Sri Lanka offshore sand deposits draw foreign interest

Foreign investors are interested in mining sea sand off Sri Lanka's western coast to be used in the construction industry which is facing shortages of the material, government officials said.

But the high cost of the offshore sand mining and potential conflicts with fisher communities are deterrent factors, they said.
Geological Survey and Mines Bureau chairman N P Wijayananda said the best sea sand deposits are found between the coastal towns of Kalutara, south of the capital Colombo, and Kalpitiya, to its north.

"There are investors who want to mine, especially for the port projects."

Sri Lanka has two big port projects planned – one to expand Colombo port and the other to build a new harbour in southern Hambantota.

The sea sand deposits off the western coast have already been exploited by the government to provide material for highway as well as previous port construction projects, he said.

The bureau has issued an exploration licence to a Korean investor who showed interest in mining the offshore sand deposit north of Colombo.

"The investor is to do further investigations," Wijayananda said.


Another licence has been issued to an investor covering an area off southern Hambantota.

But sea sand off the south coast has been found to have more calcareous material – coral and shells – making it more suitable for filling purposes rather than construction, Wijayananda said.

Sri Lanka construction contractors are facing a serious shortage of sand owing to restrictions on river bed mining.

The restrictions were imposed to prevent environmental damage and led to prices of sand soaring in the local market.

Wijayananda said more offshore sea sand mining was required to fill up previously mined stockpiles as they get depleted. .