{"id":54950,"date":"2016-05-24T23:27:22","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T05:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=54950"},"modified":"2016-05-24T15:52:26","modified_gmt":"2016-05-24T22:52:26","slug":"the-economic-importance-of-the-north-east-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2016\/05\/24\/the-economic-importance-of-the-north-east-of-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE NORTH-EAST OF SRI LANKA"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Several valuable economic resources of Sri Lanka are found only in the\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Northern, Northwestern and Eastern Provinces. These will not be available to the rest of the country once Eelam is established. However,\u00a0 Article 25 of \u00a0\u00a0the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right\u00a0 says\u00a0 \u2018nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources.<\/p>\n

The oil and gas reserves of Sri Lanka are available mainly in the north-west and east of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

There is potential for both onshore and offshore oil from Chilaw to Jaffna and Jaffna to Trincomalee, said Dharmasiri Weerasinghe, a\u00a0\u00a0 specialist in oil exploration, interviewed in 2005. (Sunday Observer. 6.11.2005 p 33). Weerasinghe said that the US Geological survey had found that Sri Lanka had some of the best oil reserves in South Asia. Sri Lanka\u2019s reservoirs of liquid petroleum gas exceed the country\u2019s present needs, he said. When the UN Law of the Sea comes into effect, Sri Lanka will own an even greater extent of the seabed and perhaps more gas and oil.<\/p>\n

Ceylon Petroleum Corporation decided in the 1960s,\u00a0\u00a0 that the Jaffna Peninsula and the northwest coast probably contained oil and gas, because it has Miocene rocks.\u00a0 In 1968, the corporation hired a French firm to carry out aeromagnetic and seismic surveys in this coastal strip of 10,500 sq km. These showed encouraging results, especially near Punkudutivu and Mannar islands.<\/p>\n

The Geological Survey of New Zealand in collaboration with the Geological Survey Department, Sri Lanka\u00a0\u00a0 carried out a gravity survey in 1970. This also indicated that the area around the Jaffna Peninsula, especially Pooneryn, Karaitivu and the\u00a0\u00a0 north of the peninsula may have oil and gas. Soviet Russia drilled at Pesalai from 1972-1974. It is alleged that the project was sabotaged. \u00a0\u00a0Foreign oil firms thereafter explored the Cauvery basin, drilling in Palk Bay and Delft. They also explored in the Gulf of Mannar, below the Cauvery basin.<\/p>\n

The Gulf of Mannar explorations indicated\u00a0\u00a0 significant oil and gas accumulations. TGS-NOPEC (Norway) prepared high quality seismic data for this area in 2000.\u00a0 The government of Sri Lanka bought this data in 2007 and ocean blocks were offered for further exploration. Since Cauvery basin blocks had been offered in 2003, the total area to be explored became 55, 775 sq kms. <\/em>In\u00a0\u00a0 2011, Cairn India found gas and oil in two wells in Mannar basin, \u2018Dorado and \u2018Barracuda\u2019 with a potential capacity of more than 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The \u2018Dorado\u2019 reservoir would go into production first, hopefully providing 300 billion cubic feet of gas and 2 million barrels of oil. The oil reserves in the Sri Lanka section of the Cauvery were greater than those in the Indian section, observed Weerasinghe.<\/p>\n

Geologist Dulip Jayawardene said there may be oil and gas on the eastern shore of Sri Lanka as well. There are secondary deposits parallel to the eastern coast agreed Weerasinghe.\u00a0 The government has offered six blocks in the Eastern Province to international oil companies to carry out geophysical studies and collect seismic data. Total France has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to start oil exploration in eastern coast.<\/p>\n

The East coast of Sri Lanka is known to be rich in mineral sands. Pulmoddai \u00a0\u00a0has one of the best beach mineral sand deposits in the world. Pulmoddai is located about 60 kms north of Trincomalee, midway between Mullaitivu and Trincomalee. \u00a0It is about 10 kms in length with an average width of 100 meters.\u00a0 \u00a0It has a very high concentration of heavy minerals. \u00a0It is estimated to contain over 6 million tons of \u2018heavy sands\u2019 composed of 70-72 % ilmenite, 8-10% zircon, 8% rutile, 0.3% monazite and<\/u> 1% sillimanite. It has a proven reserve of around 8000,000 to 10,000,000 tonnes of ilmenite, 9,000,000 tons of rutile and 7,000,000 tons of zircon.<\/p>\n

The Pulmoddai mineral sands are greatly sought after\u00a0\u00a0 because of their very high purity. There is 53% of titanium dioxide in the Ilmenite sands and 95% titanium dioxide in the rutile sands. Monazite has a ‘thoria’ content of 9-10%. This content of thorium is higher than any monazite found in India.\u00a0 These mineral sands have wide industrial applications. Titanium is regarded as the metal of the future.<\/p>\n

In 1980 three other very promising deposits were found along the coastal stretch from Mullaitivu to Nilaveli at Nayaru, Poduwakattumalai and Thevikallu. \u00a0These showed a reserve of 2-4 million tons of Ilmenite, 475.000- 700,000 tons of rutile, 350,000-500,000 tons of zircon. An off shore survey along Pulmoddai, from the mean high water mark, covering the entire length of the deposit ,was completed in 1980.\u00a0 This showed a reserve of 903,000 metric tons of ilmenite, 9500 metric tons of rutile and 39,000 metric tons of zircon.\u00a0 Around 12.5 million tons of unexplored mineral sands are still available in this area, conclude the\u00a0 experts.<\/p>\n

A copper-magnetite deposit was discovered in Seruwila\u00a0\u00a0 in 1973. \u00a0This deposit extends to depths of 200 feet at some points \u00a0and is estimated to be around four million tons. This is possibly the only major source of copper ore south of Madya Pradesh in India.\u00a0 Jaffna\u00a0 peninsula\u00a0 has is a\u00a0 very large reserve\u00a0 of glass sand, covering several hundreds of acres\u00a0 from near Vallipuram in the north to Ampan in the south. Silica sand\u00a0 is used in industrial processing,\u00a0 for\u00a0 glass, molds, casts and\u00a0 water filtration stations. \u00a0Jaffna may\u00a0 also possess uranium. Satellite imagery seems to indicate this, said\u00a0 Jayawardene.<\/p>\n

Geologists\u00a0 observe that there is a potential geothermal belt running from\u00a0 the north of Trincomalee to Hambantota. This belt extends for over 300km and there are about ten identified thermal springs situated along the line, indicating that a sufficient reservoir of geothermal energy exists in Sri Lanka. Mannar and Jaffna areas are very good for solar and wind on-shore energy\u00a0 as well. \u2018You could get 500 megawatts from Jaffna alone,\u2019 said an official from the Sustainable\u00a0 Energy Authority.<\/p>\n

Portland cement was manufactured in Sri Lanka using the miocene limestone near Jaffna and Puttalam\u00a0 and the cement clays near Mannar. Miocene limestone occurs in a belt that runs along the Northwestern coast from Puttalam to Iranamadu. These deposits extend to a great depth. Very large reserves of cement clays are available in\u00a0 Murunkan and other areas.\u00a0 The\u00a0 cement factories in Puttalam and Kankesanturai were producing about 500,000 tons of cement per year before the Eelam wars.<\/p>\n

Trincomalee and Arugam Bay are popular tourist destinations of the Eastern Province. Arugam bay is considered one of the best surfing destinations in the world. In 2011 it hosted a world class surfing competition.\u00a0 Trincomalee\u00a0\u00a0 has some of the most picturesque and scenic beaches found in Sri Lanka. They include Kuccheveli, Nilaveli, Vakarai, Passekudah and Kalkudah. The beaches are so shallow that one could walk out over a hundred meters into the sea without the water reaching the chest. Trincomalee also offers scuba diving and whale and dolphin watching. More than twelve different species of whales, including blue whales, sperm whales can be seen there.<\/p>\n

There is far too much emphasis in the mass media on the entertainment and tourist aspects of the Eastern Province..\u00a0 Trincomalee for instance is featured in the popular media primarily as a leisure destination.\u00a0 Trincomalee is much more than that and the public should\u00a0 be made aware of this.<\/p>\n

Trincomalee is one of Sri Lanka most valuable assets. Trincomalee is one of the largest deep water natural harbors in the world. It consists of approximately 2000 hectares of sea and 6000 hectares of land.\u00a0 The entrance is four miles wide and five across.\u00a0 The inner harbor which lies in the north covers about 12 sq miles and is securely enclosed by rocks and small islets.\u00a0\u00a0 A remarkable feature of this harbor is its great depth.\u00a0 It has a submarine canyon with walls as high as 1350 cms and a depth of over 3350 meters.\u00a0 This canyon is one of the 20 largest submarine canyons in the world.<\/p>\n

Trincomalee harbor is very strategically located \u00a0\u00a0in the Bay of Bengal. Due its size and depth, Trincomalee can accommodate\u00a0 ships which need a draught of 25 meters. It can hold over a hundred of them. Trincomalee is a sheltered port unaffected by seasonal weather changes and tidal waves. Therefore it could ensure the safety of a whole fleet during the monsoon. Trincomalee is also ideal for nuclear submarines.\u00a0 They can dive low in the inner harbor and effectively avoid radar and sonar detection.\u00a0 The unique geographic position of Sri Lanka makes it a natural aircraft carrier as well.<\/p>\n

This has political implications. A fleet so protected is in a position to dominate the Bay of Bengal and the eastern Indian Ocean and\u00a0\u00a0 the foreign power owning such a fleet was at an advantage. \u00a0Britain\u2019s first possession in Sri Lanka was Trincomalee (1796) and it was the last to go (1957). Currently, it has been observed that Trincomalee can comfortably accommodate the seventh fleet of the US Navy.<\/p>\n

Trincomalee port could bring in a huge income from cargo handling, ship repairs and port-related industries. It was unable to do so until now, due to security issues, but even during the Eelam wars, piers were operated by the private sector to deliver cement, also wheat to the Prima flour milling factory. Trincomalee\u00a0\u00a0 should be the next port for loading\/discharging container ships, after Singapore.\u00a0 The ports of Bangladesh and Eastern India and Myanmar\u2019s Kyaukpu port could converge on Trincomalee, providing cargo for the super container ships calling there.\u00a0 India has no ports to match Trincomalee. None of the Indian ports can accommodate large ships. The deepest Indian port is Gangavaram in Andhra Pradesh with 21 meters depth. At present India uses Colombo port. A rail connection thru Dhanushkodi will also help India\u00a0\u00a0 send its cargo to Trincomalee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Several valuable economic resources of Sri Lanka are found only in the\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Northern, Northwestern and Eastern Provinces. These will not be available to the rest of the country once Eelam is established. However,\u00a0 Article 25 of \u00a0\u00a0the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right\u00a0 says\u00a0 \u2018nothing in the present Covenant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54950\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}