Battalangunduwa Island

 Battalangunduwa Island covers an area of ​​145.53 hectares.  The area of ​​Palliyawatta Island is 60.89 hectares and Uchchimune is 449.3 hectares.  715.14 hectares at the moment.  The farthest of these archipelagos is Battalanguduwa.  Battalangunduwa Island is located 25 nautical miles from Kalpitiya Jetty.  Palliyawatta Island is the adjacent island.  The shortest distance from Battalangunduwa Island to India is about 111 nautical miles.  The archipelago that stretches across the Northwest Sea on the map of Lak is four days old.  This archipelago, which can be described as one of nature's wonders, is also a unique feature of the proposed tourism project in Kalpitiya.

         Bounded by the Puttalam Lagoon and the ocean, this picturesque archipelago is a major tourist attraction.  Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average fisherman.  Battalangunduwa, Palliyawatta, Dam 1, Dam 2, Dam 3, Uchchimune, Ippantivu, Periya Arichchal, Sinnarichchal, Eramutivu, Sinna Eramutivu, Eramutivu West, Kakativu, and Mohottuwarama arelands.  From this archipelago, Mohottuwarama, Uchchimune, Battalangunduwa and Palliyawatta are the islands inhabited by the fishing community.  The other islands are inhabited by migrant fishermen only part of the year.  Two passenger boats ply from the Kalpitiya jetty to the islands.  Every day at 8:30 am, the normal passenger boat service begins.  The islands can be reached in about three hours.  The fare is Rs. 350 per passenger.  Luxury passenger transport with comfortable seating and safety is also in operation.  Advance bookings are required.  Both boats are owned by Mark Sujith, a resident of Negombo.  Islanders meet many of their daily needs on these passenger boats.  These include drinking water, salt for ice cream, ice and food.  On reaching Battalangunduwa Island and Palliyawatta Island, you will pass many islands such as Anawasala, Iramathev, Sinna Arichchal, Periya Arichchal, Ippantivu, Aligaha Kele, Kimbula Bay, etc.

 Battalangunduwa and Palliyawatta are located to the east of Serakkuliya, Wanathawilluwa, Eluwankulama, River Wadiya, Dam Mundalama, to the west Eratiya Theev, Dam, Kollan Cemetery, Palugahathure, Kudiramale Kanda.  The majority of the island's inhabitants are migrant fishermen from the Negombo area.  But most of their lives have been spent on Battalangunduwa or Palliyawatta Island.  Therefore, it is appropriate to refer to the island as the home of these fishermen.

 Although most of the islanders are of Sinhala origin, they speak Tamil.  Many older fishermen do not have a definite name, surname or birth certificate.  They are known by many aliases such as Kira, Baba, Yaka, Raju.  But we learned that many such old fishermen had been evicted from the island by their relatives because of the lack of facilities on the island.  The proud fishing life of the islanders is now being severely challenged.  The current economic and social background has put an unbearable pressure on them.  Moreover, even nature seems to be engaged in a conspiracy to drive these people off the island, right now, right now.  Life on the island is currently costly.  Many fishermen have told us that rising fuel prices have made fishing a losing gamble.  "The days of coming home without fuel are endless," they say.  The cost of living on the island is also very high.  Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in at least two places.  Because of this, some fishermen have a tendency to leave the islands.  Fishermen on Battalangunduwa Island as well as Palliyawatta Island are increasingly leaving their islands.  Accordingly, there is a clear decline in the fishing industry as well.  “Fishermen running a net” The island had a prosperous season.  Gradually, the seafood overcame all the disasters on the island.  The small islands of Muktale and Settu, near Palliyawatta Island, were completely submerged.  The island called Vella was completely separated from the church garden island and the crocodile bay was newly created.  There were about 300 coconut trees on the dam island.  There was a large well that supplied drinking water to the neighboring islands.  Today there is no sign of any of that.  At present only one-third of the church estate remains.  Church Garden Catholic Church, completely submerged.  The islanders who slept in peace are now at sea.  “There are no health facilities for the islanders.  There is no other option but the pill requested from the naval base.  In the past, in case of illness or an accident, one had to reach the Kalpitiya Hospital after a difficult three and a half hour sea voyage.  Currently the situation is a bit different (a Navy jet can reach the land in about 20 minutes. A Navy soldier told us).  Several times in the history of the island, there have been reports of boat births on the way to the Kalpitiya Hospital.  The traditional midwives in the Battalion gang as well as in the church garden, as well as the paramedics, have now left the island.  Pregnant mothers as well as chronic patients are not allowed on the island.  The island fishermen have made this collective decision for their own good.  A government school was started in 1979 on Palliyawatta Island.  Assistant teachers Harrell Manchanayake and Tennakoon have taken over the school.  On May 14, 1989, the then Fisheries Minister Pestus Perera opened an island jetty.  1990 Palliyawatta police post opened.  There is no school today.  No students either.  There is nothing left on the island except the ruins of a police checkpoint.  The Battalangunduwa school has also been closed.  It was not a government school but was started on April 30, 2000 by the Catholic Church in Chilaw with the assistance of the Zedek Institute under the patronage of Rev. Frank Marcus, a former Bishop.  Today, there are about 100 families in Battalangundu, which provided shelter to about 3,000 fishing families.

 Excerpted from