Protecting the environment is not a preventable responsibility. It is a powerful factor that directly affects the survival of human beings. These days, sand, clay, and gravel are being smuggled to many areas in the Kurunegala District. The most affected areas are Ma-Oya and Thambakanda.
This area is called Thambakanda because copper was produced in this area during the reign of the king. In the days of the king, all this happened in a way that did not harm the environment thinking about the future.
“Today, most of the area is inhabited by farmers. But a small group of people in the area cut down mountains and destroy the catchment areas,” Himbudawa Gangarama Temple Chief Incumbent, Ven. Karadagolla Somaratana Thera said.
Copper mountain
Thambakanda is a beautiful village in the Pannala Police Division in the Kurunegala District of the North Western Province. The river flows through the middle of the Ma-Oya village and gives strength to the village called “Thambakanda”. The three villages of Thambakanda, Sandalankawa, and Hendiyagala are in the vicinity of the “Thambakanda” mountain range and over 5,000 families live here.
Farming is the main livelihood of the people here, who are familiar with an economic pattern based on Ma-Oya and Thambakanda. Apart from paddy, coconut, betel, pineapple, banana, pepper, and rubber are also cultivated here. People of this area have been engaged in the pottery industry since ancient times.
The pottery industry, which was once a handicraft industry, has undergone a gradual transformation and is now becoming a large-scale trade, using large machinery.