Financial Times - Hambantota set for infrastructure explosion

When people go into politics, there are always promises made about developing the region where they come from to “thank” the voters for putting them in power. As time goes by, and with political graft and a bit of luck, that person could make it all the way to the top. Once there, the thanks can begin.

And so it is with Hambantota District and the President. Even though some of the projects have been in the pipeline for awhile, they were sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Now it seems, the district is going to be a hive of activity over the next few years as its infrastructure is upgraded.

On the cards are an airport, a seaport, an extended railway track, improved roads, and a moderised fishing habour, There are also some other projects that have been completed, such as the Weerawila Dedicated Economic Centre, where farmers can sell their produce, and a visitor’s centre at Bundala National Park. All aimed at improving the lot for those presently living in the area, as well as those visiting.

The Sunday Times FT was in the district last weekend to see what was going on. What was found was some pretty ambitious projects that were still just, well, ambitious, to those that were just dandy.

For the two major projects – the airport and the seaport – there is the added need to find land for the displaced families, totaling around 1,150, of which the majority are farmers. It seems that places for them will be found at the huge Walawe Irrigation project, where the plan is to make room for 8,950 families, where 5,800 were to be farmers. The project is on the move with a new road being built to replace the one set for destruction due to the seaport.

The seaport
This project is seen as a unique opportunity for the government, the local community and international partners to co-design a model harbour development as a tool for poverty alleviation, where the Southern District is seen as the country’s poorest.

After the set back of a feasibility study conducted in 2003 that deemed the project unbankable, but was derided as being flawed — the harbour is now back on. The plan is to build an oil purifying plant, where one of the by-products, LP gas, will be used locally and exported. Through the LP gas production, electricity is to be produced and fed on to the national grid.

M. A. Piyasena, district secretary and government agent, said that there were around 355 families that need to be moved to the Walawe Irrigation project, to be found a couple of kilometres down the Nonagame Junction-Embilipitya Road. “But we are still waiting for the necessary reports, and at the moment it’s the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA),” he said.

While visiting the site, at mark 236/2 along the A2 highway, The Sunday Times FT met Samara Wickrama, a Geo-technical Engineer working for China Harbour Engineering. When asked what he was doing, he said he was to spend a few days classifying the composition of the sand and the rock bed.

“The sand here is around 20 feet deep in places but it does go deeper, so it needs to be anaylised as part of a geo-technical exploration so those whoever eventually do the dredging will know exactly what to expect,” the engineer said, adding that as far as he knew a tender was expected in the near future.

According to Azmi Thassin, CEO, Hambantota Chamber of Commerce, an EIA was being carried out as one done years before had passed its sell-by date. He said the actual habour area will be around 500 acres, but once all the storage areas are included, incluing the oil refinery and storage tanks, that figure will rise to around 1,000 acres.

As for the land, most of it is government owned so there will be little need to expropriation.

Due to the project still being in the very early stages, no dates were available for construction; but once finished, it will be looking to compete with Singapore in size and not the Port of Colombo. “The port in Colombo is relatively small, and surrounded by a city; once this port is operational it will have the benefits of open roads and easy access,” the Chamber CEO said.

The airport
The Weerawila airport site was a different matter as it was still in the very early stages. The reason, according to Thassin, was that the area to be used had moved from an earlier site.

Due to this, details for the project are very sketchy, as presently the main work was being done talking to the farmers using the land to find out how many would have to be relocated, which according to Piyasena, was so far about 800. “Priority has to be given, with the necessary compensation, to find them new homes,” he said.

“One of the first things we have to get right is the relocation programme. We have to ensure that the farmers have a new place to live and work. If the land comes too late the farmers must be compensated accordingly,” the District Secretary said. The size of the airport plot needed was in the 1,000-hectare area and, when built, will become the country’s second international airport.

The railway
This project had begun with a couple of kilometers being laid. The plan is to complete the line from Matara to Hambantota to Kataragama, a total of around 112 kilometres. For the moment there is no signed-on investor, but talks are in progress with a Malaysian company. “The line won’t just be for carrying passengers, but goods as well. Improvements to the line in general will ensure that these goods will be transported in larger numbers and with less wastage,” Thassin said.

Hambantota fishing harbour
To improve and better protect the harbour, Rs 400 million has been earmarked to build two breakwaters, for which China Harbour have begun work on. On top of that, there will be an administration block, an ice plant that is already doing small-scale work, among other facilities aimed at improving the fishermen’s lot. Here completion is expected to be February, 2007.

The Walawe Irrigation Project
Here it is not just irrigation, but the building of the new road to Hambantota due to the present one being destroyed to make way for the seaport. Here, too, work has begun with the clearing of the shrub and the road’s skeleton foundation.

“Here the irrigation work has to be finished before the farmers move in to ensure that they can immediately start planting rice, or whatever their preferred crop is,” Piyasena said.

The size of the plot is massive, which brought up the question of who is going to move there, other than the 1,150 families that need relocation?

“With the construction and the follow-up employment opportunities, I expect there will be a large number of people moving to this area from within and outside the district. Once everything is up and running, the district is going offer a lot, especially to the young,” Thassin said.

On top of these big projects, there is the Bulk Shore Tank Farm, part of the seaport’s phase one, and an international sports complex. “The south doesn’t have one [sports complex] at present, where it will compliment the other projects and give those moving into the area something to use for both recreation and fitness”, Piyasena said, adding that he thought that the total amount of land needed for all the projects, and how it was to be used, would be published in the Gazette over the next few weeks.

“The point to remember here is that once the airport is built, with the railway extension, the improvement to the roads, and the seaport project, jobs are going to be created and people’s lives are going to improve. These projects are going to give a huge boost to the region as a whole,” he said.

Thassin's thoughts followed a similar pattern, but as he said: “The region has been waiting for this for around 20 years, when an airport and seaport were first brought up.”“We have been patiently waiting. The business sector is upbeat. The opportunities for the district are huge. Employment will rise, drawing both local and further-a-field workers here. Income will rise dramatically,” the CEO said.

But will it actually happen, due to the size of the undertaking? “One fine day it will all be there. Presently there are worries due to the present troubles, where a month ago there weren’t so much worry, as that can scare off potential investment.”

And what if the President does lose power, does the dream suddenly end? “Not at all; parties of all side have pledged to develop the south. It is a priority. I feel it is a blessing at the moment, but am very confident about what the future will bring,” Thassin said. Let’s just hope the ambition leads to a final result.