Hemantha Withanage
Executive Director, Centre for Environmental Justice
ONE BELT ONE ROAD is the new strategy of
China. It is a massive plan linking China along the maritime silk route connecting
to Europe. It is a military plan and economic plan for them. Colombo port city
is a strategic location of this plan. The port city project is no way can be
separated from the proposed Thalai Mannar (Sri Lanka)- Danushkodi (India) 22 km
bride and the tunnel. Therefore Port city is undoubtedly a very feasible
project for China and Sri Lanka is only helping realizing Chinese dream.
No Sri Lankan has ever studied whether this
project is feasible for Sri Lanka. We have only seen the uncompleted
Environmental Impacts Assessment, which is the case for elected representatives
in the past and current regimes too. Surprisingly, smaller political parties or
many of the media also not in the public side.
On 16th December 2014, then
opposition United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe announced
that “the new government, which would be
formed by the joint opposition after the current regime was defeated at the
January 8 elections, would scrap the Colombo Port City Project, because it
would end up destroying the coastal belt from Negombo to Beruwala.” The same project he justified as a “unique financial and business district” under
the new regime. This turnaround shows that the bankrupt Sri Lankan government
has no other alternative other than getting deeper into the Chinese trap. Undoubtedly,
white elephants such as Hambantota Harbour and Mattala airport [which we
opposed on the environmental grounds] make Sri Lanka more economically
vulnerable. Looking for 15,000 acres
land in Hambantota for relocating Chinese dirty industries and expecting few
million people in Hambantota is the other side of the coin.
The EIA process conducted by the Coast
Conservation Department under both regimes are flawed process. They violated
the principles of the EIA process and the public commenting and participation
was a mere white washing process.
The project under the previous regime was
planning to fill an area of 235 Ha, however become 269 under the new proposal,
which is 36 Ha more than the previous proposal. However the total area of
filling will be more than 300 hectare including the 2 canals in the project
area and the total “footprint” could be approximately 485 hectares or 1200 acre
of the sea.
Environmental, social and economic Impacts
Although the Catholic Church only worries
about dredging of sea sand from the area between Colombo and Negombo off Kapuhenwala
and Basiawatta, there are plenty of other reasons to worry. According to the
supplementary Environmental impact Assessment, 65 million m3 of dredged sea
sand will be required. It may be minimum 75 million according to experts.
However, considering the 15-20% wastage during suction dredging [which will
wash away and deposited on the coral reefs in the area destroying the fishing
grounds] the total sand mining requirement will be more than 90 million m3.
Further to this, once the project completes it still will require sea sand to
maintain the proposed beachfront and the marina, which will be amount to
300,000 m3 annually. This is not shown in the above figures including where
this sand will be mined.
This location currently provides livelihood
for 15,000 fishermen. This area is home to rich biodiversity including, coral
reefs, fish and other marine species. The sand mining area is approximately 150
sq. km protected by three weathered sandy rocks protecting beach from Colombo
to Negombo, which are already slipping due to the previous dredging according
to the fishermen.
Coastal erosion was experienced during the
dredging in the past in this location. It is assumed that this project will destroy the beaches
in the Western province from Mount Lavinia to Negombo due to the coastal
erosion. It will also destroy the coral habitats, nesting
grounds and the fish resources in these areas.
3.45 million m3 of rock material will be mined from 11 quarry sites in
Kaduwela, Korathota, Divulapitiya and will be transported damaging the road and
crating nuisance. They will use 300 tipper lories
twice a day. This will add 1200 times of trips up and down which all will cross
at Kaduwela town daily.
According to the project design the port city
could block drainage from Baire lake outfall and this would cause the accumulation
of water on land, increasing the risk of flooding. We should not forget that
Baire remains a polluted water body within the city.
It is already evident that climate change has
resulted 0.8 Centigrade temperature rise and as a result experiencing 40 cm sea
level rise. Therefore, a serious climate impact assessment is vital for this
project. This was not even considering
in this development.
According to the Eppawela Judgment, the natural resources are own by the
public of Sri Lanka. The Port City project will use sea sand worth USD 3.2
billion [Rs. 7000/m3]. Similarly 3.45 m3
million of rock material will worth USD 1 billion [ Rs. 4000/m3]. There is no
equivalent equity for Sri Lanka in this project. Therefore, it is not correct
to consider USD 1.35 billion Chinese investment in the Colombo port city as a
major investment in Sri Lanka. The marina was the only component of this
investment, which Sri Lanka Ports Authority would have operated for making profits.
But this has already given to the Chinese company and no profitable operation
is now available for Sri Lanka.
The operation of the Sri Lankan own Jaya Container Terminal which is the
only revenue making entity in the Colombo harbor will be given to the other
terminals and the land will be sold to the private corporations. It is
unfortunate the trade unions are still silent on this fact. The EIA is silent on the newly constructed Dikovita fishery harbor. It
is Rs.8580
million (Euro 53 million) project. The impact to this harbor is necessary to
study.
Sri Lankan sovereignty is under serious risk due to the Chinese own landmass
within the Sri Lankan territories with access to the international oceans.
Whether it is fully own or 99 year lease is irrelevant when the country loose
its control once. Minister Champika Ranawaka was once very concern about this
fact, however ironically he has to implement the project now.
No alternatives studied
If the project is for development of Sri
Lanka, there are plenty of other acts that the government can propose
development projects. Rather, the EIA is for a specific development project is
not addressing the issue of local development, but providing business space for
the china’s strategy. The same reason the EIA is lacking alternatives related
to the locations, technologies including alternative development model for Sri
Lanka. The EIA has not identified less environmentally, socially and
economically destructive alternative to the country. The project Magapolis once
considered filling and area of 80 Ha and keeping it for public beach as there
is no public beach in Colombo. We could assume that the pro Chinese advisors of
the current regime defeated this proposal.
Conclusion
This Colombo Port City project has multiple negative impacts. The Port
City project not even consider the negative impacts ate the construction stage
and the operation stage which could include, water supply, waste management,
energy supply etc. The so-called Supplementary EIA is not adequate and it has
failed to address all those issues correctly and in unbiased manner. Coast
Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department is already bias towards
this decision. They have a conflict of interest on this project, which is also
violation of the law of the natural justice. According to our analysis and
information the Colombo port city project has too many negative, social,
environmental, economical and political impacts. The project is burdening the
country by committing natural resource beyond the level of replenishment. Use
of the main materials i.e. sand and metal will create unnecessary demand for
the local construction industry beyond the economic and social benefits of the
proposed Port city.
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