-breaking work, diving and bringing up chunks of coral. The profits are made by the transporters and wholesalers, a tightly-knit mafia. The coral reef has been destroyed, so the beach gets eroded at the best of times. The Tsunami swept unhindered through the breaches in the coral reef and gouged out large sections of the shoreline.¹
Notes
1 Vinod Moonesinghe, 'The Tsunami and its Aftermath', Biosphere, Vol 21 No 1, February 2005; ISSN 1019 6676
- Vinod Moonesinghe