STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED TRINCOMALEE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

VOLUME 1 : EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CENTRAL ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITY

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Soa -<=>

* T« APRIL 2008 STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

FOR THE PROPOSED

TRINCOMALEE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

FINAL REPORT

VOLUME 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CENTRAL ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITY

CEA Library

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA

APRIL 2008 Major Projects envisaged in the Plan are: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Coal Power Plant • Special Economic Zone • Small & Medium Industries Zone The potential of Trincomalee Area for rapid economic development has been attracting the • Administrative Secretariat attention of respective governments since 1980's due to several factors, including its natural • New Fishery Harbour resource potential, location advantage and its importance derived from having the second largest • New Town Development natural harbour in the world. Despite the preparation of previous comprehensive development • Road Development plans to promote industrialization and agricultural diversification, the development of Northern " Tourist Resorts and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka has been severely curtailed during the last two- and a half • Commercial Farming decades due to the on-going civil disturbances. However, recent advances made by the security, forces, notably in the Trincomalee District and the re-establishment of government In the above Plan, UDA (2007) had developed a zoning map, comprising 15 zones for the study administration has paved the way for the policy makers to prioritize the development of area, as shown in Fig la, and Planning Regulations, which have identified the activities that Trincomalee area. would be allowed in each of the zones. Any of the activities listed in the Planning Regulations would be allowed within the areas assigned for a particular zone, provided it does not affect The need for accelerated development in the Eastern Province is not contested. Development is a neighboring premises in terms of noise, vehicular congestion etc. It is also required that all key to maintain long-lasting peace in the region, as it will provide an opportunity for the activities will be subjected to local authority regulations and environmental regulations, upliftment of the standard of living of the people, giving hope to the people, particularly youth, pertaining to discharges and emissions of waste water, solid waste and air pollutants and EPL who have been living in the midst of war, hostility and poverty for almost their whole lives. Nor and EI A requirements for prescribed projects. In this study, Fig la was prepared by numbering can development take place without international support both for facilitating the peace process each and every geographic area, using a system denoting the category of zoning and the and for implementing development projects. Nevertheless, the desire for development should not- particular site in that category. override or compromise the uniqueness of Trincomalee, its bay area including the natural port and scenic beauty of the. coastal system, its countryside, its history, its culture and its The necessity of conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for Trincomalee biodiversity. * Development Plan has been recognized by the Central Environmental Authority and several other respective stakeholder government institutions such as the NARA, Ports Authority, Coast The study focused on the 'Trincomalee Metro Urban Area Development Plan' prepared by the Conservation Department, and BOI. This will facilitate the systematic and comprehensive Urban Development Authority in January 2007. According to UDA (2007), the above Plan has evaluation of environmental consequences of the proposed development plan and its alternatives. been prepared based the concepts of Green Development and Integrated Physical Development. Moreover, this will also ensure that such consequences are appropriately addressed at the earliest The main features of the Plan have been noted as: - appropriate stage, thus aiding the decision-making process to identify strategies emphasizing on sustainable development. In the process, the development plan can be tailored to meet the needs • Conservation of Trincomalee Harbour & surrounding areas as a green zone and demands of the stakeholders with least environmental damages by taking into consideration • Development of Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road around the harbour as the opportunities provided by the environment as well as its limitations and constraints. development axes • Shifting the industrial activities outside the Trincomalee town and locating them along The objective of this Strategic Environmental Assessment was to assess the Proposed the ring roads Trincomalee Development Plan systematically, in order to evaluate the possible environmental • Greater integration between existing urban centres and proposed new development areas impacts of the plan ana to provide guidance and to reorient the development plan where • Fast economic growth encouraging industrial, tourism, fisheries and agricultural necessary in order to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts, conserving the unique development environmental features of Trincomalee, paying special attention to the long term protection of • Release of lands for appropriate uses harnessing environment and strategic areas the marine environment and Trincomalee Bay in particular, consisting of Kodiyar Bay, Inner • Improvement of accessibility and availability of modern infrastructure facilities Harbour and Thambalagam Bay. • Integration of natural environment and green areas to physical development The Strategic Environmental Assessment studies the social and environmental acceptability of The following Planning Targets have been set for the proposed development: the proposed Zoning Plan, with respect to the probable impacts of activities permitted under each . Planning Horizon 2007 -2030 zone, taking into account the vulnerability, resource availability and the potential for • Estimated Population 600,000 in 2030 as against development of the local environment, and recommends measures for mitigation of impacts and 337,711 in 2006 alternative zoning for enhancement of the resources where the proposed zoning is unsuitable. The • Housing Requirement - main approach of the study was to identify any conflicts in the development plan with the natural • New Construction 58,500 and social environment, and to determine whether the zoning plan proposed was acceptable as.it • Replacement of existing stock 37,500 is, if it was acceptable after mitigation of conflicting situations, or if any components were Units for relocation sites 15,000 unacceptable or could be improved by alternative proposals. •> Total Requirement 111,000 by 2030 9772

1 2 If any of the activities that would be allowed in a zone is likely to cause significant impacts to any environmental attribute that could not be mitigated within reasonable costs, that activity cannot be allowed in that particular location, and therefore, the respective zoning is not acceptable. There are also some sites in the Plan, where the potential for exploitation of resources was not harnessed for development, due to improper zoning. These zones were also identified as unacceptable. In such situations, this study recommends an alternative zoning for the entire geographical area of that zone at that particular site or a part of it, which would avoid the harmful environmental impacts or enhance the benefits of development.

Special attention was paid to the major projects that are already proposed in the area, such as the Special Economic Zone proposed by the Board of Investment, Industrial Estate proposed by the Ministry of Industrial Development, Coal Power Plant/s proposed by the Ceylon Electricity Board and the proposed Port related industries, with respect to their impacts on the marine environment, environmentally sensitive areas, physical infrastructure, social environment and ethnic harmony, and the visual quality and unique features of the study area.

A major thrust of the Strategic Environmental Assessment is the proposed Eco Industrial Estate at Kappalthurai, which would probably be the first in the country, aimed at realization of the 'Green Development' envisaged in the Development Plan. Along with the Eco industrial estate, it is proposed to use the treated wastewater of the estate, which would create unacceptable environmental impacts on the marine ecosystem if discharged into the sea, for irrigation of a Jatropha or similar plantation which could be used for production of Bio Diesel. This would be a win-win situation, as a solution to the wastewater disposal problem as well as the reduction of fossil fuel use.

An Environmental Baseline Study was carried out to assess the current state of the environment and environmental characteristics of the area demarcated for development under the proposed 'Development Plan for Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area'. A thorough evaluation of the existing situation in the area with regard to the physical, ecological and social environment along with any plans for development already in place is very important for an SEA.

Due to the security situation in the Trincomalee area, this study had to be limited to two field visits, and collection of information from available resources in the form of books, reports, other publications and personal communications. The two field visits were facilitated by the Sri Lanka Army, whose unstinted cooperation provided the opportunity for the team to visit the entire area, and take photographs of all important features, and have discussions with the local residents of the area. The digitized map of the study area, including the proposed zoning, was uploaded on to the GPS, so that the baseline conditions of the proposed zones could be observed during the field visit. This was done in order to study the impacts of the activities that are expected to be allowed Legend in each zone, under the proposed development plan, in relation to the present land uses,

1 Residential Zone • Low Density Environmental Conservation Zone | Commercial Agricultural Zone important environmental features etc. All data collected, including photographs, are compiled Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Residential Zone - High Density | Special Zone into a GIS map of the total area under study. Agricultural m Commercial Zone ' Ferry | 8.3 | Archaeological | 4 1 Mixed Development Zone 1 Existing Road 8.4' Water Bodies Social Environment 5 Public & Semi Public Zone • Railway Line | 9 | Industrial Zone m| Sports & Recreational Zone • Outer Circular Road Port Related Activity Zone Fisheries Zone Eastern province is one of the least developed regions in the country. Hence the present land use is | 11 j Tourism Zone of the study area is dominated by agriculture, forest, scrub, marshes and mangroves covering GIS labJEMSA/CEA/2007 [ 12 I Utilities Zone nearly 80% of the land area, and another 8% water bodies, leaving less than 15% for development for residential and other uses. Extent of lands occupied by residential uses at Fig la: The Proposed Zoning Plan for Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area present is less than 10 percent, and is limited to the coastal belt, Habarana- Trincomalee road and (UDA, 2007 - modified by CEA to include zone codes) Puttalam -Trincomalee road in a linear form. 3 4 Physical Environment According to the National Physical Plan and Eastern Region Physical Plan (approved in 2007) Trincomalee will be one of the "Metro Cities" in Sri Lanka, having a large population The district of Trincomalee shows a great deal of uniformity in topography. The terrain types of agglomeration, while the Eastern Province Physical Plan (approved in 2007) recognizes the the region are mostly undulating and flat. There are no sharp slopes in the region. Approximately economy of Trincomalee as "industrial and port related agglomeration". The study area will have 90% of the area is covered by plains, while hills and highlands occupy the balance 10%. Hills three third order towns (No second order towns as Trincomalee being the first order town for the and highlands are mainly located in Kantalai, and Morawewa area. Plains and roily plains are whole district.) These third order towns are Kinniya, Muttur and Kantalai. Of these three towns located in the rest of the district. However isolated mountains are found in Town and Gravets DS two - Kinniya and Muttur are located in environmentally sensitive and natural disaster prone division. areas (particularly disasters associated with sea level rising) adjacent to the Trincomalee Bay. The rest of the area is zoned for Agricultural production and rural settlement and environmental It is seen that there are several flood vulnerable areas located in the northern, north-eastern and conservation and management areas. eastern parts of the district. The flooding in Trincomalee district is caused both by overflowing, of natural water bodies (rivers, lakes etc.) and due to inadequate and dilapidated condition of The settlement pattern of the study area has a very clear distinction, having urban settlements storm water drainage system. Mahaweli Ganga, the longest river in Sri Lanka drains into sea at concentrating in areas around the Trincomalee Harbour covering Irakkandi and Kuchchaveli to the Kodiyar Bay. With an extent of, 50,000 ha, Mahaweli. Ganga flood plain is the most the north, Kinniya and Thambalagamuwa to the south and Sampur and Muttur to the southeast. extensive flood plain in the country. The immediate adjacent area having an irregular land distribution is occupied by agricultural and rural settlements. This area goes up to Pulmuddai to the north, Kantalai to the southwest and The flood plains in the major rivers of the Trincomalee district have been identified as part of Ichchalampattu to the south. Beyond this, the zone is covered with forests and wild life reserves. flood prone areas. Any new developments planned under Trincomalee development plan should not intrude into existing flood plain areas. Flooding caused by overflow of storm water drains Even though the population growth has been 4.1% in the past, which is significantly higher than cause considerable inconvenience to residents and also affects industrial and commercial the national average, it has drastically reduced during the period 1971 to the present, due to civil establishments. The implementation of proposed developments further signifies the importance disturbances. Population densities very from more than 570 per Sq.km. in Town and Gravets of a properly designed storm water drainage system. In the absence of such a system, flooding DSD to less than 100 per Sq.km in Morawewa and Seruwila DSD's. Trincomalee is one of the will further intensify with an expansion of flood prone areas. main districts where the three ethnic groups have been living together from time immemorial. ' The significant feature observed of the population in Trincomalee district is fast changing ethnic The.coastal belt of Trincomalee District was affected by Tsunami, though to a lesser extent in

composition. Due to significant increase of the growth rate of Muslim population, they have v comparison with the rest of the Eastern Coast. Strong winds and floods are the commonly become the majority in the district, while the other two ethnic groups became second majority occurring natural disasters in the study area, while the effects of droughts are not significant, in mainly because of long lasting civil disturbances. Even though the terrorist activities and the war spite of being situated in the dry zone. Normally cyclonic storm season of Sri Lanka is situation during the past 2 to 3 decades created major disturbances to the civilian population, and ' November to December. Since Trincomalee is situated in the cyclone prone area, cyclonic caused the Sinhalese, Muslim and even Tamil people to migrate to other parts of the country, no storms formed in the Bay of Bengal hit this area. Several locations in the coastai area within the ethnic based disturbances or discord was reported in the recent past. study area are found to have high and moderate vulnerability, and necessary setbacks have been prescribed in the Coastal Resources Management Plan. Trincomalee Bay, Nilaweli beach, Considering the proposed zoning plan under review, it should be noted that the zoning for low Pigeon Island, Periyakarachchi and Sinnakarachchi Estuaries and Clappenberg Bay are identified density residential development has a uniform distribution of the three ethnic groups,, whereas as potential Special Area Management sites (Level I). areas assigned for high density residential, commercial, public and semi-public, sports and recreation, tourism and special zones have a majority of Tamil population; mixed development The mean annual rainfall is 1,727 mm. However, the rainfall is.extremely variable in total zone has a majority Muslim population, and industrial and port related have a majority Sinhalese amount received per year and consistency throughout the growing season. Severe maha storms population. The areas assigned for commercial agriculture has an equal distribution of Tamil and may develop, releasing 2 to 3 inches of rain per hour. On the average, precipitation is higher iii Muslim populations, with a very minor Sinhalese population, while those assigned for fisheries November, December and January and low (less than 1 inch per month) during the remaining and utilities development have 100% Tamil population. season. The mean monthly rainfall during the maha season ranges from 210 to 374 mm while the mean monthly rainfall during the rest of the year ranges from 18 to 103 mm. Compared to rest of Main income generating activities of the people are agriculture, fishery and handloom textile the country, high temperature prevails throughout the year except during the maha season in this production. Both rain fed and irrigated agriculture are being practiced, Kantalai Scheme being . region. However, the annual and diurnal variation in the ambient temperature is not significant in the major irrigation scheme for the area, while a few minor irrigation schemes also exists. There' this area. The relative humidity is also high during the maha season. Annual mean relative are many Community and Sports Clubs, Farmer organizations, cooperatives and other NGOs humidity during the day time is aroUnd 60% while the same during the night goes up to 90%. established to develop social capital in the area. Trincomalee is one of the most famous fish > production regions of the country and particularly Kuchchaveli, Echchilanpattu, Seruwila and v The available information of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau reveals that Quartzite is Muttur are DS divisions where fisheries activities are significant available in commercially exploitable quantities. At present a few quarry sites are in operation in the area. Two hot spring sites are located in Rankihiriya and Kinniya. A Copper - Magnetite site is located in Seruwila but needs adequate research to determine whether commercial exploitation is possible. The largest beach mineral sand deposit is located in Pulmuddai, in Trincomalee district but is situated out side the study area. At present clay soil is extracted in many places in a

5 6 haphazard manner for brick making. Sand extraction too takes place for construction purposes. tourism product available in this area at present. However, fisheries, the main livelihood of the The east coast is not subjected to sea erosion. Therefore Eastern Province Physical Structure Plan community, are actively present in the area. Therefore, clear demarcations of the boundaries are proposes off shore sand mining. The plan also proposes to explore the possibilities of renewable necessary in both the fisheries zone and tourism zone in the Verugal area, if tourism is to be energy, particularly wind and solar. Extensive scientific surveys are needed to determine the developed in this area, in order to avoid conflicts. extent of commercially exploitable deposits of mineral resources. Security Situation Considering the land resources of the study area, 85% of the total land area comes under sensitive areas and agriculture. This leaves only 15% of the total area as developable land. As Trincomalee, being a main city of the eastern province, has been a significant location from such, high lands with suitable soil available for construction of multi-storey buildings are very national and regional security point of view. The Harbour, with its strategic location, has become limited. Therefore, optimizing the available land resource for development should be a major a very sensitive and significant factor from the security aspect, in respect of both internal as factor in any development plan for the area. external threats. Some areas falling under the proposed development zones have been identified^ as locations with high security significance. The eastern province has been freed from the LTTE Trincomalee, due to the situation which had prevailed during the past 2-3 decades, had not terrorists and brought under the Sri Lanka Government from year 2007. The government has benefited from air quality or noise level studies. The on-going air quality measurements have initiated special development programs for post-war rehabilitation in affected areas. However, not been conducted at Trincomalee. There are many noise sensitive locations too in the study some areas are still under security threats, and civil administration is being strengthened by the area, which would be affected by development activities such as industries, quarry sites and security forces to establish normal life among the population in the study area. Under the crushers. Hence it is evident that appropriate investments in establishing air quality, noise and government development programs some areas have been declared as high security locations in vibration monitoring and regulation should be initiated at Trincomalee, considering the Trincomalee. The UDA also has declared such locations as Special Zone under its Development magnitude of the development work planned, particularly projects such as coal power plants. Plan. In addition, the Army officials informed the team at the meeting with them, that certain areas have been acquired by the Sri Lanka Army for security reasons, which will be released for Tourism Potential development gradually.

According to historians, Trincomalee has a long history of civilization. Historians believe that Infrastructure Trincomalee port area and the city had been inhabited as early as the 3rd century BC. A large number of historically significant sites located in Trincomalee district are the proofs for the rich Trincomalee town is accessible by land only from North Western region as the sea on East and history. Since Trincomalee is an area with a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population, there is South obstructs land transport from those areas. In fact Trincomalee is one of the very few towns a variety of places of religious and cultural interest, scattered all over the area. These sites in Sri Lanka, which has all four modes of transport i.e. sea, air, road and rail. A number of study include Seruwila temple, Fort Fredrick, Gokanna temple, Giriandusaya in Tiriyaya, Rangiri reports are available for the development of transportation in the Trincomalee and surrounding Ulpotha temple, Vilgam viharaya, Gantalawa viharaya, Pankulama viharaya, Kanniya hot wells, area. The report Trincoplan has studied the road links within the Trincomalee district that belong and Sri Koneshwara Hindu temple in Swami Rock. Lankapatuna is a very important to the national road network, and identified poor conditions of the road surface, inadequate archaelogical site located in the southern part of Trincomalee, near Verugal, and is to be declared carriageway width and numerous ferries and causeways as the deficiencies of the road network as an archaeological reserve in the near future. within the district. Improvement of Habarana - Trincomalee section of the highway connecting Trincomalee to Colombo, construction of ring roads that connects all the roads radiating from Trincomalee is well known for the many unique features which have the potential to attract local Trincomalee, improvement of the railway from Colombo to Trincomalee, construction of an and foreign tourists. Being the main city in the eastern coast, it boasts of a natural harbour, which expressway linking Colombo and Trincomalee are some of the projects proposed in these reports has been in use since 159B AD. There are several hot springs in the area, which are at present not for improvement of accessibility. In addition; Sri Lanka Army is constructing a ring road exploited as tourist attractions. The resort of Town and Gravets and Kuchchaveli spreading up to connecting Illankanthai to Thambalagamuwa via Patchchanoor, Sunkankul and Surangal. This Nilaweli, lies in one of the finest sandy bays, and benefits from an outstanding beach, which, in road will be extended to Alles Garden, North of Trincomalee Town via Kanniya. contrast to many of the beaches in the South and West are exceptionally shallow. This makes for excellent and safe bathing. While the white texture of the sand provides an outstanding seascape The bus services in the Trincomalee district are operated by both the State owned Regional with contrasting colours making the East Coast very distinctive. Hard and soft corals are also Company and the private sector. There is no provincial authority to regulate the private bus found off shore, which provide a basis for developing local diving activities as already practiced operation in the region. There are a number of ferry crossings on some of the main roads. In in the Trincomalee area. The Pigeon Island National Park with the extensive coral reef is a addition to these, a boat service is in operation from Trincomalee to Muttur across the lagoon. unique and distinctive feature in the area. At present there are about 18 hotels and other tourist establishments in operation, in both of these areas. Marble Bay in Town and Gravets DS The Railway track within the Trincomalee district is a single-track line and uses wooden Division is a distinctive land with a virgin beach and smooth fine sand with ample land for sleepers. An outdated mechanical signalling system is in operation. The main stations with siding development. At present there is no tourism product in this area. However, the area demarcated facilities are Trincomalee and Kantalai. At present only two up trains and two down trains are as 'tourism zone' in Town and Gravets is in the Urban Council area, and although it is an area operating between Trincomalee and Colombo. A passenger train takes 8 hours to reach Colombo with a fine beach, it is already densely populated and commercial fishing activities are well from Trincomalee. This is mainly due to the poor track condition. established. It is doubtful whether any further tourism development can take place without any resource conflict. The tourism zone identified in Verugal is a distinctive beach with historical The present operator of the airport is Sri Lanka Air Force. Presently there is no civil aviation value. Lankapatuna archaeological site is located at close proximity to this zone. There is no domestic flight operating from the Trincomalee airport.

7 8 beaches, one site was observed near the Ring Road, being developed with access roads, culverts Trincomalee harbour is being used primarily as an industrial port, and serves the Cement, etc. necessary for a proper landfill, although the operation of the landfill itself was not Petroleum and Flour industries located nearby, mainly for transport of raw materials. The satisfactory. It was also noted that Trincomalee Port lacks provisions supporting the harbour has not been developed to its potential due to the conflict situation in the area. requirements under the Marpol convention to which Sri Lanka is a signatory, viz. Waste management services, oily waste handling etc. These should be factored into the development With regard to electricity supply, currently under the Ministry of Rural Livelihood Development,- scheme. The current Plan does not address these requirements. there are 5 development projects in DS Divisions Padavisripura, Morawewa, Seruwila, Gomarankadawala and Kantalai. Further, one of the India's largest power generation companies, The existing surface water drainage system is in a highly dilapidated condition. It comprises NTPC is now jointly conducting pre-feasibility studies with the Ceylon Electricity Board to set. mainly of earth drains that lack hydraulic capacity to prevent inundation. Even those lined up a 500 MW coal-based thermal power plant near China Bay in Trincomalee. The actual roadside drains are not laid to a line and grade. Therefore, frequent inundation of commercial location of the proposed plant appears to be not decided yet. establishments, roads and other buildings causes severe damage and inconvenience to the people..

When comparing the Provincial distribution of telecommunication facilities, Eastern province The health conditions in Trincomalee District are in general lower than the national average, has low fixed telephone connections. The only province below Eastern is Northern Province. even though it cannot be categorized as poor. While the data indicates improved nutrition and However, with the advent of CDMA and mobile technologies, telecommunication is not likely to health care for infants and babies, there is room for improvement of the health of the population be an issue. in the district, and improved healthcare as well as water supply, sanitation and general environmental conditions and improved communication will definitely have a positive impact on The Water supply to the city of Trincomalee and the surrounding Greater Trincomalee area, the health condition of the population in Trincomalee District. covering 5 DS divisions namely, Kantalai, Thambalagamuwa, Town & Gravets, Kinniya and Kuchchaveli is extracted from the Kantalai Tank, through the "Greater Trincomalee Integrated - Agriculture Water Supply Scheme (GTIWSS). Although the treatment plant at Kantalai has a capacity of 8 MGD (million gallons per day), the current production of treated water is limited to 5.5 MGD, Eleven rivers with a basin area of 14,463 km2 flow through the district of Trincomalee. The due to restrictions imposed by the Irrigation Department on the extraction of water from Kantalai" district has 75 tanks consisting 22 major tanks and 53 minor tanks. According to the information Tank. Furthermore, the tsunami disaster in December 2004, severely'affected the district of of the Meteorological Department, no severe droughts have been reported in the district during Trincomalee, and increased the urgency to augment the production of drinking water in the the last two decades. Based on the above information, water availability for agriculture will not coastal areas of the GTIWSS. The coastal aquifers have been polluted by the salty wave and as a- be a serious problem if water efficient crops are cultivated using modern water efficient result the affected population is no longer able to drink water from the wells. Even though a agricultural techniques. direct intake from Mahaweli River is an option, studies have shown that it is quite probable that^ during dry periods, the seawater would intrude into the river up to even the raw water intake, due The predominant soil type in the district is Reddish Brown Earth (RBE). This soil is very fertile to the reduced flow in the river reaching the sea. Salt water intrusion is a major factor which 1 and the texture varies from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. The depth of the soil varies from lm could affect both the supply of future water demand for Trincomalee and low lying agriculture. to 2m. The water holding capacity, nutrients holding capacity and the resistance to erosion of this soil are medium to high. The soil contains less organic matter. The soil reaction is more or less The available information on deep confined aquifers through pumping tests is very limited. ' neutral, with pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.5. Borehole studies in the area earmarked for Industrial Zone development in Kappanthurai have indicated 100-300 litres per minute (litres/min) initial flushing yield. The water resources of the ; In addition, Non Calcic Brown soils are found in Muttur, Sampur and Toppur. This soil is not eastern coastal aquifer are predominantly used for irrigation and domestic purposes. The ever very fertile. Texture ranges from sandy loam to sandy clay loam. Resistance to erosion, organic increasing extraction of ground water poses a threat to the aquifer and ultimately to the 1 matter content and the water holding capacity of this soil is low. Nutrient holding capacity is livelihood patterns of the people. It is apparent that intensive irrigation and comparatively dense medium. Soil reaction is somewhat acidic. urban settings have resulted in an over-extraction of water and subsequent deterioration of water quality over time. Since most of the agro-wells are not operated in any systematic manner a ri Alluvial soils are found in Kankuveli, Palattadichchenai, and Kilveddi area (Zone 4, 8 and 13). depletion of the groundwater table and an intrusion of saline water to the freshwater may occur. This soil is formed by the deposits of silt carried by the Mahaweli Ganga. Therefore, this soil is However, according to the limited studies carried out, there is no indication of long-term build highly fertile. Texture ranges from sandy to clay. Organic matter content and nutrient holding up of nitrates, and chloride in ground water can be considered to be well within the safe limits.." capacity are medium. Pesticide contamination of groundwater is reported to be minimal in Trincomalee. _,• . Low Humic Gley soils, Regosol and Solodized-Solonetz soils are also found and those are scattered in Zones along the coastal belt. These soils are less fertile and not suitable for Wastewater treatment considered as a modern urban aspect is totally absent in Trincomalee, as is"( common in most parts of the country. Even some major industrial establishments are operating"" agricultural activities. However, it is possible to grow coconuts in these soils with frequent without valid Environmental Protection Licenses, which situation needs to be corrected. fertilizer application.

The UDA Plan does not include elements necessary for integrated solid waste management Agro-ecological regions of the district are DLlc (Kantalai region) and DL2b (rest of the region). introduced within zonal attributes. This requires correction. While the current practices have The land use of the region is considered as rain-fed upland crops, paddy, scrub, mixed home resulted in unsightly collections of garbage on roadsides and pollution of water bodies and the gardens and forest plantations.

9 10 and considered as excellent spawning and nursery habitats for many fish species. The wetlands Terrestrial habitats of the Mahaweli Ganga floodplain system are extremely important for a wide variety of resident and migratory water birds. A large proportion of Sri Lanka's 250 resident bird species are known Dry- mixed evergreen forests (in undisturbed and degraded conditions), Riverine forest, from the Mahaweli floodplains and, a further 75 migratory species have been recorded as winter scrublands, grasslands, rock outcrops, sand dunes, and abandoned chena in various stages of visitors. regeneration are the common terrestrial habitats found in the study area. Marine Habitats The Riverine forest flanks the Mahaweli River and constitutes the interphase between the river and the typical dry zone terrestrial vegetation bordering the river. It is taller in stature, greener The marine ecosystems in the study area include coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. They with a majority of its tree species being evergreen, and possessing mesophyllous leaves and are important for maintaining the productivity in coastal and marine waters. Many economic therefore easily detectable in the field from long distances and furthermore easily located in . activities are based on food fisheries, marine ornamental fisheries, sea weed extraction and - aerial photographs and satellite images. The canopy is close reaching 10 - 25 m high with all the harvesting of molluscs. There is a dearth of information on most of these resources as scientific layers of a tall forest represented in its profile, akin to a rain forest. The thick root systems act as studies have not been carried out in the recent past due to the ongoing internal conflict. protective armour forming a frontline defence against river bank erosion. The marine underwater habitats in the project area are characterized by having coral and rock The scrublands with heights not exceeding 10m are found in places where chena (shifting reef habitats. The main coral reef areas north of Koddiyar Bay are located in the Dutch Bay and cultivation) have been abandoned or after large scale natural disturbances. The grasslands found from Sampaltivu to Irrakkandy including Pigeon Island National Park. Coral reefs are also found are established in land abandoned after shifting/ chena or paddy cultivation. Grasslands in areas to the east of Koddiyar Bay from Foul Point southwards to Kalmunai. The study area which ends surrounding the water holes or villus could be considered as natural grasslands, while rock near Vakarai contains a number of good fringing coral reefs. In addition, there are isolated small outcrops show distinctive assemblage of species. coral patches in nearshore areas close to Chapel Island between the inner harbour and Dutch Bay. In the Inner Harbour there are fringing reefs near Clappenberg Bay and around Great and The wetlands of Mahaweli Ganga floodplain system and lagoons in the study area are extremely Little Sober Islands. The sea bed of the inner harbour has numerous rock reef habitats but they important for a wide variety of resident and migratory water birds. A survey on elephant lack extensive coral growth. However most support small coral colonies, mainly of the genus migratory paths in the study area has not been carried out. Therefore it is difficult to establish Porites. Reef surveys conducted in 2005 revealed that the Dutch bay coral reef has been severely particular paths of elephant movements in the proposed development area. affected by the tsunami whilst there was very little damage to the coral reefs of the Pigeon Island and Coral Island near the Irrakkandy Bridge north of Nilaweli Several protected areas managed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation are found in the study area. The largest one is Trincomalee Navy Base sanctuary (18,130 ha) declared in 1963 Most sea grass beds in the Trincomalee District are located in the coastal lagoons while small followed by Seruwila- Allai sanctuary (15,540 ha) established in 1970. Great Sober Island (64.5 beds of sea grass occur among the coral reef areas. The sea weed Gracilaria sp is abundant in the ha), Little Sober Island (6.5 ha) and Pigeon Island (4.6 ha) are situated close to the study area. Tampalagam Bay.

Freshwater habitats Tampalagam Bay contains oysters and there has been an important oyster fishery in the past, with large numbers of Window Pane oysters {Placuna placenta). The Clappenberg Bay and Inland freshwater habitats include small streams, rivers, riverine marshes or Villus, seasonally inner harbour areas are known to contain pearl oysters (Pinctada margaritifera), Green mussel flooded swamp forests, irrigation tanks, reservoirs, ponds and seasonal tanks. Major fresh water (Perna viridis) and Hors| mussel. However the current status of these resources is unknown as habitats found in the proposed development area are Mahaweli Ganga and its freshwater riverine most o'f these areas are within high security zones and inaccessible to carry out scientific studies. marshes (Villus) associated with the main river and its distributaries. In addition, Kantalai, Allai, and Morawewa tanks are the three main water bodies found within the development zones. Fresh Trincomalee Bay is famous for its large marine mammals. Blue whales and Sperm whales are water swamp forests occur on seasonally flooded soil in the floodplains of Mahaweli and are found within the areas of the deep canyon extending in a north-easterly direction from the centre located between the levees of the river and the Villus. . Most of these habitats are now converted of the Koddiyar Bay. The canyon is more than 1000m deep and its shallow end near the Muttur to rice paddies. Sri Lanka has fewer large swamp forests than other Asian countries. The man- coast is about 400m deep. This is a unique environment, which has not been explored made village tanks are generally less than 12 ha in surface area and resemble swamp marshes scientifically. It could support many species that has not yet been recorded for Sri Lanka. because they run dry during the dry season. Inland deepwater habitats found in the study area are irrigation tanks. Presently the Pigeon Island National Park is the only marine protected area in the Trincomalee The freshwater habitats in the proposed development area support a large variety of invertebrate District. There are many protected species that inhabit the coastal waters including sea turtles, and vertebrate fauna. Ten endemic fresh water fishes have been recorded from the Mahaweli dolphins and large whales. Moreover there are several species protected under the Fauna and Ichthyofaunal province (The Fauna of Sri Lanka, 2006). Flora protection Ordinance that are found on the coral reef habitats.

Inland freshwater habitats such as floodplains along Mahaweli Ganga provide hospitable habitat The salinity in coastal water bodies varies and accordingly they may be classified as saline or for migratory birds, elephants and other large mammals. The Mahaweli Ganga floodplains, brackish. The existence of varieties of fish depends on the salinity level. The water in wells in including its associated riverine marshes and swamp forests, support the greatest animal biomass close proximity to lagoons may be saline. These wells were subjected to intrusion of sea water density of all habitat types found in the country. Villus in the study area are highly productive during the December 2004 Tsunami. As a result, a large number of wells became unusable.

11 12 As in the case of coastal waters, there are no major pollution concerns of marine water at present. In addition, as it is understood that development of planned townships is more sustainable than Notable exceptions are the Tokyo Cement Plant and the Fishery Harbour located in Cod Bay. developing individual high density residential and mixed development areas, the team identified The generation of dust while discharging clinker leads to marine pollution. In the case of fishery more suitable zoning for those particular sites. A few sites were also reassigned zoning in order harbour, the water pollution is caused by fish waste and waste oils from fishing craft. to make them compatible with the adjacent areas, to provide a compatible and harmonized social environment for growth. Parts of site 10.2 near Lankapatuna were reassigned for archaeological Environmentally Unacceptable Zoning conservation and conservation as a water body, in order to conserve the unique cultural and natural environment. Meanwhile, parts of the tourism zones 11.2 at Kuchaveli and 11.5 in Town A detailed study of the probable impacts of the permitted activities in each of the development and Gravets were reassigned for fisheries development. zones with respect to the baseline conditions prevailing in the individual sites assigned for each zone revealed that the zoning was acceptable for most sites either with no significant impacts or. When considering the proposals in the National Physical Plan and Eastern Province Physical with impacts that could be mitigated. This analysis was carried out using the Impact Matrix as. Plan, the natural disasters in the province and the circular road already under construction,, given in Table 11.1 in Chapter 11. However, out of the total number of 86 sites, the following 21 following two policies could be established as sensible foundations to draw up a future sites were identified as those for which proposed zoning was not suitable, and had to be rejected development plan for Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area. on environmental and social grounds. Table 1.1 gives a description of the rejected sites and the reasons for rejection. 1. Discourage residential development in Tsunami affected areas and other areas that face disastrous natural occurrences. Table 1.1: Zoning Unacceptable due to Adverse Environmental Impacts /Poor utilization of resources 2. Areas that are less vulnerable for natural disasters, less environmentally sensitive and having adequate high lands should be selected for residential development. In such Zone Code and Sub Code Reason for Unacceptability areas high density residential development should be promoted and Low density Description developments should be discouraged. 1- Residential Zone 1.7, 1.8, Utilization of limited land resources will not be optimal if these (Low density) 1.9, 1.10 high grounds are zoned for low density residential development These areas were affected by the Tsunami, and also flood prone With the above development policies, which are in line with the 'Sustainable Urban 1 Residential Zone 1.11, 1.12 . areas. Development as residential areas would aggravate the Development Principles' promoted by the UNDP, alternative zoning is proposed for the (Low density) flooding problem, as well as put life and property at risk. identified sites. Mixed development would lead to many environmental problems, and is difficult This is surrounded by industrial, high density residential and to plan, especially in highly populated areas. As such, it is recommended that the mixed special zones. If this area is to be developed as a low density development Zones 4.8 and 4.9, which are located along the Trincomalee - Kantalai Road, and residential zone, the environmental conditions such as noise and vibrations need to be maintained at very, low levels. It will be 4.14 in Morawewa be developed as High Density Townships. It is also proposed that Zone 4.7 be 1 Residential Zone 1.17 difficult / expensive to maintain such levels by mitigating the developed as a High Density Eco-Industrial Township, as a service/support township for the (Low density) anticipated impacts from the industries and rod traffic generated Industrial Zone in Kappalthurai. A detailed description of the proposed rezoning, along with the due to development of neighbouring zones. It will also be permitted activities in the new zones not listed in the UDA Plan, is given in Chapter 7, while affected by activities in the adjacent Special Zone. As such this Table 1.2 and Fig. 1 b below summarises the proposed re-zoning. is not acceptable 8.1 Eco Tourism and This area is not acceptable to be developed for eco-tourism and 8.1.4 Nature Parks nature parks, due to the impact on the security of the area. Table 1.2: Proposed Alternative Zones for the Unacceptable Sites This is a small area beside the Kantalai Road, next to the mixed Zone Sub New Code / 8.2 Agriculture 8.2.7^" development zone, which can be better utilized for township code code * UDA Zone New zone Sub code development. High Density Township 18.1 8.4 Water Bodies, This area has very high scenic value, and therefore potential for ! 1.7 Residential Zone - Low Density Development Zone ' Tanks, Lagoons, 8.4.4 ecotourism. Assigning it as water bodies is a waste of 1 1.8 Residential Zone - Low Density Deferred Zone / agriculture 17.1 Canal environmental resources. 17.2 The livelihood of the people in this area is mostly fishing. 1 1.9a Residential Zone - Low Density Deferred Zone/ agriculture However, the northern tip of the site has much scenic beauty 1 1.9b Residential Zone - Low Density High Density Township 18.2 which can be exploited better if it is zoned under eco-tourism 1 1.9c Residential Zone - Low Density Deferred Zone/ agriculture 17.2 and nature parks, while development of it as a fisheries zone 10.2 High Density Township 18.4 10 - Fisheries will have adverse impacts. The southern tip also will be better ! 1.10b Residential Zone - Low Density Development Zone utilized as an archaeological conservation zone, as this is the area of Lankapatuna ancient temple, where archaeological 1 1.11 Residential Zone - Low Density Eco Tourism & Nature Parks 8.1.7 excavations are not yet completed.. 1 1.12 Residential Zone - Low Density Eco Tourism & Nature Parks 8.1.7 Due to the proximity to the Pigeon Island National Park, if this 1 1.17 Residential Zone - Low Density Open space / Buffer Zone 16.0 11 - Tourism Zone 11.3 total area is developed for tourism, impact will be high on High Density Township 18.3 marine and coastal water quality and marine habitats. 2 2.3 Residential - High Density Development Zone' The livelihood of the present population in this area is fishing. High Density Township 18.3 11- Tourism Zone 11.5 As such, a change in the zoning will affect the livelihood of the 3 3.2a Commercial Zone Development Zone present population. 3 3.2 b Commercial Zone Eco Tourism & Nature Parks 8.1.6

13 14 18.1 High Density Township 4 4.7 Mixed Development Zone Development Zone Industrial High Density Township 19.0 4 4.8 Mixed Development Zone Development Zone High Density Township 18.2 4 4.9 Mixed Development Zone Development Zone . High Density Township 18.4 4 4.14b Mixed Development Zone • Development Zone 14.6 8 8.1.4 Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Special Zone High Density Township 18.1 8 8.1.6b Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Development Zone Industrial High Density Township 19.0 - 8 8.1.6c Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Development Zone High Density Township 18.2 8 8.1.6d Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Development Zone High Density Township 18.3 8 8.1.6e Eco Tourism & Nature Parks Development Zone High Density Township 18.1 . 8 8.2.7 Agricultural Development Zone 8.1.2 8 8.4.4 Water Bodies Eco Tourism & Nature Parks 8.3.2 10 10.2a Fisheries Zone Archaeological 11.6 10 10.2c Fisheries Zone Tourism 8.1.7 11 11.3b Tourism Zone Eco Tourism & Nature Parks 10.4 - 11 11.5 Tourism Zone j Fisheries Zone

Impacts from Development Activities and Recommendations for their Mitigation

Development activities proposed to be permitted in the UDA Plan, which are accepted as appropriate, too may cause significant impact on the natural and social environment if proper mitigatory actions are not carried out at the time of development. While it is mandatory that Environmental Impacts for prescribed projects and other studies such as feasibility and Traffic Impact Assessment studies where necessary, are carried out, this SEA identified certain likely impacts that would arise out of the proposed activities in the Development Plan, which would need to be addressed at the implementation stage of the Proposed Plan. These are presented in detail in Chapters 6 and 7 of the Report, and summarised here.

Zone 1: Low density residential zone

One of the main concerns with regard to low density residential development is the haphazard nature of such development, which would create many impacts such as aggravation of the flooding problem due to indiscriminate filling, salt water intrusion in the river due to over extraction of fresh water for consumption, depletion of the groundwater due to over abstraction, difficulties in providing access, electricity, water supply, telecommunication etc. and impairment of the visual quality of the entire Metro urban area. Planning ahead with the relevant authorities such as the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation with accurate estimates of demand would alleviate most of the above problems. In order to optimize the visual quality, it is important to define the overall design and development guidelines for different types of buildings. All bill boards and advertisements should harmonise with the environment, and may be prohibited in certain areas, where they would spoil the scenic beauty.

15 Proposed Zoning Plan - Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area N

Legend

Residential Zone - Low Density | 9 | Industrial Zone 16 Open space / Buffer Zone

Residential Zone - High Density 10 Fisheries Zone 17 ) Deferred Zone

Commercial Zone 11 Tourism Zone H High Density Township Development Zone 4 Mixed Development Zone 12 Utilities Zone 19 Industrial High Density Township Development Zone

5 Public & Semi Public Zone m Commercial Agricultural Zone

Sports & Recreational Zone 14 Special Zone

Port Related Activity Zone 15 Transportation and Circulation Zone

Environmental Conservation Zone Ferry

Existing Road '-6 1" Eco Tourism & Nature Parks ' 1 Railway Line m Agricultural — — Outer Circular Road | 8.3 | Archaeological

8.4^ Water Bodies GIS Lab/EM&A/CEA/2008

Fig. lb : Proposed Zoning Plan for Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area The existing ethnic diversity should be maintained as it is, in sharing benefits from the newly constructed human settlements. The other project-related benefits also should be harmoniously shared among different ethnic groups in the area. -

Illungaturai Port, Seruwila Monastic site and three other important historical sites are located in Ichchilampattai, Seruwila and Muttur DS divisions respectively within the low density residential zone. It is advisable to declare these sites as archaeological sites under the archaeological act and give the necessary protection. No-build buffer zones should be declared around the sites to protect them from intruders and stray animals. Avoid locating community centres, parks and play ground, small industrial units, fuel filling stations that are likely to cause negative impact at close proximity to any of the sites. Only, light structures and activities can be permitted in such areas.

Adequate width for all type of roads with sufficient drainage facilities must be" provided. Any house hold waste water should not be permitted to be discharged to surface drainage. Assuming that sufficient land is.available for individual waste water disposal in this zone, all houses should have appropriate septic systems as per the SLS Standards. In land sub division, direct access to main-roads should be restricted..It may be necessary to. improve some of the existing minor-roads in the zones that do not have main road access. Precautions should be taken not to disturb the existing natural drainage; pattern. Utility-network developments should be planned along with"the. road developments: When developing access roads'in the zones where railway line passes through, care should be taken to minimize at-grade railway crossings. Steps should be taken to provide adequate public transport access to these areas.

Zone 2: High density residential zone -

Tt.-is more sustamable .tQj.develop these 7areas as High.density townships, rather than only jresldentiaEareasrlf is-itepmraehded- to- convert the .zonej-iLi-IETO such a township. However, such ;townships should becrveiy-cafefoll-y planned,, incorporating all existing valuable-.features like forest, .water bodies, unique features and historical/archaeologicaj/religious'ahd culturaLsites into '"tfe4>lar^andEJA.camedjoji£before-irtiplementetion.' ""• 73-'~. -"'_."._ _\'C~i--'

Apartment buildings-may .create conflicts if sited close" to religious, archaeolpgical and other . histprical places: Existing high-density residential areas may be avoided in proposing large scale • building structures. Care has to be-taken to maintain "the balance in ethnicity and religion in Apartmentcomplexes and Group Housing. •.; . V y""- "'

Drinking water supply-for the residences'.as well as industries is a cause for concern. Demand for access and utilities will, significantly increase in these zones. Natural drainage patterns may get significantly altered and demand for. parking will also increase. Emission levels may increase due to increase In jtiaptof vehicle1 use. - Developers must be compelled, -to \prpvide.-~ basic infrastructure such as water supply, wastewater disposal, and solid waste management for all apartments. Any house" hold waste water should not be perrnitted:_to be discharged to surface drainage. Housing, developers should be encouraged to use sewage treatment'systems with anaerobic digestion coupled with power generation. Common treatment plants also may be feasible where land space may be a constraint. Specific Environmental, Traffic and other relevant impact assessments should be made mandatory for large developments within these zones. All roads in these two zones may need improvements while proper storm water drainage systems should be provided. Developments closer to existing railway line may require noise abatement and other safety measures. Access to public transport should be improved to minimize

17 congestion and emissions due to motor vehicle traffic. Use of own power generation facilities housing and commercial buildings will aggravate the flooding, due to reduction in retention should be encouraged where ever possible. areas. Development of these areas for housing commercial and other activities has to be done with due consideration for protection from floods, as well as maintaining sufficient flood Either.side of main roads, traffic islands and. byroads within the zone should be landscaped and retention areas to prevent aggravation of the flooding problem. illuminated. Roads should be provided with cycle tracks wherever possible. Special attention should be.paid to create a green ambience within the entire zone. Other than the signage only New road access may be required for some of the new developments. Utility distribution small unique advertisements OR bill boards should be allowed. : networks such as electricity, water & telecommunication will also be required. Existing roads may have to be disturbed to facilitate utility distribution. Drainage patterns may change due to Zone 3: Commercial zone land developments. Demand for access and utilities will increase in these zones. Adequate width for all type of roads with sufficient drainage facilities must be provided. Any house hold waste The project, components such as cinema halls, service stations and other recreation centres water should not be permitted to be discharged to surface olrainage, and adequate individual should be carefully sited. in suitable areas:-If. the areas identified are sensitive, specific wastewater disposal using septic tanks according to SLS code of practice, or common .. environmental impact assessments should be carried out to assess the suitability of individual wastewater treatment facilities should be made mandatory. Special attention should be paid to projects. The present ethnic and religious diversity statistics show that Tamil/Hindu.community have a separate vehicle" access:and parking with necessary utilities .to wholesale" trade centres and is a majority in this area. If the current ethnic diversity ratio is' neglected in selecting . retail trade areas. Both areas shall be provided with open spaces and/or green areas. All buildings beneficiaries" FOF the proposed projects there can be misunderstandings and conflicts among should be provided with adequate water supply, wastewater disposal and" solid waste different ethnic groups. management facilities.. Service, stations should have mandatory treatment schemes with proper management of collected, oil and-oil contaminated sludge, It is proposed to organize a.scheme for Increase^ of hotels, shops; super markets, and'related development such as service stations could management of waste oils and oil contaminated sludge within a recycle product and service, zone lead.to increased loads of waste which needs to.be properly disposed. It is important to ensure- located inthe industrial zone.. '--."'-.: •'. " "- ; that waste water does not end up in the storm water drains, causing pollution of the marine environment. Demand for access and utilities wilL be very high in these zones. Further, serious Zone 5 : Public and semi public zone -.; attention should be paid to utilities and facilities required by pedestrians, cycle users, private vehicle users: etc; with adequate carrying capacity to cater for the full life span of the project Public and Semi Public. Zones are.spread within the single.DS division of Town & Gravets. This Services for all utilities like Electricity, Water, and Telecommunication etc; are. to be laid, zone will be highly populated .with day travellers. --".--". underground. -Natural drainage patterns may get altered. Emission levels may increase due to

T 7 -increase.' in_ motor vehicle use. Existing roads. may_haye to be disturbed .tafacilitat^UTILITY- Zone 5.3 has been identified as- a flood prone area: This area is best left without4?uiiding any. ;

distabution. Cp&idering- that- wjter.4s:""gbhig tio-.be a resource constraint- in development: .-.-.Jf-.--- -permanent"structures-;.tc^eyent'any^^avationof th%.flowing'issue.'- -.u -7 appropriate-: water cojaser^ationicherSesio beadoptedin commercial jand aJ£_6.tfier. ^Stotio^"^-'-' * Demand'iof. accesa^cLo^rBje's' .wtlt be. very high in these zones' Natural..-dralDJ^;'GATTIOTK jn^y.

1 1 Heavy, vehicles jtrarisportiMg geods^Q^mark-et places, could have a-:separate^vemtular. accfi^. -get-altered. Emission le.v^s^ayi-incre^'e due to increase_in_motor -vehicle use^x^ingi-roads"; ^ui6ut^^kirig..:&^s„uieicity-aap^^Sma^^arks and ^green'areas should'be^estafeHshcd^mth; -may-have to be jdlst-urbfef. ^ fac^t^e^-u'tility'; distributieh. '^^owaoLe^agf&^&j^ltabt'Jje"' appropriate landscape feature^ at sintaMe^^JK5115- 7'-.. " ""' ~" possiblVto beac(^_mmocia^ >T~" " ";_".•. ~>v-;_ ^.'-'^Z:\~.-. . -

Zone 4: Mixed development zone" . ' • . A committee comprising local level officials such as GNs, Samurdhi Niyamakas, land officers-. - and environmental officers attached to each DS division "relevant to this zone may be established In these zones, a mix of residential arid" commercial activities will be allowed. Finding adequate -ltd-select.suitable land for implementing projects,proposed.. The ;mo"st sensitive aspect-to-."be- land to. establish proposed development components in DS areas such as Town and Gravets and- irivestigated- is existing -land-use -of this zone. '-"'."-" . ->._ .-• * •-":.;v - - * " . Kinniya may be a difficult" task. The visual-qualify of "the area will be impacted, if strict control is not maintained on the appearance of new structures.. - - : - v \ - ' Places of public assembly and cultural centres and libraries and museums should be designed. and constructed to depict the-eultural harmony among: all communities... Other-developments in - The. present ethnic and religious "-diversity; statistics show that Muslim/Islamic community" is" a this zone do hot haye-any significant impact. .. / _V \-" ' --[-. "; "" . majority in this area. This should be considered in the development of this, area, in order to avoid ethnic disharmony.;FjsMng"activity:already exists in Zone 4.5, while -agriculture is- widely Zone 6: Sport and recreational zone . "- . , '. .-; practised in Zones 4:3, 4.4, 4.7, 4.8, 4.14 and 4.16. As such, it is recommended to include fishing and agriculture as permitted activities in Mixed Development Zones. Activities allowed in this zone are not likely to have much significant impacts on the environment, except Aquaria and zoological gardens. Creating Zoological Gardens in the same Zones 4.11 and 4.12 are located in the coastal belt. Development activities along the coastal belt zone appeared to be inappropriate with respect to space available and other environmental issues could generate long-term adverse impacts- to the stability of the coastlines. Therefore it is associated with zoological gardens. If decided to proceed with the development, then all strongly recommended to follow CZMP guidelines to minimize/eliminate those possible environmental and social impacts need to be identified through a proper ELA process. negative impacts. Zones 4.2, 4.5, 4.6, 4.11 and 4.16 where mixed development has been proposed, have been identified as flood prone areas. Indiscriminate filling of these areas fr

18 19 >* Zone 8: Environmental Conservation Zone: Ecotourism & Nature Parks, Agriculture, Finding land for development activities that require substantially large plots of land will be a Archaeology and Water Bodies serious problem in the Town and Gravets DS division, where mainly sports and recreational zone is proposed. Even the activities such as stadium, parks and playgrounds .may become It was noted that there were on. going development activities such as metal quarries within this incompatible components to the existing environment (if they are not property sited)'. Roads in zone. Suitable areas in this zone for such activities may be demarcated and taken out of the this zone may need improvements with adequate facilities for pedestrians (public access) while conservation zone, as the two purposes are not compatible. proper storm water drainage systems should be provided. Access to public transport should be improved to minimize congestion and emissions due to motor vehicle traffic. Space for parking Since the conservation zone has sensitive areas, only controlled and guided activities are & circulation will be required in addition to providing other utilities recommended to avoid any harmful impacts. Likely impacts are habitat disturbance, water pollution, flooding, sound pollution, etc. If the activities such as eco tourism are planned and Sports and Recreational zone is a very important zone in the context of visual quality. This zone implemented in a way that will not create problems to the area there will not be significant may be visited and patronized by many foreign and focal sports personnel, dignitaries and many- negative impacts due to the proposed development-activities. Though there are a significant citizens. The environment and ambience of each location shall be capable of fulfilling their number of religious, archaeological and historical places located within this zone, the proposed desire and taste. Each development must be self sufficient with all facilities and utilities that are development activities would not be incompatible with the existing environment. required to provide a satisfactory service. Attempt should be made to create a State of the Art Stadium and Aquariums still with simple and environmentally friendly technology. Agriculture and construction of public infrastructure are activities allowed in this zone that are Zone 7: Port related activity zone causes for concern, particularly with respect to. the biological environment.. With respect to migratory paths (terrestrial and avian) and. protected areas in the- study area, restricted use is recommended for some of the activities such as development of nature parks, ecotourism, Trincomalee.Harbour is a world famous natural'harbour. Therefore;any development within the agriculture, and public irrfrastructure projects. Habitat fragmentation,"-degradation and loss of port should be very well conceived to develop a state-of-the-art port with modern facilities, terrestrial and. aquatic habitats, especially within the environmental conservation zone, may without losing its character: Entire port area, port related facilities, ferry points, terminals, cruise happen due to development activities. centres and administrative buildings should be adequately spaced and have all facilities required by the users. Some areas(eg. 8.1.1, 8.1.5,8.1.7, 8.2,1, 8.2,2, 8.2.4, 8.2.6) have been identified as.flood prone areas, and this factor should be considered in the location of the activities such as restaurants, It is encouraging to note. that, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority has stated its mission fre­ information-centres and other;buildings, as filling, up of retention areas will aggravate: the development-of the Trincomalee Port as 'To develop and maintain the Trincomalee harbour, and fTooding issue. However, these areas can.be. used for paddy cultivation-, with precautions, as its environs as a profitable regional port with emphasis on development as^the islandl-s-Eco-Pprt'.- already being practiced . ". _ -\ _"" ; _ -" - -.' ""

.-. Some;.of the-activities propose^ in the-conceptual plan for development ajrcordiflg- to the 'Ocean Since ^co-rtoiarisrh is- a.loosdydefined development" activity^ it is necessary to develop guide City TDeyelopment Project' (June-3)0S^, such as location of heavy, industries on the bay water lmesv-ethics for .all stake holders and.a mpmtbrmg'mechamsto impacts if . front m "Murto'ne^ as ft is -very likely that- they: .are- rgit anyjlfor eco- tourism as .well as eco- agriculture during-"the.7operatiofl.-aridl:d rectify mern-^ithbut "envifonmentally; acceptable..-AC-i^e^ with industrial dey^^pment. any delay^..-Any.human intervention in the form of eco tourism.should-follow the development could result in high.levels. of^ollWion^wiiRin the inner harbour.-This area-Ts in a.sftelasjigfied for_, Iguide lines strictly,' Every attempt should be made to follow the conservation guidelines in-.all environmental conservation as_'.a water body in the UDA Plan, and isthe delta region of the ^activities allowed witriin this zone. : • confluence of Mahaweli Ganga with the sea, .with mangroves and high, scenic beauty. The resident time of seawater in the .-inner: harbour- and Thambalagamuwa Bay is relatively-Jiigh as. .Water is one of the important factors to be considered in any development-plan in the dry zone. their connection with me Kodiyar Bay is narrow. Therefore strict control has to be ensured" to With respect 'to, agriculture, the attention should be paid to the water use efficiency of the crops. prevent "pollution- of the inner harbour, waters, Thambalagamuwa Bay, and -Kodiyar Bay,:yVhich. .The development activities should not disturb the surface water bodies and the catchments. In all contains the deep water canyon and a unique environment with several species of large marine agricultural areas within the zone best practices should he" used, .to avoid any negative impacts mammals. Any pollution from the. industries is. likely to cause irreparable damage to the such" as over-use of agro chemicals,, water, pollution;: efostofi. etc. Within the fisheries and environment. • - •;• •" . * • - .' '. : - . . -.. •' - ' ; agriculture area only most appropriate methods.. and technology _ should be adopted. Only indigenous fish and plants should be propagated. " - . • . It was also noted that Trincomalee Port lacks provisions such-as waste management services, oily waste handling etc., to support-the requirements under the-Marpol Convention, to' which-Sri Water- bodies, Tanks, Lagoons and Canals are "appropriately identified and no activities are Lanka is a signatory. These should be factored irito the developments scheme. The current plan permitted other than the irrigation structures within the zone. How ever each agency responsible does not address these requirements. The Oil Tank Farm with 99 storage tanks of World War II to oversee the activities has to be vigilant to avoid any encroachment and unauthorized vintage offers an opportunity for oil storage, perhaps as a venture for refining of waste oil from construction. All Water bodies, Tanks, Lagoons and Canals have to be maintained periodically to the ships at the harbour. avoid vegetation, siltation and any other deterioration which affects the aesthetic beauty of the water bodies. All pollution sources should be identified and diverted to treatment facilities such The development of the port will attract more heavy vehicles, and there will be an increase in as stabilization pond systems or wetlands. demand for other utilities in the area.

21 20 The Bay is a very valuable resource that needs to be conserved due to its wealth of marine life. ground, not prone for flooding. As such, the location of the industrial development zone has Even though development activities are not allowed in the water bodies themselves, most of the many advantages. impacts on them originate from activities happening on land. It was observed by the marine biologist that about 15% of the coral in the shallow reef in the northern corner of the Dutch Bay However, all the activities to be allowed in this zone will have significant impacts, which need to had been destroyed due to a bleaching event that must have occurred in mid 2007 (May-June). be mitigated, and therefore should be restricted. Clearing of forest cover, conflicts with present Any recovery was not evident as the time period was too short afterwards for new corals to grow development activities such as Tsunami housing and livestock farming, marine pollution due to back. Bleaching events are more frequent nowadays and added threats from human activities discharge of wastewater, brine from desalination plants and cooling systems of power plants, (resulting from development) can become a major problem. Wastewater from residential as well stress on fresh water sources, noise and vibrations, heavy vehicles and demand for other utilities as industrial sources, agricultural run-off, cement, saw dust, rice husk etc. that are dumped into are environmental concerns that need to be addressed.. water bodies, hot water from power plants and industries, are some of the sources of pollution that impact on the water bodies. Special Economic Zone

Within the area defined for archaeological conservation, there are very important sites such as It is necessary to have economic activities generated as early as possible to satisfy the growing Fort Fredrick,. Swamy Rock, Thirukoneswaram Kovil Harbour, Fort Ostenberg and some ship needs of the local population, and setting up an Investment Promotion Zone is an opportunity for wrecks. This area is archeologically, culturally and religiously very important for every citizen of creating such .an environment. . Sri Lanka. It is a treasure of humankind. Therefore, all these sites should be protected and maintained with best practices. Sites may open for. tourism with guided tours. Visitor One industry that is proposed in the promotional material for the SEZ, that is of grave management plans must be evolved to maintain monuments in good condition. Sites should be environmental concern, is the 'Ship Breaking Industry', which is supposed to be financially adequately landscaped. A well maintained buffer zone with appropriate width should be profitable due to recovery of valuable materials, but causes devastation to the health and introduced. "Very specific design and development, guidelines should be defined for all environment due to the hazardous materials that are left after the operation. There are irifrastructure and built-up structures to maintain the archaeological significance, highest visual many case studies in the regional countries like Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, where the quality and tranquillity of the area. . governments are left to dear with the damage done to the environment by this industry. This should not be entertained in Sri Lanka, as the damage mitigation will be much more There will be a need to improve access to these zones especially those not served by a main road. expensive to the government than the financial benefit. Proposed ring road and improvements to ferries will be useful . The types of heavy industries expected to be located in the SEZ are very likely to create large Conservation of Marine Environment amounts of 'wastes',' in .the form "of liquid, gaseous and solid emissions. The location of the SEZ is- such that discharge of any wastewater into'the bay, sea or surface water would cause very The main attractions for eco-tburism in" the marine environment are whale wafching.and scuba significant" impacts to-me environment, even if it was discharged through a long sea outfall, due "diving. There could" also be bird watching and educational excursions .within the mangroves - to the umquejnarine environment, as described krChapters 5 and 6. . .-_" . " around the outfalls of the Mahaweli River. All of these "activities have to/be carried out under strict guidelines and regulations.-Only trained operators should be allowed to conduct eco- However, there-is a-unique,ppportunity for "theBOI arid also for the. State to pursue a different- tourism and other forms, of nature tourism. In the absence" of regulations and "strict model ofsdeyelppment,-bxfeHo.Wing-the concept of Eco-Industrial[Development!.-It:is important implementation these activities could easily damage the environment and harm the resources. • to realize that /the .policy in this direction has to be adopted from the beginning. The basis for. Eco-Industrial Development is the selection of a" set of industries where the "waste from one Lankapatuna-, Brown Rock. Point and. Kodiyar Bay are areas in the Trincomalee-\Metro Urban industry can be used as raw material or other input to another industry, so that emissions into the Area that need special attention as to the .conservation of .the marine environment and environment are minimized.. .';"- development of ecotourism. The significance of these particular marine areas is described in Chapter 7, and it is recommended that Lankapatuna and Brown Rock Point .are declared as In view of the constraint on discharge of treated industrial wastewaters into surface water or the . Marine Protected Areas, due to their uniqueness. . . - .- sea due to the highly sensitive marine environment that needs to be protected,it isjecommended as mitigation, to use; the-treated, effluent as irrigation water to grow non-food crops. It should not . Zone 9: Industrial zone be used for food -crop irrigation because of the likely presence of hazardous chemicals in the treated wastewater, as it would originate from.various different industries. A very promising ^Absence of significarit religious, archaeological and historical places.is an advantageous factor solution is to- cultivate a high oil yielding variety of Jatropha for production of Biodiesel. There •for industrial- development in this zone. A major portion of this area is already identified by the is sufficient forest land .-near the Kappalthurai site, and the viability of this needs to be seriously Board of Investment as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which will be sited on a plot of land of considered.* Perhaps the plantation and Biodiesel plant can be managed by the Security Forces, approximately 647 Ha in extent, belonging to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority at Kappalthurai, and the biodiesel produced can be used to run some of their vehicle fleet. while another part of approximately 20 Ha in extent is being earmarked for an Industrial Estate (IE) by the Ministry of Industrial Development. As seen on the Zoning Map, this site is very There is a need to have a planned approach in selecting the type of investments and what is close to the harbour, and is adjacent to the Zone for development of Port related activities, and as selected should fall in line with the need of symbiosis required within an Eco-industrial estate. A such, can take advantage of the facilities for transport of raw materials and finished goods by list of industries that should not be permitted in the SEZ, and a guideline for matching industries sea. The Highway, Railway station and the Air Port are also very close to the site. It is on high to facilitate symbiosis, is given in section 10.3 in Chapter 10. Also important at the outset is the

22 23 policy statement that Trincomalee SEZ will follow a strategy of an eco-industrial zone industry. Even the communities living in this area are familiar with the nature of proposed development. This policy statement can be the bedrock to the EIA for the SEZ. development features. Therefore, there may not be significant negative social impacts due to implementation of the proposed activities. Mitsui Cement Factory, Prima Flour mill. (Prima Ceylon Ltd.), Indian Oil Company and Mineral. Sands Corporation (at Pulmoddai - outside the study area) are located close to the site. These Permitted activities that are of concern particularly to the marine environment and tourism also offer possibilities in integration to the eco-city concept. It was noted that Mitsui Cement industry, and needs mitigatory measures are petrol sheds, boat repair yards and fishermen's huts, Factory is planning a Biomass based (paddy husk) power generation plant shortly. This is a camps and housing schemes. welcome addition to the renewable energy generation portfolio of the country. Of the others, both IOC and Mineral Sands operations have prospects for expansion. IOC has already moved The impacts on the marine environment vary depending on the location. Already there are into setup a lubricating oil blending facility on their site. serious impacts on the marine environment due to human activities as well as frequent climate change related impacts such as coral bleaching and reduction of species diversity on coral reefs. Industrial Estate (IE) for Small and Medium Industries The new development activities will have to take into consideration the existing impacts to the marine environment and carry out mitigation where necessary. Ministry of Industries has already carried out an economic study and have initiated work towards realizing this estate adjacent to the SEZ. This too needs to come in line with the eco- Outside the harbour, the main impacts arise from fishing activities, such as damage to reef development strategy. It is important to realize that any industry cannot be accommodated on an habitats, uncontrolled resources harvesting and blast fishing which is an illegal form of fishing, ad-hoc basis within the land area. Especially industrial activities such as ship breaking prevalent in the area north of Dutch Bay. Stocks of reef fish and semi-pelagic species in inshore should not be entertained at all, considering the hazardous nature of the operation, as waters have already been seriously depleted and serious damage has been caused to the coral explained above. reefs.

For both SEZ and IE the team recommends the approach of Primary and secondary matching Most of the fisheries zones are located adjacent or close to the tourism areas, as the beach is of schemes proposed during the .1994/5 Sectoral EIA process for industrial estate development. common interest to both. Fishermen tend to dump waste oil,, and discard unused nets and other The scheme is attached as an Appendix to this report. A presentation was made to the BOI staff refuse from fishing gear. The beach is used by fishing communities as their toilet, which is a in this regard during the SEA process. major health hazard and is detrimental to tourism. Therefore an increase of fishing communities or shifting of existing communities has to be carried out after careful consideration to avoid In the planning of the industrial estate and the SEZ, it is very important that recommendations of polluting other areas, and also to prevent further destruction of coastal and marine habitats. In this . ELO in the area of major hazard control with respect to Chemical Safety shoukf be utilized, context, all fish landing points are very important and should be purpose-built with all amenities where guidelines are set for land use near hazard works. for the fishermen, especially sanitary and water facilities. All solid and .liquid waste should be collected and disposed properly: Hereleducation and awareness building is equally important.. Recycling Product-Market Development Zone The existing fishing villages" have to be rehabilitated as part of the master plan." Any new • .development proposed to improve. fisheries"1 activities, should be finalized after proper

It is also proposed to have a 'Recycling Product-" Market Development Zone' in between the consultation with the; local communities currently."involved in fishery related activities. SEZ and theIE, which will have, activities that use materials for manufacturing-that would otherwise" go. as waste for disposal. Enterprises that use materials and develop reuse, recovery The development activities along the "coastal belt could generate long-term adverse impacts to and recycle operations can also be accommodated in this development zone". This zone will the stability of.the coastlines. Therefore it is strongly recommended to follow CZMP guidelines; however have to depend on.well-established recycling practices within the metro area, and to-.minimize/eliminate those possible negative impacts. Parts of zones 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 have mandatory recyclables collection centres established in all zones. been identified as flood prone, areas, and this factor should be considered in the location of the activities such as ice plants,' petrol sheets and;; housing schemes, as filling up of retention areas It is recommended that industry related activities other than knowledge based industries based on .will aggravate the flooding issue. ICT be earmarked for the industrial development zone. ICT based- soft-industries" could be housed in another, area appropriately designated perhaps as an IT park. A.very appropriate place Zone 11: Tourism zone would be the high density, industrial township proposed to be located in the Thambalagamuwa mixed development zone (site 4.7). • ' The permitted activities that are causes of concern are hotels, guesthouses, rest houses and "related structures, restaurants, cafes and kiosks and tourist resorts. . The overall.objective of the-eco-industrial city/zone/estate development is to maximize resource use efficiency and to have minimum environmental impact. Implementation of this process will According to the Ocean City Development Plan (SLPA, 2006), Trincomalee Bay area is to- be ensure almost zero impact on the marine eco-system of Trincomalee. developed for recreational tourism, while Nilaweli beach will be developed for Beach Tourism, Seruwila and Koneswaram for cultural tourism and Morawewa area for eco-tourism, while Zone 10: Fisheries Zone Kantalai - Thampalagam - Kinniya - Muttur areas would be left for other development. This is falling broadly in line with the UDA Plan under review. These are areas where fisheries activities are already being performed. The proposed activities under the zoning plan will provide supplementary facilities for the enhancement of the fisheries •» --9772 24 2-5 Visual quality in Tourism Zone is of paramount importance. All buildings in this zone should depict the regional diversity at its best through Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape. Initial observations and comparisons of the placement on a qualitative term, as shown in Chapter Well-defined guidelines should be available to guide the building heights, land to building ratio, 7, indicated Sampur area to be better for the development. The team marine biologist is of the carrying capacity factors and other aesthetic conditions to maintain the highest visual quality. view that the coral reefs along the site at Sambalthive up to the Pigeon Island National Park are too sensitive for a significant cooling water discharge and should be avoided. The plans for the Coastal instability and flooding may occur if the developments are carried out without proper power plant involve a dedicated terminal for coal transfers. If the power plant is in Sambalthive mitigation. There will be increased demand for access and utilities with the development of the coal will have to be transported on land from Sampur or Muttur, since unloading near tourism. This would stress the existing infrastructure if additional investments were not made in Sambalthive will not be possible. time. All solid and liquid waste should be collected and disposed properly. Adequate width for all type of roads with sufficient drainage facilities must be provided. Any wastewater should not Solid Waste Management be permitted to be discharged to surface drainage Solid waste disposal strategy should be in line with the national solid waste management During development, if any site with cultural, religious or historical value is exposed, then strategy. The principle of 3R should be communicated to the public and all steps should be immediate action should be taken to protect the site and the development should be relocated taken to adhere to 3R. Hospitals at present are disposing both general and infectious waste in a elsewhere. Only light structures and activities can be permitted in such areas. Cultural events conventional manner and should be changed to follow the national healthcare waste management and Religious festivals are an added attraction for tourism and responsible authorities should guidelines that have been established by the Ministry of Health. Provision of necessary facilities promote them vigorously. as well as linking state, and private healthcare institutions for proper infectious waste management should be implemented. Zone 12: Utilities zone It is proposed to develop the current site used for dumping solid waste in the Kappalthurai area, The utility zone is located at Sampur, in the Muttur DS division, where large plots of scattered according to the proper system elements for an engineered landfill. There is a need to include lands are available for establishing the infrastructure as proposed. Even though all activities recyclable drop off centres/ resource recovery units within each zone appropriately sized in permitted in this zone can be considered as essential, many of them cause environmental accordance with the level of activity. concerns. Power stations, Natural Gas receiving terminal, Water treatment plant, water reclamation plant, sewage pumping station, incineration plant and desalination plant are likely to Within the UDA Plan (2007) there is a provision for an incineration plant in the utilities cause significant impacts, some of which would need social and environmental impact zone. It is recommended that this option be removed, as incineration option is least, assessment at project level. Noise pollution is an anticipated impact from power plants, water desirable when looking at Sri Lankan solid waste. A generalized mass-burn incinerator is pump houses and sewage pumping stations. Moderate to high vibration levels are also very likely not necessary considering the logic of the present development objective. If a specialized from power plants. A part of the area in Zone 12 has been identified as a.flood prone area. This need exists as per any industrial activity, a unit of a smaller capacity could be factor should be considered in selection of sites for wastewater treatment plants and solid waste accommodated within the industry zone. management facilities, as floodwaters will pollute a large area if these are located .without proper mitigatory measures. Development of land for other utilities also may. aggravate, the flooding Zone 13: Commercial agriculture zone problem. - This Zone is assigned for Commercial agricultural purposes such as commercial fanning.of Coal Power station * melon, cashewnut, pineapple, onion etc. Except for Town & Gravets DS "division, other DS divisions where commercial agriculture activities are proposed have adequate-land to carryout This is one. of the major projects planned under the Trincomalee Metro Area Development Plan. development activities. As the development process requires significant quantities of energy, the presence of such in adequate quantities in a reliable manner is important. Two alternative sites at Sampur and Many weaknesses are observed with respect to the present agricultural management aspects in Sampalfhive are being discussed with regard to the location of the Coal Power Plant. However, the region, such as cropping decisions being made annually based only on grain and livestock the location is still under-discussion and at times even the number of power stations seems not prices, focus on a few most common Crops, absence of crop rotations; hence grasses and.weeds clear. This complicates the strategic assessment process as the presence of a single large-scale dominating the system, specially during the off seasons and over grazing by stray cattle specially power station in itself can dwarf many other, developments in. terms of environmental impacts the tank catchments and other environmentally sensitive areas. and needs much serious attention. It is important that a more closer and detailed study is undertaken quickly to avoid operational and environmental pitfalls. Ash generation is one of the Specific mitigatory measures as well as suitable crops for the Commercial agriculture major impacts of Coal Power Plants. These ashes can be utilized for road construction, land development in the area, are proposed in Chapters 7 and 9 of the Report. If these guidelines are filling and other beneficial uses. However, large amounts of ash need to be stored and disposed followed, the activities proposed under commercial agriculture will not have significant impact of in a suitable manner, as the production will be continuous during operation. The eco- on the existing environment. industrial estate development strategy suggested should incorporate means towards realizing some of these objectives. Zone 14: Special Zone

The features proposed under this zone are not alien to the. community in the areas (Town and Gravets and Muttur DS divisions). Therefore, no serious conflicts between proposed 26 27 development activities and the existing social environment are envisaged. However, conflicts maintenance, domestic wastewater and solid waste management are some of the key issues may emerge if the camps for police or defence forces are established in the areas that are close to that need urgent attention. sensitive public places such as temples, schools, hospitals and so on. It is recommended to • Industrial development can be a cause of significant adverse impacts if precautions are not follow a well thought through approach to select locations for establishing different camps and taken to incorporate eco-industrial development concepts from the beginning. Proper other infrastructure for armed forces and police. Densely populated areas and sensitive locations selection of types of industries and location within the SEZ or IE, as detailed in the report, should be carefully considered when locating proposed infrastructure facilities. can enhance the sustainability of the development. • One of the basic assumptions made in this study was that the existing regulations, particularly The impacts from human activities within the inner harbour arise mainly from continued use of those relating to environmental protection, such as Environmental Protection Licensing depth charges to ensure security for the navy base. The impacts of depth charges can be serious (EPL) and EIA requirements will be enforced by the authorities. However, it is noted that on the marine habitats as well as cetaceans. It is well known that marine mammals frequent the none of the existing major industries in the Area, viz. Prima Flour Factory, Mitsui Cement area immediately outside the harbour and there were occasional sightings of whales even within Factory or Indian Oil Company have valid EPL's at present. (Please see Appendix in section the harbour in the past. Cetaceans have not been reported within the inner harbour in recent 11.4). This situation has to be corrected. times, which indicate that high levels of underwater sound probably have a serious impact on • Proper siting of the development zones, based on baseline conditions, likely adverse marine mammals. environmental and social impacts and optimum utilization of available resources is a key to a sustainable development plan. The locations of several sites in the UDA Zoning Plan were According to the Sri Lanka Army 22nd Division Brigade, there is an additional area that has been modified to capture these characteristics, as shown in Fig 1 b. gazetted as high security zone, where it is not permitted to settle any persons or implement any development activities at present. It is expected that these areas will be released for development Specific Recommendations when the security situation in the country is improved. • It is recommended to develop high-density townships in areas of Kantalai, Zone 15: Transportation and Circulation Zone Thambalagamuwa, Morawewa, and Town and Gravets, and a High density Industrial Township in Thambalagamuwa to service the Industrial Zone in Kappalthurai. Township There is no area identified for this zone in the map. However, this zone too is very important in development is much more sustainable than development of mixed or residential zones, as the context of visual quality, particularly for tourism. Most of the public utility facilities like they can be planned properly for provision of physical and social infrastructure. transport terminals, Bus stands and Railway stations, heavy vehicle parks and car parks are in • Transport nodes should be located strategically to provide easy access for transport of people this zone. Each and every development in this zone shall have a pleasing appearance and goods. E.g. the relocation of the Railway station to a point closer to the town would camouflaging the main activity area behind an appropriate landscape with shade and green. Even improve the access for public. They should not be located in disaster prone areas, as they are created water bodies with circulation can help to improve the aesthetic and visual,quality while public gathering places. creating an acceptable microclimate. Proper drainage facilities should be provided for. each • Priority should be placed on public transport over private transport. "Accordingly, high development. All services shall be laid underground to enhance the visual quality. All buildings density urban development / compact townships should be promoted between Trincomalee . shall be purpose-built with necessary facilities like. Rest rooms, washrooms, restaurants etc. and Kantalai, so that the available railway system can be optimally utilized. • Proper storm water drainage systems should be provided where ever housing or road General Conclusions developments take place. Precautions should be taken not to disturb the existing natural drainage pattern. • The Development Plan for Trincomalee Metro Urban Development Area (UDA, 2007) has • Developers must be compelled to provide basic mfrastructure such as water supply, been carefully prepared, and has many good features, which could be kept unchanged; wastewater disposal, and solid waste management for all apartments, public and private however, the zoning for some of the areas need to be reassigned in order to mitigate adverse buildings. Any house hold waste water should not be permitted to be discharged to surface impacts and enhance the natural resource utilization, as identified in this study. These are drainage. Housing developers should be encouraged to use sewage treatment systems with shown in the map in Fig 1.2 and Table 1.2. anaerobic digestion coupled with power generation. Common treatment plants also may be • The Baseline Study revealed.that the study.area has many unique features such as places of . feasible where land space may be a constraint. archaeological and historical importance, scenic beauty, golden beaches, water bodies, forest • With regard to industrial development, the following-four mechanisms are proposed for reserves, important marine ecosystems that needs to be preserved and also a few. important "implementation, which will significantly help in developing the area in a more meaningful industries. * manner, as well as giving the country an edge over conventional economic oriented • The socio- economic status of the population is below the country average in many aspects, development: and the infrastructure, health,, and other facilities need much improvement. The main o Development of the SEZ as an eco-industrial zone. Guidelines for selection of livelihoods of me people are agriculture and fishery. industries using a matching process and list of industries that should not be • Investments on development in this area would uplift the living standards of the people, and entertained and those that should be restricted are given in the Technical will bring prosperity to a population who have been marginalized due to the security situation Appendix 10.3. and political instability over the past 2 to 3 decades. o Development of the IE as an eco-industrial estate with proper planning • Main areas where investments should be made are industrial development, tourism, o Development of a Recycling product-market development zone targeting planned commercial agriculture, development of the Port and related activities, environmental resource recovery operations, eco-services to both these industrial developments conservation and township development. Water supply, storm water drainage, road

28 o Use of wastewater generated in these two areas (as a minimum within the SEZ) in irrigation to grow energy crops and to develop bio diesel operations in collaboration with security forces to offer more cost effective, development oriented sustainable security system. It is very important that the capacity of Regulatory Bodies is strengthened in order to enforce existing regulations to protect the environment. A coal power plant should not be established at Sampalthive near Nilaveli as this area contains extensive coral reefs. The Pigeon Island National Park and its excellent coral reefs will be destroyed by such a development. Moreover the near shore area at Sampalthive also contains many fringing coral reefs and to develop such an area for unloading coal will result in major environmental destruction to coral reefs and other underwater habitats. Siting of a coal power plant at Sampur will minimize the adverse impacts caused by thermal stress and damage to the marine environment. Moreover the deep water of Koddiyar Bay will be an asset when considering transport of coal to the plant. A large number of culturally, historically and archaeologically significant and unique sites are located in the study area. Therefore, whatever, development projects and programs are planned should be implemented with due care given to such significant locations. While development of Commercial agriculture is highly recommended, it is important to select the correct crops for the area, and use biologically sustainable practices in management to achieve success. Details are provided in Chapter 9 of the Main report.

It is recommended to declare the following valuable areas as marine protected areas under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance

Trincomalee Bay o The Trincomalee Bay, Koddiyar Bay and adjacent waters is a hotspot for marine mammals especially blue whales and sperm whales, and this area should be declared . as a marine mammal sanctuary. Such a declaration, will ensure that development activities do not -harm marine mammals- through pollution, excessive -underwater noise and other activities that could cause environmental changes.

Lankapatuna and Brown Rock Point o . Near shore area of Lankapatuna with its picturesque.islands and surrounding coral reef should be declared as a Marine National Park. Such a declaration would enhance the value of the area as Lankapatuna has been identified as a site of historical importance. o The near shore area around Brown Rock Point contains many fringing coral reefs and should be declared as a Marine Sanctuary.

With respect to the Forest Areas, following is recommended:

o The degraded forest areas of the Northern Block Proposed Forest Reserve (PR) could be released for the development of agriculture/ commercial agriculture by the Forest Department, while it is recommended to declare the areas where the forest cover is intact and consists of primary forest of dry-mixed evergreen type, as a Forest Reserve to conserve the biological diversity of the area.

o Similarly, it is recommended to declare the areas of forest cover in the south and south west of Kumburupiddy that are intact and consists of primary forest of dry- mixed evergreen type as a Forest Reserve to conserve the biological diversity of the area, and release the other parts, which can be categorized as Other State Forests (OSF), for development activities.

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