News
Environmental group rings warning bells over Aussie Co. plan to mine limonite in Mannar Island
by Ifham Nizam
There would be significant environmental damage to the Mannar Island if an Australian mining company was allowed to carry out proposed limonite sand mining there, Dr. Ravindra Kariaywasam of the Centre for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS), warned yesterday.
Kariaywasam told The Island: “The Company is planning to mine an area of the island that is 2 km wide and about 8 km long. It started preliminary assessment with small-scale drilling on the island in 2015. It drilled more than 4.000 exploratory holes without the permission of the owners of the lands. The deepest holes is about 12 metres deep.”
The 26km long Mannar Island has rich deposits of the mineral limonite in its sand, which is the main source of titanium dioxide that has a wide range of applications, including paint, sunscreen, and food colouring.
Kariaywasam said that the mining project would inflict irreparable damage to the water table in the island. There was the risk of contaminating the drinking water with sea water during mining, affecting tens of thousands of residents who depend on fishing and other primary industries for their livelihoods, he said.
“Mannar Island is a low-lying coastal area prone to natural hazards such as flash floods, cyclones and sea level rise. Although the company has not received environmental approvals and or a mining licence, it is aggressively seeking investors for their sand mining operation, claiming that the operation is a simple, low impact mining process.”
However, it was a false assertion, Kariyawasam said. The mining would cause many social, ecological and economic consequences. Those include the destruction of traditional fishing grounds and livelihoods, increasing salinity of wells and groundwater, destruction of old palmyrah groves, habitat damage of Mannar’s significant migratory bird population, devastation of the tourist industry and the adverse impact on historical sites.
A group of Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) members, including its Leader Mano Ganesan, met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday (02) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.
Extensive discussions were held on the issues faced by the Malayagam communities, particularly in relation to education, housing and land, as well as on the urgent measures required to address these concerns. The President paid special attention to all these matters.
Attention was also drawn to the recruitment of qualified Tamil-medium teachers to address the teacher shortage in estate sector schools and this too was discussed at length.
Members of Parliament P. Digambaram and V. Radhakrishnan, along with several other party members, were present at the meeting.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath, held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko at the Foreign Ministry, in Colombo, on Thursday (02), with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
The Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visiting Russian Deputy Minister noted that Russia regarded Sri Lanka as a long-standing friend.
Rudenko assured that Russia stood ready to support Sri Lanka when required, including in the swift supply of Russian oil to help address the current energy challenges, encouraging Russian investors to explore new opportunities in the country and promoting increased tourist arrivals.
He also expressed Russia’s readiness to provide compensation for Sri Lankan war veterans who had lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Minister Herath welcomed Russia’s willingness to assist, emphasising that Sri Lanka valued the support extended by its “old friend”, particularly at a time when the country was facing pressing energy needs.
He noted that the two countries shared nearly seven decades of diplomatic relations and said the present moment provided an opportunity to further strengthen ties, including through long-term trade agreements.
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, tourism and diplomacy, with both sides reiterating their commitment to further deepen the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Russia.
Police yesterday arrested 157 foreign nationals in connection with an alleged organised online financial scam, conducted from a hotel in the Iranawila area in Chilaw.
The suspects were taken into custody during a raid carried out by the Police while they were staying at the hotel in Iranawila.
Police said the arrested group included 143 nationals from China, 13 from Bangladesh and one from Vietnam.
Investigators suspect the group had been involved in a coordinated online financial scam, targeting victims through digital platforms.
The suspects are being detained for further questioning while investigations are continuing to determine the full extent of the operation and whether additional individuals were involved.Police said further inquiries are underway.
By Norman Palihawadane
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