Issues of fisherfolk affected by Colombo Financial City to be discussed

Oct 24, 2016 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Ministry of Megapolis has appointed a committee to look into the grievances being voiced by the fishing community due to the construction of the proposed Colombo Financial Center, previously called the Colombo Port City.





The ten member committee will comprise five fishermen from the area and five personal from the Ministry and from the Financial Center project.

Minister of Megapolis and Western Province Development, Champika Ranawaka, said that if the committee finds the income of the fishing community has been reduced due to any sand dredging for the project then compensation would be paid accordingly.

According to the new environmental study conducted and approved by the new government, the area from which sand could be obtained has been further restricted to more than 3-4 kilo meters from the shoreline and sand to be dredged by scraping the sandy areas of the ocean floor only up to a depth of 3 meters (leaving at least ½ meter of sand at the ocean floor), and at areas where the water depth is more than 15 meters. Financial City project requires 6.







5 million cubic meters of sand to fill 675 acres and the entire project will extend for approximately 2,200 acres.

The new development permit issued by the Department of Coast Conservation in 2016 contains 70 conditions designed to protect the environment (almost double the number of conditions issued under the 2011 Permit).