Around 2,600 families depending on fishing for a livelihood will be affected as a result, he says.

Also, harm caused to environment will worsen, warns Chamikara.

The Tourism Promotion Authority is to be blamed for this destruction, being carried out in the name promoting a tourism zone, he says.

During the Rajapaksa regime, lagoons were filled, sand dunes were removed and mangroves were destroyed in Kalpitiya.