Srilanka, Oct. 19 -- Recently, police were deployed to disperse street protests in Mannar against development projects launched by previous Governments. The locals said these projects have severely disrupted the island's environment and the livelihoods of its residents, fuelling growing public unrest. Protesters said that they are not opposed to renewable energy itself, but insist that such projects be relocated outside the Mannar Island, saying that the small landmass cannot sustain large-scale windmill installations.

The Mannar Island has long been recognised as a suitable location for renewable energy projects particularly wind power generation. A report prepared by the World Bank in 2000 identified and published several regions in Sr...