Residents of Pesalai North in Mannar turned away officials from the Sri Lankan Water Resources Board on 15 July, preventing them from conducting water testing linked to a proposed mineral sand excavation project in the area.
The officials, who had travelled from Colombo, were due to carry out the tests as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under preparation for the planned extraction. However, strong opposition from local residents forced the team to abandon the assessment and return without completing any fieldwork.
This marks the third occasion on which such attempts have been thwarted by Tamil protest. Residents have repeatedly resisted mineral sand exploration in the area, citing environmental concerns, lack of consultation, and disregard for local decision-making processes.
The Sri Lankan government had previously given assurances that no such projects in Mannar would proceed without special consultations. Despite this, departments continue to carry out preliminary inspections, undermining the government’s own commitments.
A resolution passed at a recent District Development Committee meeting reaffirmed that no fieldwork or EIA-related activity should be undertaken without the committee’s prior approval. The resolution explicitly stated that any such steps taken in the absence of consent would be considered invalid. Nevertheless, individual departments have proceeded with inspection visits in defiance of the directive.
Monday’s protest was attended by a broad coalition of local stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Federation of Civil Organisations, V.S. Sivakaran, members of the Mannar Pradeshiya Sabha, and numerous residents from the surrounding community.
The push for mineral extraction in Mannar forms part of a wider pattern of land exploitation in the Tamil homeland, where resource projects are often advanced without the informed consent of affected communities.
