Colombo Port City causing

"unimaginable" environmental harm

by Sajeewa Chamikara-04/17/2015
Expert tells AsiaNews about the consequences of the Chinese-funded project, which violates Environmental
Impact Assessment rules. Sand and granite mining are destroying the local coral reef and marine life, as well
as the livelihood of 30,000 fishermen. Beachfront erosion will likely cause damages to coastal houses and
hotels as well.

Colombo (AsiaNews) The new Colombo Port Cityshould be

scrapped because the sovereign, economic, social and environmental costs of the
project far outweigh whatever benefits it might bring, this according to a public

tribunal hosted by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Sri Lanka

(TIS), which is opposed to the project funded by the China Communications
Construction Company Limited (CCCCL).
Construction is currently halted, but fishermen and activists with the People's
Movement against the Port City Project are concerned that the government might
backtrack on its promise to shelve the project and allow work to resume.
Below, we publish an analysis by environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara, who is the
director of Environment Conservation Trust. In it, he describes the damages caused by
the construction of the port city.
Excavation goes on all day in the Thamba Gala area. The sand extracted from the site is
taken to the construction site 7 kilometres away in three ships. No fishing is
allowed near the areas of excavation and transport, affecting 30,000 coastal
fishermen.
In the last three months, the fishermen who work near the project have lost fishing
equipment worth 4 million rupees (US$ 30,000) due to damages. The fishermen also
have to respect a 10-km no-go zone near Thamba Gala although this is a high-yield
fishing area.
Due to the sand excavation, sediments have been stirred; this has led to the
destruction of a number of fish spawning areas. Fishermen have already noted a
decline in fish stock, incurring in major financial losses in Negombo, Wennappuwa,
Uswetakeiyawa, Hendala, Panadura, Wellawatte, Mount Lavinia, and Moratuwa. As
revenues for coastal families dwindle, social issues develop.
According to the initial plan, 30 million cubic metres of sand was needed. However,
since the project has expanded, the required quantity of sand has drastically increased.
Considering the damage already done by sand mining, the extent of environmental

degradation is unimaginable if the project is fully implemented.

In view of massive sand excavation, rocky reefs, coral reefs and sand dunes are
increasingly at risk of being washed out or become unstable. Since fish and other
aquatic species spawn in reefs, this will likely have a negative impact on these species.
It will also destroy the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, and affect nutritional
levels in the country, as fish is the main source of protein for many Sri Lankans.
About 16 million cubic metres of granite are also needed for the reclamation process.
There is no mention in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report where the
project will obtain granite in such a large quantity, of the ecological impact of
excavating the granite or the inconvenience caused to the people living in the vicinity
of granite mines in the Western Province.
Many quarry owners are already violating the terms of their licenses, excavating everlarger quantities of granite, because of the insatiable demand for granite from the Port
City. Over-exploitation of granite resources has caused grave inconveniences for those
who live near the quarries.
By attempting to excavate this vast quantity of granite, the geology of the country will
be destabilised, leading to increased natural disasters in sensitive areas.
Sri Lanka has already seen an increase in landslides in the central province due to
environmental mismanagement. If granite continues to be excavated on such a large
scale in these areas, the entire hill country is at risk of becoming unstable. As granite
excavation lowers ground water, this may lead to a shortage in drinking water. There is
already high demand for granite for a number of development projects in the country.
This demand will only increase in the future.
After reclamation work for the project is completed, large buildings need to be erected

at the Port City. These buildings will require yet more massive quantities of granite.
This will automatically lead to over-exploitation of granite, which will destabilise the
entire country and lead Sri Lanka to natural disasters on unimaginable scales.
There are many recent examples of this from other parts of Sri Lanka. For example, by
expanding the Colombo Port, the Dikowita fishing harbour is continuously filled with
sand, greatly affecting the operations of the fishing harbour. More recently, media
attention has focused on breakwater constructed near the Unawatuna Beach. At only
300 metres long and only one metre high, this breakwater has been blamed for a
dramatic increase in erosion of a large stretch of the beach, famous among tourists. A
similar fate befell the coral reefs of Hikkaduwa when a small jetty was built further
along the coast.
However, the Environmental Impact Assessment report says nothing about these
probable consequences.
In the opinion of many coastal residents, the Port City Project has already exacerbated
coastal erosion. Areas to the south of the project, including Panadura and Beruwala,
and to the north, including Uswetakeiyawa and Negombo, are facing serious coastal
erosion. These are highly densely populated urban areas, with large numbers of
houses, hotels and restaurants close to the beach.
When the beachfront is reduced, it adversely affects the tourism and fishing industries,
as well as the communities living along the coast. The setbacks suffered by these
industries will affect the entire economy and will lead to various social problems.
Kelani River carries a significant increase of sediment from Modara when entering the
ocean. Sediments pour in a natural way into the sea and are carried by currents along
the coast into shallower water. This area has the best places for crab and lobster
fishing. Changing currents will threaten the survival of these species and,
consequently, hit fishermen who catch crabs and lobsters for hotels.

When one attempts to reclaim seas to create artificial islands, there is significant
damage to aquatic ecosystems even when proper procedures are followed. When the
United Arab Emirates created the Palm Islands, construction seriously affected aquatic
eco systems.
Commenting on such environmental damage, the Green Prophet environmental
website said, The construction of the Palm Islands has had a significant impact on the
surrounding environment, resulting in changes to area wildlife, coastal erosion,
alongshore sediment transport and wave patterns. Sediment stirred up by construction
has suffocated and injured local marine fauna and reduced the amount of sunlight
which filters down to seashore vegetation.
If this can happened when proper EIA procedures are followed, one simply cannot
imagine the extent of the damage that will be caused by the Colombo Port City project,
which did not follow EIA procedures at all.
Due to our continuing protests, Sri Lankas new prime minister promised the nation
that the Port City project would be terminated when they were elected to power.
However, we are concerned that this promise will not be kept.
China Communications Construction Company Limited plans to invest US$ 1.4 billion
in this project. It is the largest Chinese investment in Sri Lanka. There are ominous
signs. It seems that the new government is beginning to attempt to justify the project,
even though activities have been suspended.
We continue to insist as we did before the elections that the project is completely
illegal, that the actual sovereign, economic, social and environmental costs of the
project far outweigh whatever benefits its backers claim.

The truth is that, even though less than 1 per cent of the project has been completed,
the damage to the environment is already unacceptable. What must be done is to end
this fraudulent, illegal and wholly unnecessary project. The nation's laws permit and
demand this.
We call on the government to dismantle systematically what has already been built
since work began in January, and use the recovered materials to protect and restore
the areas affected by coastal erosion, under the supervision of the Coast Conservation
Department.
(Melani Manel Perera contributed to this article)
Posted by Thavam