UNDP’s Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment:

Eco-friendly development for the North

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

New colourful buildings are emerging over the ruins of deadly battles that took place a few years back in the North of Sri Lanka. They would no longer be the exhibits which show the gravity of war. After 30-years, the North has opened up her beauty to the world and invite tourists to enjoy its unspoilt natural wonder. Investors are exploring more business opportunities in tourism, hotel, healthcare and every other sector generating more jobs for people whom suffered enough from terrorism.

At the end of the decades of long suffering, the North has proved its potential to become one of the major economical hubs in the country. It is the Uthuru Wasanthaya (Northern Springs) that brought much of the development to the door-step of the North. As it recorded a rapid development during the past two-years with the restoration of anomalies and flourishing new investments, the North now runs the risk of polluting and damaging its natural environment. The ‘planned development’ is the key to keep a balance between development and eco-system.

Charitha Herath

Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri

The Northern Province is rich in natural resources - extensive coastal area, dense forests and mineral deposits. Most of the islands- Kayts, Neduntivu, Karaitivu, Pungudutivu and Mandativu - around the country are in the West of the Northern Province.

The new era of development in the North has brought new challenges for implementing agencies. With no proper data on resources, they were to answer to questions like - is there sufficient ground and surface water for industry and human settlements?, what building materials could be sourced locally and how much could be safely exploited? Which forests, coastal, wildlife, wetland and archaeological areas should be conserved?, How would these add value to the proposed development plans, especially tourism, in this area?

Meeting these challenges is an easy task but the real task is: how to achieve it without harming the eco-system would remain unanswered bringing more damage to the untapped eco-systems in the North.

While the development process is going ahead under the Northern Springs, with the assistance of the UN Development Programme, over 25 agencies involved in water, mineral, archaeological, forest, wildlife, marine, coastal, urban development, tourism, Telecom, power, roads and investment got together in November 2009, just after six months of ending the LTTE, to find answers to those querries to provide strategic information to expedite the already begun development activities in the North.

After several field visits and meeting all the stakeholders in the related fields, they tabled the much needed Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment (ISEA)’ for the Northern province to facilitate decision- making on the sustainable use of the natural resource base for accelerated development. Now, there is a lot of potential for an economic boom. This is also an area which is eco sensitive. The potential for eco-tourism is high if development activities are handled properly”, The Project Leader and Assistant Resident Representative- Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Management of the UN Development Programme Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri said.

He said development programmes focusing on livelihood development of the economically and socially-shattered Northern Province requires proper resource mapping.

“ The ISEA for the northern province is thus need to work with a large number of stakeholder agencies in order to formulate a broad, multi-sector and multi agency analysis to integrate disaster risk management into development plans and programs, support development programs through targeted resources availability studies, allow systematic data gathering by technical agencies in the field and promote data sharing, establish limits for safe extraction of natural resources, identify the ecologically sensitive areas and advocate for their conservation and complementary uses, develop a medium to long-term monitoring system to ensure development is ecologically safe”, he said.

Dr. Mallawatantri told the Sunday Observer that no proper forest and wildlife boundaries, no data on water, ground water, sand and gravel resources and no maps on archaeological sites in the Northern region are available for the last 30-years.

He said the ISEA had brought planners, investors, project implementers, resource managers and users in the province together to ensure a smooth development process with minimal damage to the natural resources and the eco-system in the North.

All these agencies presented their own maps, the activities to be done in future and the intended long-term targets. Dr. Mallawatantri said the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) has conducted mineral surveys in all five districts in the North by five specialist teams to identify both locations and quantities of mineral resources that helps reconstruction and rehabilitation process in a sustainable and environmental friendly manner. He said the main task of the GSMB was to look at the availability and sustainable extraction of potential sand, clay, quarry metal and other building materials needed for the development of infrastructure, settlements and industry in the North. The GSMB has prepared mineral maps for each district and identified environmentally sensitive sites and their safe extraction limits.

He said as all the agencies had come to a common platform to develop the North maintaining minimal damage to the rich eco-system and cultural heritage, obtaining the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for the project would be faster as they have followed the ISEA guidelines.

A series of ‘Opportunity Maps’ prepared with available data and information on natural resources gathered in the field studies to ensure optimum use of resources for a rapid and sustainable economic development in the province. These maps will provide tools for planning and long-term monitoring of the quality and quantity of natural resources in the region and help planners to address issues such as climate change.

With the success of the ISEA, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has requested the UNDP to draw similar ISEAs for the Central and Uva provinces. The UNDP is also carrying out a similar project for Gampaha on a request made by the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa as the Gampaha district is becoming one of the industrial hubs in the Western province. “ If we have more funding, the UNDP would carry out ISEAs for the remaining provinces”, he said.

Dr. Mallawatantri said the areas in the North where still the de-mining activities were going on were also included in the ISEA in the North as it would be over within next three-to four years.

“ The ISEA is a long term plan to manage a sustainable development”, he said adding that forest resources in the North, which accounted for a high percentage of the country’s total forest cover, were largely intact during the past and from extensive sand dunes in Jaffna peninsula, to quarry metal and clay for bricks, the province is especially rich in mineral resources needed for construction.

The land is generally flat and undulating with no significant elevation. Lagoons, bays, salt flats, wetlands, coral reefs, islands and islets, and estuaries are some of the prominent coastal features that are important both ecologically and economically.

Government Agent Jaffna Emelda Sukumar said government institutions when implementing the development projects follow the ISEA and it made officials to get a clear project of the specific location to be developed.

The (CEA), which played a major role in implementing the ISEA has conducted awareness programs with District Secretaries, local authorities and community leaders in the North to get their support for the assessment. It also carrying out post ISEA monitoring.

The CEA Chairman Charitha Herath said the ISEA was an important document that guides the government to accelerate its development projects in the North.

“ It is already handed over to the government and the project implementing agencies have to follow the ISEA when carrying out their development projects”. he said adding that it is a collective effort of all the government institutes.

If someone claims that the government was doing nothing for the Northern people, the ISEA is the best proof to show how the government is committed to a proper development process”, he said.