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Illegal sand mining thrives with political cover
Sand mining in Pamunugama. Pix by Priyanka Samaraweera
The failure of the authorities to enforce the law on illegal sand mining operations due to pressure from Pradeshiya Sabha members has led to an increase in such rackets across the country.
A group of fishermen from Bopitiya who had embarked on a two-day religious pilgrimage to the Madhu Church last week had found that sand at the Sagarasirigama fishing port had been illegally mined during their absence. Police have not arrested any suspects.
A member of the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha, representing the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, is said to be involved.
“This sand had been mined to dump along a sand barrier in Muthurajawela,” said Anil Jayamaha, the head of the Organisation for Protecting the Muthurajawela Sanctuary.
Mr. Jayamaha said that a long stretch of a natural sand barrier which prevents the Muthurajawela area from being affected by water related disasters and high tides, is being eroded due to a strong water current that is created as a result of the Chinese “port city’’ real estate project.
He also said these adverse consequences raised doubts about the feasibility study on the controversial project.
The Department of Coast Conservation denies any knowledge of such an incident.
“We have not received such reports yet. However, we permit people to dig out around one or two cubes of sand from a beach stretch to fill land in religious places of worship,” the director general of the Coast Conservation Department, Prabath Chandrakeerthi told the Sunday Times.
He said police would be alerted to such illegal activity.
The Sunday Times learns that illegal sand mining at the Sagarasirigama fishing port had taken place on two previous occasions as well. The first was by a politician who excavated the sand by claiming that it would be used to fill a land at a church in the area. However, it turned out that the sand was used to fill a marshy land in Bopitiya.
Informed sources said another politician who reportedly had strong ties with the Pamunugama Police had illegally dug out sand from the fishing port at night not long ago.
Several other illegal sand mining operations continue in the Bopitiya area. The Muthurajawela Forest Reserve and also the sanctuary located behind the Agriculture Centre in Nugape, Pamunugama are some of the areas in which such rackets are operating.
Sand mining rackets are coupled with another illegal activity — the dumping of debris from Colombo in forest reserves over a long period.
A truckload of sand is sold for about Rs 55,000 while a truck filled with debris is sold at Rs 25,000.
These illegal activities continue because the authorities are ineffective and face political pressure.
These activities can be prevented if bodies such as the Central Environmental Authority, Wildlife Department, Agrarian Development Department, Pradeshiya Sabha, Divisional Secretariat, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB), Police and Land Reclamation Commission take action.
However, the GSMB stressed that measures are being taken to arrest illegal sand miners. A GSMB spokesman said operations are being carried out in areas such as Hanwella, Kahatapitiya, and even along the Kelani River.
The spokesman admits that illegal sand mining happens at night and said one such attempt was thwarted in Maha Oya recently.
Another incident in which a Pradeshiya Sabha member — this time the chairman — was reported to have exerted influence in illegal sand mining activities was reported in Ariyalai last Sunday.
These illegal activities continue because authorities are ineffective and face political pressure
The incident had occurred when Special Task Force (STF) personnel, accompanied by officials of Lanka Mineral Sands, were attacked by area residents when they attempted to erect a fence around a Pulmoddai mineral sand plot which contains 350,000 metric tonnes of sand. It was situated adjacent to a mineral deposit site.
This fence was to be installed since mineral sands loaded on to two tipper trucks had been stolen each night from the deposit site.
“A certain group of people with strong political backing from the Pradeshiya Sabha chairman in the area have continuously engaged in this illegal act of mining over the last few years. Each tipper truck full of mineral sand is then sold at Rs 45,000 in Vavuniya,” Indika Ranatunga, chairman of Mineral Sands told the Sunday Times. She also said police were hesitant in the face of strong political influence.
The people in the area objected to the fence over claims that a part of the public playground, which is next to the site, was being encroached upon.
“However, the playground is located in a land belonging to the government. Therefore, we [Mineral Sands] can take action to prevent this illegal trade since we are also a government entity,” Ms. Ranathunga noted.
However, following tensions that erupted last Sunday, police chief Pujith Jayasundara has directed that a police post be set up in the vicinity of the deposit site. The STF had agreed to guard the site at night.