Sri Lanka's coastal body defends beach nourishment projects

COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka's coast conservation authority has defended its Rs 890 million worth beach nourishment projects citing it as the "best solution" for coastal erosion, amidst mounting concerns over the wastage of public funds. Concerns have been raised regarding sand nourishment projects that have taken place in the country, as the sand that had been filled in three beaches to prevent coastal erosion is being washed away. "The sand pumped to the Mount Lavinia beach has not been washed away and there has been no public money wastage," Prabhath Chandrakeerthi, the director-general of the coast conservation department said in a statement. He said that Rs 890 million had been spent on beach nourishment projects at the Calido Beach in Kalutara, Angulana Beach in Ratmalana and the Mount Lavinia beach. "Approximately...Rs 110 million had been spent on the Mount Lavinia coast," Chandrakeerthi noted. He added that 350,000-meter cubes of sand had been pumped to the Angulana beach, 300,000-meter cubes to the Calido beach, and 150,000-meter cubes to the Mount Lavinia beach. "Sand from this project is obtained from a sand deposit located about 2 to 6 km from Ratmalana," the director-general said adding that the license issued by the Central Environmental Authority for the sand deposit had been renewed for three years in 2018.