JVP objects to Financial City over environmental issues

By Chamodi Gunawardana 

Criticising the Government’s move to continue the Port City project, albeit renamed as the Colombo Financial City, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday charged that it would continue to pose serious environmental issues to coastal communities.

 Addressing a media briefing, JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed the Financial City project would affect around 15 fish species and coral as well as dolphins in the 2,200-acres of deep sea area which will be used to mine sand for land filling.

“Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that the Financial City project requires 6.5 million cubic meters of sand to fill 675 acres. The entire project will extend for approximately 2,200 acres. It will destroy the natural environment in that entire area,” he claimed.

Dissanayake added that the soil erosion level of the Mount Lavinia, Wellawatte and Moratuwa beaches would double under the project, which has been expanded to 269 hectares. 

“Any Government should find an alternative area to establish such a project with minimum environmental impact, but unfortunately this Government doesn’t have options for the Financial City,” he charged.

He further blamed the Government for only allocating Rs.900 million to assist and provide livelihood training for an estimated 500 fishermen and their families who could be affected by the project. 

“That amount is insufficient to rebuild the livelihood of those people,” he said. 

Drawing comparisons between the negative results of the Mahaweli Project and the Financial City, both done under United National Party (UNP) Governments, Dissanayake claimed both large-scale projects resulted in massive environmental degradation passing off as ‘development’.

“When Wickremesinghe was the Opposition Leader he pledged to cancel the Port City project soon after they took over the Government due to the alleged environmental impact. We wonder how he could not notice these issues when he came into power.”