Legal action against sea sand mining

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Coast Conservation Department and Ports and Aviation Ministry will jointly take legal action against those collecting sea sand illegally from the coast,Ports and Aviation Deputy Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said.

It has been revealed sea sand is being excavated and taken away on a large scale for construction purposes. This has become a menace and causes a severe impact on the environment. Removing sea sand is among the key factors for sea erosion. Therefore, the Coast Conservation Department will carry out a series of precautionary measures to preserve the coastal belt.

Under these measures, the Coast Conservation Department will educate all high ranking police officers who are serving in police stations close to the coastal belt about the laws governing Coast Conservation. Residents living close to the coastal areas will also be educated on issues related to illegal sand mining.

Legal action will be taken by the Coast Conservation Department with the help of the police against people who violate the Coast Conservation Act.

The Coast Conservation Department will launch a sea sand processing project for construction in line with these measures. The Department will get sea sand from the deep sea using modern equipment and technology. The sea sand will be processed in order to suit construction purposes including reducing the salinity of the sea sand.

According to the experts processed sea sand is also equally suitable for construction as river sand. Several researches and experiments conducted by various private and government institutions including universities have proved this, the Coast Conservation Department official said.