20th Meeting of the Select Committee - 17 May 2005

Mr R A D B Samaranayake, Director of the Coast Conservation Department (CCD) and representatives of both the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the National Physical Planning Association made their presentations to the Select Committee.

Mr Samaranayake stated the importance of coastal conservation and managing the environment. He also showed the legislation, which gives it the authority to implement policies concerning the protection of the coastal belt of Sri Lanka.

• Coast Conservation Act No 57 of 1981
• Coast Conservation Amendment Act No 64 of 1988
• Coastal Zonal Plan 2004 - yet to be enacted

The CCD follows an Environmental Impact Assessment Plan, which helps to enact appropriate acts. The Coastal Zonal Plan 2004, which is yet to be enacted, was prepared before the tsunami. The recommendations made within the act are relevant to the situation in post tsunami Sri Lanka as well. Mr Samaranayake stated his support of the buffer zone.

He presented a three-pronged plan, which they have already given as a recommendation to the cabinet to look into. He explained that a buffer zone would be in place and it will be divided into three sections for easier implementation. The seaward reference line and the reservation area are strictly forbidden areas with regards to development activities. The restrictive area is what the experts call a soft zone where people will be allowed to do development activity in respect to the tourism and fishing industries in consultation with the CCD.

The CCD Director also presented a new plan where they have divided the coastal belt of Sri Lanka into 99 zones. Each of these zones will be analyzed with the Environmental Impact Assessment Plan to find vulnerable areas within the coastal belt. All these recommendations are given to an appointed committee of relevant representatives from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Ministry of Forestry and Environment, Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Social Welfare, Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply, and Ministry of Science and Technology.

Regarding the buffer zone he stated that the existing management plan should be kept in place with the addition of rest areas and fishing and tourism industry related structures. However, no new housing settlements would be allowed. He stated that the CCD is following the guidelines set out by TAFREN.

When asked by the members of the Select Committee why no other country had a buffer zone, with the inclusion of both Japan and Banda Aceh in Indonesia, Mr Samaranayake responded that Sri Lanka had a high erosion rate as opposed to other countries.

A representative of the UDA stated that when planning development activities, the socio economic and geographical aspects are looked into beforehand. Densification and expansion of the land are also done along with the reservation of sections of the land. Due to increasing economic activity along the coast, almost all urban areas are centred there apart from the hill country, which is also dense in population. He stated that conservation of the land is an imperative for the country to prevent natural disasters like floods and landslides.

He recommended that policy planners encourage development activity in the interior of the country, so the population density will decrease along the coastal belt.

Speaking on the possible threat of earthquakes he stated that when high-rise buildings come up in Colombo, the UDA advises investors with a pre-qualification system. The National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) also has housing guidelines, which investors follow during development stages.

The National Physical Planning Association based their representation on the need for a new National Physical Structure Planning for Sri Lanka. Their representative discussed the fact that disasters have a huge impact on people and the economy alike.

Planning in the past was based on three attributes:
• Availability of resources
• Economic disparity
• Geo-climatic regions

Sri Lanka cannot sustain itself on agriculture alone, thus the expansion of tourism, IT, industries and services. The object of a sound economic plan is for people to live in and around industrial regions.

The coastal belt and the hill country are vulnerable to natural disasters and the population densities in those areas are high because of economic opportunities and development activities. The objective of a new National Physical Structure Plan for Sri Lanka should be to provide incentives for people to move away from vulnerable regions. To achieve that, the government needs to focus on concentrated development in the interior of the country. He also spoke on the need to balance urban development and population density.

He presented a three-pronged approach for future development activity in the country:
• Reduce the population at risk on the coastal belt and in the central hills
• Balance economic and environmental activity
• Provision of opportunities in rural areas