30 th March 2020

Director General

Department of Coast Conservation & Coastal resource management

4th Floor, Ministry of Fisheries Building,

New Secretariat, Maligawatta,

Colombo 10

Dear Sir,

Subject: Comments on EIA of Northern Province Sustainable Fisheries Development Project- Point Pedro Fisheries Harbor Development Project

Centre for Environmental Justice is a public interest environmental organization based in Sri Lanka established in 2004. We herewith send our comments to the above EIA under the request for public comments as per the section16 of the Coast Conservation Act (No. 57 of 1981). Project site is not located close to any inland or coastal sensitive area such as national park, forest reserve or marine park with sea grasses or corals. Coral is not abundant in the area. EIA report states

“The percentage of live hard and soft coral coverage was very low throughout the inter-tidal and sub-tidal marine areas of the PPFHDP site and adjacent control assessment sites to the east and west. The sub-tidal marine area located close to the existing wharf recorded the assessments highest percent live coral coverage of 6 percent. The highest inter-tidal percentage hard and soft coral coverage was 5%. However, the majority of the inter-tidal and sub-tidal reef areas adjacent to the PPFHDP and neighbouring control sites recorded percent coral coverage below 1 percent.”

Read the full comment here

Comments on EIA of Northern Province Sustainable Fisheries Development Project- Point Pedro Fisheries Harbor Development Project