Port City Project to resume:

Eco groups cry foul

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Environmentalists and civil society organisations have come down hard on the government’s decision to go ahead with the Colombo Port City Project which had been stalled due to major flaws in the environment impact assessment report released by the former regime which was determined to embark on the project ignoring the catastrophic impact on the environment.

Chairman, Sri Lanka Nature Group and Convenor of the Movement Against the Colombo Port City Project, Tilak Kariyawasam said there should be a comprehensive report on the project’s impact on the environment and not a supplementary report.

“Releasing a supplementary report is a fundamental mistake. We are against the move by the government to go ahead with the project, based on this report. The proponents of the project have changed. The project was under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority earlier. Today, it is the Ministry of Megapolis,” Kariyawasam said.

He said the scope of project cannot be confined to the Coastal Conservation Department (CCD). The project also involves deep sea drilling. The CCD alone cannot approve the project. The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) under the National Environment Act with the concurrence of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau of Sri Lanka should approve it.

Kariyawasam said the technical committee should have been appointed by the CCD and the CEA and not by the CCD alone.

He said the reclaimed land area goes beyond the original 233 hectares to over 269 hectares taking internal water bodies into consideration. “We will decide soon on the course of action our movement would take on the government’s move to go ahead with the project.”

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said last week that the country hopes to have a ‘unique financial and business district’ in Colombo when the sea reclamation project by a Chinese firm is completed.

The much hyped Port City Project was ‘under water’ for over a year as the new regime queried project approvals granted by the last administration. The builders of the Chinese-funded port city project revealed that discussions are on and they were awaiting a positive reply from the government.

The US $ 1.4 billion Port City is to be built on the Southern edge of the new Colombo South Port. The area of sea to be reclaimed is 233 hectares.

Minister for Megapolis, Champika Ranawaka said the Port City is included in the Western Province Megapolis project and added that plans would be harmonised.