By Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda –

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

It was announced a few days ago that the work on Colombo Port City projectwill resume in October according to a revised plan giving it a new name “Financial City”. To our surprise neither the President nor the Prime Minister has explained to the people of the country how their revised plan of the “Financial City” will prevent the destruction of the marine environment and the loss of livelihoods of the fisherfolk, who will be deprived of their centuries old means of living due to sand mining to reclaim 269 hectares from the sea.

It is said that 3.45 million cubic meters of granite and 65 million cubic meters of sand have to be mined for the purpose of reclaiming this land from the sea. A panel of independent experts have warned of environmental damage this project would cause to the country.

Who would care to listen to them? Their views are discarded as rubbish.

It now appears to the citizens of this country that environmental safety and security of all living beings are not matters of any importance to those in power, cash hungry planners, policy makers and politicians. What a shame?

Such arrogant attitudes are often manifested by our leaders, when dealing with issues of life and death, as far as people are concerned. Their belief perhaps emanate from their love for the neo liberal economic policies. What matters in neo liberalism is profits at any cost, no matter what happens to living beings on earth. “Profits” (mammon) is the god that they worship.

This attitude is also highlighted by lack of transparency on the part of the government as regards the new agreements that have been signed recently and lack of consultation with those who are going to suffer the impact caused by the project.

Regarding the safety of our people there is a significant example for the Sri Lankan government to consider from China. The Chinese city “Tianjin” densely populated (like Colombo) was similarly situated next to the port which exploded on the 13th August 2015. The Chinese academics have warned the authorities of many unacceptable environmental risks of having a densely populated city next to a port, but was unable to generate concern among the officials.

Could a fate similar to Tianjin await the financial city?

Once again we ask the political leaders of our land, particularly the President and Prime Minster for whose benefit are we reclaiming 269 hectares from the sea at the cost of the lives and livelihoods of our people?

For decades the world has seen the impact of this policy of NEOLIBERALISM. The unemployment, global warming, world poverty, food insecurity, desertification, the widening of the gap between the rich and the poor etc are results of this policy. “The very design of neoliberal principles is a direct attack on democracy.” ― Noam Chomsky. In such a context what can we say about “yahapalanaya”, freedom and democracy?

Nevertheless let us again remind President Sirisena who has taken the additional responsibility of protecting the environment (this Ministry comes under his purview) to consider the important question: why his government is not transparent regarding the revised PORT CITY plan. Will the Government publish the revised plan and the new agreement in keeping with their slogan of good governance?

All civil societies and people’ organizations let us wake up to meet this challenge!

Protest Against the Colombo Port City

Government sources inform that construction work on the Colombo Port City (CPC) now baptized by our Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe as the International Financial City (IFC) will resume in October.  Distressed local Fisherman now inform   that the destructive sand mining by the Chinese have already begun 

This project was publicly opposed by the incumbent President and Prime Minister while they were in opposition.

The reason given by then leader of opposition and now the  Prime  Minister during his  election campaign for halting this  was that the coast from Kalpitiya up to Hikkaduwa will be washed away into the sea. 

Although the decision to resume work has been taken, the measures taken to prevent such destruction to the coast has not been identified.

Citizens of our country have identified a number of environmental hazards, in addition to the destruction caused by sand mining that necessitates the halting of this project.  The government has been informed of these facts.

The Environmental Impact Assessment Report itself forecast that the livelihoods for fishermen will be lost for 3  years due to sand mining. 

Strangely, the report has not guaranteed when the marine environment will be back to normal enabling the fisherman to resume their livelihoods their only source of income. .

The destruction of the corals and the reefs which are the fish breeding and feeding grounds  will be disturbed due to sand mining and dumping. It may take a long period of time perhaps 30 years or more to recover or the coral reefs may not even recover due to the effects of climate change. 

Fisherman are greatly alarmed by the massive volume of sand mining 60 million cubic meters taking place near a thin reef between sea and their lagoon.

Environmentalists state that this natural reef which protects our land from storms and lashing waves is now weakened due to Chinese sand mining activities. If these destructive activities continue, fisherman fear that the reef Thalahena Peruwa may collapse resulting in the sea entering the lagoon causing a massive environmental and human tragedy in Kepungoda as people will have to flee for their lives, as the sea inundates the land.

This projects damages not only the marine and the human environment in the coastal area but also the interior of the country due to rock mining. The granite requirement to reclaim the sea area of 269 hectares, is 3.45 millions cubic meters. No adequate study has been done about the impact of granite mining.

These matters have been raised by independent experts. Unfortunately, our political leadership is not wise enough to listen to them.

People have protested on number of occasions since the inception of this Project during the previous regime. In Dec 2014 and in March 2015 over 300 petitions were handed  to the coast conservation department, on the 6th of Jan to the secretaries of the President and Prime Minister on the 6th of April 2016 a protest was held at the Galle Face Green. 

It now appears that  people's opinion do not seem to matter to the the "Yahapalanaya" leadership. The government seems so arrogant that it is ready carry out  policies which environmentalists warn presenting evidence, of possible disasters to people and the environment. 

Another matter of great importance is the secrecy that is maintained by both former President and the incumbent Prime Minister about the agreements signed between the Sri Lanka and China. 

That leaves enough room for suspicion that the content of the agreements are purposely hidden from people, because the conditions in the agreements are not favorable to the  citizens. 

The above environmentally detrimental activities are destroying Sri Lanka's centuries old Coastal Fishing Trade the only livelihood of our coastal fisher-folk.  A  protest was held by these fisherman, who brave the seas each day to provide us with fresh fish, in 8 fishing villages from Kammalthota to Uswetakeiyawa. In some villages the fishermen did not go to Sea for fishing as a mark of protest.

This very successful protest was organized by the People's Movement against the Port City. It was held at village level from 10.00am - 12.00pm. Several members of the clergy and number of Civil Society members actively participated in this event.

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda.