Abstract:
Sri Lanka’s construction industry contributing over 8% to its GDP, requires over 7
million cubic meters of sand annually (expanded in the short term due to additional
demands of post tsunami construction) which is obtained from the country’s river beds,
river sides or mined from previous riverbeds and sand dunes. Though until recently
manual harvesting was the norm, increasing mechanized and often illegal, river sand
harvesting has led to problems of ensuring water security and ecosystem damage due to
lowering of water table, bank erosion, land degradation and salinity intrusion; damage
to infrastructure; increased health hazards and negative impacts on human being. In
particular, concerns are raised about the increasing damage to drinking water sources,
loss and damage to irrigation systems and agricultural lands and spread of vector borne
diseases by providing the breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
River Sand Mining (RSM) in Sri Lanka has not yet been investigated by environmental
researchers. Development of alternate construction technology and manufacture
alternate sands for construction is long overdue. Benefits of reducing conflict in RSM
affected areas and improving efficiency in use of natural resources need to be
recognized. Long term RSM related impacts including lowered levels of food security,
rural out-migration and reduced agricultural efficiency need to be studied further from a
macro perspective. While an advocacy alliance can highlight the need, the state has
eventually to undertake remedial action.
Uncontrolled illicit RSM creates a level of damage to rivers that are ecologically
irreversible in the long run; an urgent and sustainable solution is now needed for the
affected rivers and communities in Sri Lanka. The worst affected rivers such as Deduru
Oya and Ma Oya is in critical need of a moratorium on RSM in order to regenerate
even minimally. Though the mining of shore sand is altogether prohibited in the draft
national sand policy, recent media reports indicate that moves are underway to mine off
shore sand with foreign collaboration. While this may be provide a solution to contain
the escalation of damage to rivers caused by RSM, the problems of declining water
security, lost national investment, diminished intergenerational equity, accelerated
social disharmony and vanished livelihoods will remain.
