“New Port City’s Hidden Truths Spells Dangers for Future Generation: Reply of CHEC
We wish to clarify the statements made by academics, on the adverse aspects, of this mega Colombo Port City project since the response from CHEC Port City Colombo ( Pvt) Ltd is misleading as reported in your newspaper under the above heading.
Prof. G.P Karunaratne Ph.D, EP, FASCE an international land reclamation expert with over 300 publications in scientific journals, conducted research in Sri Lanka in 2017. He states in response to your article: ‘ There have been many references to the Port City land reclamation project. The effect of this reclamation on the ground water table of the adjacent land, when coupled with intense rainfall in the same area has been discussed with respect to the effect on some of the old buildings, (historic buildings) in the said adjacent land. It was elucidated last December (05-12-2017) to an audience comprising of practicing engineers, that if proper drainage is not constructed and maintained certain despair would occur in these old buildings and infrastructure.’ This public lecture given by Prof. Karunaratne and his team was illustrated with graphs of their research findings and made freely available at this public lecture. Hence we believe it is unethical to describe Prof. Karunaratne and his team’s research findings as scaremongering and with no scientific basis.
With respect to granite
This project needs over 3.45 million cubic meters of Granite, quarried using explosives that are disturbing breeding sites of fauna and local residents. Granite is a limited resource in this densely populated small island (x100 smaller than Australia but with similar population of 21 million people). This limited resource is now being dumped in the sea opposite Galle Face Green to construct a Port City. As this resource would be needed by future generations too, we believe its use for this project needs careful moral and scientific evaluation.
Dr. Gamini Jayatissa, Senior Research Scientist, NBRO, stated in the Sunday Times (November 2, 2014): “About 20 per cent of this island is mountainous or rocky and 1/3 of our population live in this area and warns of more landslides with climate change.” He publicly emphasised the need to take risk assessment seriously and stated that all projects in Sri Lanka need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Has a scientifically and legally accepted EIA been done for the Colombo Port City project? Attorney-at-Law, Ravindranath Dabare, Chairperson, The Centre of Environmental Justice, states: The EIA of 2011 fulfills less than 20 per cent of the legal requirements stipulated in section 42 of the Coast Conservation Act, No57 of 1981.
He also states that the law does not identify compartmentalisation of the EIA for a single mega project. The word Supplementary EIA is not known in the Coast Conservation Act. It is thus of national importance that this mega Colombo Port City project has a valid EIA to continue its construction activities legally.
If checks and balances are made with respect to EIA requirements stipulated why is not even one monitoring report been made public?
We discovered that the much publicized Development Permit with its 72 conditions allegedly monitored by 26 Government agencies are a matter of private record, and are not available to the public. These reports are deemed by the participating public institutions (eg NARA) as the property of the CHEC company and as such confidential.
How safe are our economically important and protective coral reefs with the massive sand dredging and dumping activities carried by CHEC P.C. Colombo (Pvt) Ltd?
Are the essential light penetration levels for coral survival and smothering of delicate corals by sand particles carried by sea currents monitored to ensure their safety?
Mr. Dabare says that the State Land Ordinance does not authorise the President to delegate his capacity under Section 60 (3) to reclaim any part of the foreshore or bed of the sea. The President has not authorised any lease as stipulated under Section 61 of the State Land Ordinance. We assume that this is because this section states that the President must be sure that such a lease will not substantially prejudice the rights of the public.
Dr. Ranil Senanayake, Systems Ecologist clearly explained that clean air is an essential for healthy living. He stated the urban population of Colombo will lose their health for generations to come as they will suffer the consequences of high impact constructions that will block the through flow of fresh air from the sea the moment construction work begins on the Colombo Port City. It is a proven fact that construction activities contribute massively to air pollution, including land filling and vehicle emissions. All construction sites generate high levels of dust (typically from concrete, cement, stone, silica) which can carry for large distances over a long period of time.
Currently toxic PM10 Fine Particles in the City of Colombo are at levels three times more than what is safe for humans. With the proposed high-rise building constructions in the Port City over an estimated period of 12 to 15 years the PM10 levels may increase 25-30 times more than what is considered safe for humans. Such an increase in PM10 toxic particles will definitely increase the risk of getting respiratory and cardio vascular diseases, including lung cancer as detailed in WHO reports.
Clearly this project is an unacceptable health hazard to the citizens of Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka.
- F. Mansoor
(People’s Movement against the Port City and on behalf of the Creation Care Desk of the Methodist Church).