A protester holds a sign that says "Stop massive sand dredging in our sea." A fishing community staged a series of actions on Oct.17-18 to protest sand dredging off the Sri Lankan coast. (ucanews.com photo)
Fishing communities were joined by several priests during protests in Colombo against the massive dredging of sand from the Sri Lankan coast for the controversial Port City project.
The fishing communities went on strike Oct. 17 - 18, closed all the fish markets and blocked the Colombo-Puttalam road.
"Our houses, villages and churches will disappear because of sand mining in the deep sea," said R. Antony from Negombo, who sat with his fellows on the main road chanting slogans.
"Fishermen are ready to launch a fast-unto-death if the government does not give a positive response to their demands," said Antony. "The project destroys the breeding grounds of fish."
Dredging will damage all our livelihoods, he added.
Fishermen and women have staged a series of actions on Oct.17 - 18 to protest massive sand dredging off the Sri Lankan coast. (ucanews.com photo)
Justin Fernando, a fisherman and retired teacher who was holding a poster on the main road, said that the project would also destroy coral reefs. "It is a massive volume of sand mining: sixty million cubic meters," he said.
Sri Lanka and China signed an agreement on Aug. 12 to construct the multi-billion project in Colombo. Originally named the Colombo Port City Development Project, it was rechristened Colombo International Financial City and aims to turn Colombo into Asia's next top financial hub, the government said.
Sri Lankan authorities said that over 80,000 new jobs will be created by the project but locals are far from sold on the idea.
The Financial City Project is funded by Chinese investors at a cost of US $ 1.4 billion.
The environmental impact assessment report forecast that fishing livelihoods would be lost for three years due to sand mining.
Environmentalists warned that removing huge volumes of sand would leave the coast unprotected from lashing waves and storms. They said that project would cause more damage inland with a planned 3.45 million cubic meters of granite to be quarried.
Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, the minister of Megapolis and Western Development, under whom the project comes, said on Oct. 17 that sand mining would not harm fish breeding grounds or the fishing community.
Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, president of the bishops' conference of Sri Lanka, appealed to the country's leaders to stop the dredging.
"I am seriously concerned about this project as it might affect not only the livelihoods of our fishermen, but also cause ecological damage to the coastal areas and affect the continental shelf drastically," said Cardinal Ranjith in a statement on Oct. 9.
"I therefore make this appeal to the president and the prime minister to take a good look at this project once again and address the concerns of fishermen whose livelihoods will be negatively affected," he said.
"This problem arose in the first place as result of the previous government rushing into the plan without a proper environmental impact assessment. It is not too late to rectify the situation for the future well-being of the fishers and the environment," he added.