Diyasaru Park (formerly known as Thalawathugoda Wetland Park or Thalawathugoda Biodiversity Study Park), is 60 acre urban

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

park located in

Thalawathugoda Thalawathugoda ( si, තලවතුගොඩ, ta, தலவத்துகொட) is a suburb of Colombo. It is located approximately from the city centre of Colombo, adjacent to Battaramulla and Pelawatte on the Borella-Kottawa Road, borde ...

area of

Sri Jayawardanapura Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, commonly known as Kotte (), is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is a satellite city and located within the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

District,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It comprises a range of wetland habitats such as marshes, flooded woodlands, lakes, and ponds. It is governed by Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation. The park was officially opened and relaunched to the public on 3 October 2017. It is open 6 days of the week from Monday to Saturday from 6am-6pm. Diyasaru park

History

Originally in 1980s, the area was a paddy field. Part of the land was used to build the parliament lake in late 1970s. The other part was used to deposit dredge material. Gradually, the land become heavily covered with invasive species and transformed to a wetland. During the flood occur in 2010, government initiated to reconstruct and modify the area as a wetland. The land was divided into several small islands and artificial canals were made. Currently, park premises serve as a flood detention area by absorbing flood water during heavy storms and reduce inundation of the parliament area. The program to establish the park was initiated by Land Reclamation and Development Cooperation. The name "Diyasaru" is for 'rich in water' in Sinhala. The vision of the park is “Releasing the Stress of Urbanization”.

Location

The park is an artificially built wetland near new Parliament Complex in Sri Jayawardanapura. It lies hidden behind the Parliament on the Japan Sri Lanka friendship road. It is opposite to Diyawanna Oya where Beddagana Wetland Park is situated.

Composition

The park offers to experience many ecotouristic activities as well as recreational and leisure activities. The park is divided into several sections such with bird watching tower, bird hide, butterfly garden, organic agriculture area, open study area, green buildings, boardwalks, plant nursery, ecology laboratory, a herbarium, children’s pond, rush and reed pond and audio video room. Two large huts right after the entrance are dedicated to studying and group sessions including regular workshops and seminars.

Diversity

Diyasaru park is home for more than 250 species of animals across all ranges including molluscs, arthropods and vertebrates. Many rare and migrant birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, many types of fishes including endemics, amphibians, and reptiles are abundant. Numerically, there are about more than 80 species of wetland birds including 50 species of migratory birds, 15 species of fish including three endemics, 40 species of butterflies, 28 species of dragonflies, 28 species of reptiles, 7 species of mammals. A part of the park is reserved for five endangered fishing cats. Otters, purple faced leaf monkeys and estuarine crocodiles are also found in park sections.

Animals at Diyasaru Park

Juvenile red-wattled lapwing.jpg, Juvenile red-wattled lapwing Restropect.jpg, Little grebe Flower crab spider.jpg, Flower crab spider Green stink bug or green soldier bug (Chinavia hilaris).jpg, Green stink bug Pale-billed flowerpecker or Tickell's flowerpecker (Dicaeum erythrorhynchos).jpg, Pale-billed flowerpecker

References

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External links

කොන්ක්‍රීට් පුරවරයක පිහිටි තෙත්බිම

නෙත සිරි මවන දිය සරු උයන

Wetlands of Sri Lanka