Marine City project in final stage of regulatory approval
The Urban Deve l o p m e n t Authority (UDA) is in the final stage of regulatory approvals for the proposed multimillion dollar 121.6 hectare ( ha) beach reclamation from Kollupitiya to Dehiwala, officials said.
The Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department has opened the environment impact assessment ( EIA) for “Marine City” for public comment. Once the EIA is passed, the project will be advertised for investment as a j o i n t ve n t u re with t he Government under the public- private partnership (PPP) model.
Initially valued at around US$ 155mn, the Marine City was conceptualised at the same time as the Port City. The EIA was carried out by the National Aquatic Resources Agency and has evaluated the first phase covering reclamation, dredging ( from a borrow pit in the sea) and construction of several breakwaters, among other things. The project requires about 14.5mn cubic meters of sand.
While the report does not anticipate major long-term environmental damage from the project, it does point to a high presence of coliforms, faecal coliforms and E. coli in the water from many sampling locations. It defines this as “severe microbial contamination”.
The reasons may be informal settlements, faecal coliforms from the o u t f alls in We l l awatta and Bambalapitiya, untreated or partially- treated animal and domestic waste and sewage from coastal premises including hotels, restaurants and some industries.
“The construction of Marine City on the southern side of the Colombo South Port and the Port City will not cause any changes to the hydrodynamics and sediment transport of the north of Colombo Harbour and the Kelani river outfall,” the EIA also states.
The Marine City aims to reclaim land from the sea and create open spaces to ease the strain on Galle Face. Around 8.93 ha will be for a transport corridor; and 30.72 ha for common utilities such as sewage facilities, CEB grid stations and a wastewater treatment plant from which water will be taken to water green areas. For recreation and as open space for public use, there will be 43.07 ha, the EIA states.
As a PPP-driven financing arrangement, the project is not expected to cost the Government. To make it financially viable, however, 20 ha--subdivided into three hubs in the vicinity of the railway stations--will be leased for 99-years to the developer. The recreational areas will belong to the State.
The project’s second phase will be construction of buildings and infrastructure on the reclaimed land. Any prospective investor will be expected to finance, design, build, operate and transfer the development.
There will be five zones: transport corridor, special seafront zone, special seafront recreational zone, infrastructure amenities and parking areas and sandy beach. Permitted activity in the recreational zone includes nature parks and playground, fair and exhibition ground, amphitheaters, recreations clubs, gyms and swimming pools, water-related eco-tourism activities, camping, picnicking, bird watching and naturebased entertainment activities, nature trails, observation towers, canopy walkways, cycle paths, etc.
Around 54 families in the immediate vicinity of the project area will require relocation. There are also 118 institutions-- including commercial and religious premises and residential areas-- that employ or house 1,181 people facing the project area. These are usually frequented by about 3,050 people and are likely to be impacted, the EIA states.
Sri Lanka is increasingly taking the path of several island nations, including Singapore and Maldives, to grow seawards through land reclamation. The EIA states that owing to existing land use patterns, population, commercial density and value of and, displacement and compensation, the only viable option for expansion is towards the sea.