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Dirty
hand in the sand With a cube of sand fetching retail prices upto Rs. 4,500 and sand businessmen expecting a further increase in the price due to demand generated by reconstruction work in the tsunami-affected areas, Puttalam and its vicinity have become a goldmine for sand miners in spite of a government ban re-imposed last week. Puttalam and surrounding areas have plenty of sand dunes, but they could not be exploited without endangering the lives of the villagers. The natural sand dunes have for generations protected people living in the coastal areas of Mundel and Kalpitiya from gusty sea winds and sea invasions. With the devastation caused by the December 26 tsunami in other parts of Sri Lanka etched on their mind, angry villagers have staged protest campaigns. They also say excessive and unchecked sand mining has also affected cultivation with pollutants from prawn farms seeping into their plots and ruining crops. The residents say "powerful" people are behind the rape of sand. Police officers, provincial and local council politicians, and local businessmen are hand-in-glove in this operation. Investigations by The Sunday Times show a lack of coordination between various agencies and the absence of a proper government monitoring system in regulating sand mining, trading and transportation and issuing licences have provided plenty of loopholes for unscrupulous businessmen to circumvent the laws. The Kalpitiya peninsula has become the favourite location for mining. When we visited the area, we saw the destruction caused by sand mining in Daluwa, Alankudawa and Eithale. There were several large craters, deeper than the stipulated four feet. Some of them are 15-foot deep. As a result of public protests, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) on Monday suspended all mining activities in the Kalpitiya peninsula. But sand mining continues under cover of night. Puttalam District Secretary H. M. Herath confirmed the ban at Kalpitiya and Mundel areas. He said that in other areas, sand mining could continue till the licences expired. Mr. Herath said the licences would not be renewed in keeping with a government ban, but sand miners are trying to beat the man who owned the gander that laid golden eggs. We met Kalpitiya Divisional Secretary Chandrasiri Bandara and asked about the allegation that the Divisional Secretariat was also involved in the racket. He said it was natural for the people to assume so because the original permits issued by the GSMB had the Divisional Secretariat’s address on top. "But in reality, the Divisional Secretary's role is limited to inspecting the land before the GSMB issues the permit. Licensed sand mining is taking place in areas which we have not inspected," Mr. Bandara said adding that the lack of coordination had given rise to corruption. A licence is required not only for mining, but also for transporting and selling sand. "Although we identify the need for sand for the construction industry, there should be a balance between this need and the protection of the environment," Mr. Bandara said. He said he was finding it difficult to stop illegal sand mining and on several occasions, he had received death threats. Can
the police stop illegal sand mining? He said the police this week took in several lorry loads of sand, which were being transported without a licence. The drivers were released on Police bail and will be produced before the Puttalam Magistrate on Wednesday. In the past 11 months, the Mundel police had detected 57 lorries, which were transporting sand without permits. Transporting sand without a permit is punishable by a fine of not less than Rs. 10,000 and not exceeding Rs. 30,000. The fine for illegal sand mining is between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 60,000. But residents accuse the Police of being involved in the racket. "Sand lorry drivers say they pay up to Rs. 600 in bribes as they pass through police checkpoints," said a self-employed sand miner. Residents say they believe even some senior police officers are involved in the racket. A Kalpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha member who did not want to be identified said he believed illegal mining on a large scale could not continue without the support of the police. Among those in the sand business are some North Western Provincial Council members, who own 25 to 30 twenty-ton trucks. Vinod Thushara, a small-scale sand miner, said these politicians used their influence to bypass bureaucratic red tape connected to the transportation, and sale of sand. But there are some politicians who are standing up against the sand mafia. JVP Provincial Councillor Saman Pushpakumara said the businessmen involved in the sand racket were well connected. They continued their racket regardless of the party in power, he said. A Kalpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha member said the council last year detained 140 trucks that were involved in illegal sand transportation, but all of them were released due to heavy political pressure. "Issuing transport and trade permits without proper checks encourages sand mining and the GSMB should have thought more about the repercussions before doing so," said Mr. Pushpakumara. Citing a string of past mining bans, he said he had his doubts about the success of the present ban. Residents also say that the abandoned sand pits are not only an environmental problem but also pose a danger. Recently, a schoolgirl was killed when she fell into an empty pit at Kandakudawa. Although these pits are supposed to be filled up after being dug to a depth of four feet, this regulation is more often than not, overlooked by greedy sand miners. GSMB Deputy Director Anil Peiris said that in terms of regulations, a mining engineer had to visit the site, as his recommendation along with that of the divisional secretary is necessary for the issuance of the permit. Although only 25 mining licences had been issued in the Kalpitiya and Mundel areas, the GSMB did not have exact figures on the number of transport and trade licences it had issued. However other sources say the GSMB issued 2000 transport permits last year, each with a sand capacity of 21,000 cubic feet. Mr. Peiris said the reason for such a large number of trade and transport licences was that the same licence was issued for the transport of other minerals. He said the GSMB had now decided to issue trade licences only to those who have either an affidavit or agreement with a mining licence holder. Asked why the Police had not given written instructions regarding the suspension of mining activities, Mr. Peiris said copies of the orders were given to a high ranking police representative at a meeting and it was "probably taking time" to filter down to police stations. Sand miners began to target Puttalam after they exhausted the nearby Deduru Oya region. Since the dune sand is easily accessible, and could be extracted with little labour, the Puttalam area is a virtual gold mine for sand miners. A mining licence can be obtained for an annual fee of Rs. 1,750. In addition, a royalty payment of 3% of the miners' production must be paid to the Government. The transport permit is Rs. 57.50 a month, and needs to be renewed every three months while a trade licence can be obtained for Rs. 5,750 a year.
Solution in the quarry sand At a seminar held at the BMICH on Wednesday, the NBRO and the UDA presented dredged sea sand, manufactured sand and dune sand as alternatives to river sand, mining of which has now been banned by the Government. However, as the use of both dune sand and dredged sea sand pose environmental problems, both organizations are promoting the use of manufactured sand for this purpose. Manufactured sand is made by crushing stones, and the NBRO says that this will not pose an environment risk as Sri Lanka has an abundance of high quality stone quarries. Several sites have already been identified for this purpose. According to the NBRO, investors are planning to import equipment and plants will be set up in two or three key locations after clearance from environmental authorities.
Small-time miners: Sand-to-mouth existence Small-time sandminer M.K.L Amarasekara from Daluwa said he was forced to stop mining because of the ban and public protests although his permit was valid till May. He said he was engaged in sandmining in his own land because he wanted to level the ground for coconut cultivation. His neighbour 50-year-old S. Christopher said the community was against destruction of sand dunes in the area because for generations, they had protected the village from the wrath of the sea. Villagers who owned land with sand dunes should be allowed to flatten and fertilize their plots for cultivation or be given another alternative means of livelihood. If allowed to flatten their land, they should also be given the right to sell the excess dune sand. Crops such as chillie, onion and tobacco grow well in the soil of the area, the villagers say. M.I.U.M Marikkar, a landowner near Noichchale said the residents were forced to take up sand mining due to the collapse of small-time farming and fishing in the area. "The land has become infertile due to the chemical fertilizers that seeped into the ground from prawn farms and the surrounding waters have also become unfit for fishing. The residents therefore have turned to the sand trade to provide for their families. They are now suffering due to the ban on mining activities in the peninsula," he said. |
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