LOGISTICS OVERVIEW April 2005
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UNJLC SRI LANKA LOGISTICS OVERVIEW April 2005 SRI LANKA – LOGISTICS OVERVIEW Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 2 SRI LANKA – COUNTRY PROFILE 3 ROAD NETWORK AND TRUCKING FLEET 10 PORTS 25 AIRFIELDS AND AVIATION 34 RAILWAYS 49 CUSTOMS REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES 54 STORAGE FACILITIES AND CAPACITY 64 1 Introduction This document provides an overview over important logistics assets in Sri Lanka as well as general logistics information. The data was collected during UNJLC´s tsunami response operation in Sri Lanka from 27 December 2004 to 30 April 2005. The overview contains information on Sri Lanka´s road network and trucking fleet, seaports, airfields and aviation, railways, storage capacity and customs regulations and procedures. UNJLC´s primary goal of producing and publishing this document is to provide logistics data for logisticians, institutional planners, technicians and decision makers operating in Sri Lanka as well interested readers in general. The information contained in this document is not exhaustive of all logistics relevant components in the country as it was compiled during a limited timeframe. 2 SRI LANKA – COUNTRY PROFILE Area Overview The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a parliamentary democracy, with the President as Head of State. Colombo is the capital with a population estimated at 1.3 m. Sri Jayewardenepura- Kotte, in the outskirts of Colombo, is the officially designated capital and the site of Parliament. However it is currently only an administrative centre. Other important cities are Kandy (150,000), Galle (110,000) and Jaffna (100,000) Geography Sri Lanka (geographic coordinates 7 00 N and 81 00 E) is a pearl shaped island with a coastline of about 1,340km separated from the Indian sub-continent by the Palk Strait, less than 100km wide. With an area of 66,610 sq km and a population estimated in 2003 at 19.9 millions, the country features coastal plains in the northern third of the country, followed going south by rolling plains with isolated ridges whereas in the centre and in the south is a mountainous massif consisting of metamorphic rocks, granite and quartzite which are resistant to erosion. The massif culminates at Pidurutalagala peak (2,524m). Rivers extend from the central massif to the coast, the longest being the Mahaweli Ganga (335 km), which flows in northeastern direction. About 40 percent of the island is forested. Coastline is regular but indented by numerous lagoons and marked by sandy beaches. Throughout the country there are many dammed-in areas (popularly called tanks), which are used for irrigation. The island does, evidently, not have land border. Entry points are the Sri Lanka International Airport, the port of Colombo and the port of Trincomalee. Other ports and airports are for domestic use only and are controlled by the Government Security Forces with restricted access. Climate and Seasons The temperature varies little in the course of the day. In Colombo it fluctuates between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. 3 However variations in rainfall levels and altitude result in climatic conditions which differ considerably from region to region. The summer monsoon, which is the most important one, arrives from the southwest so much so that that part of the country is an area with high rainfall levels all year round although May to September are the wettest months. This part of the island has an annual rainfall of more than 2.5m which combined with high temperatures, produces an almost equatorial type of vegetation. The rains then reach the hills, the western slopes attracting the heaviest rain in the island with Adam's peak holding a record of 7m of rain in one year. Because of the elevation temperature is cooler varying between 14 and 16 degrees. In contrast, less rain falls in the northeast and southeast, the highlands acting as a barrier. These two regions have two highly contrasting seasons: the wet season from December to February, when the winter monsoon blows, with the dry season lasting several months in the middle of the year. Irregular rainfall has also created semi-arid areas. Disaster (flood/drought) prone areas Flood/drought prone areas are mainly in the plains. Lack of rainfall results in lack of water in dams and consequently affected rice production. On the other extreme, excessive rainfall in the plains can cause floods in certain areas. Climatic changes may result in change of temperature in coastal ocean water, consequently resulting in sea erosion, which affects the fishing industry. Ethnic Groups The population is divided between Sinhalese (74%) who seem to be originating from northern India and are mostly Buddhists, Tamil (18%) originally from the south of India and mostly Hindus. The remainder is made of Moors and Malays who are Sunni Muslims and Burghers who are descendants of European colonists. As for the Veddas, the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, they constitute less than 1% of the population. The official and national language is Sinhala and is spoken by some 74% of the population whereas 18% are speaking Tamil, a national language. English is commonly used by government employees and is spoken by some 10% of the population. Cultural Habits Buddhist temples and statutes are considered holy and any footwear and/or headwear should be removed when approaching the temples and statutes. Taking photographs is generally allowed, but it is always recommended to ask. Western wear is generally accepted. 4 The country has 18 national holidays, out of which 12 are on full moon day since tradition explains that all the memorable deeds of the Buddha were performed on a full moon day, his birth included. History Indo-Aryan emigration from northern India in the 5th century B.C. came to form the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka today, the Sinhalese. The second-largest ethnic group on the island, the Tamils, were originally from the Tamil region of South India, and emigrated between the 3rd century B.C. and A.D. 1200. Until colonial powers controlled Ceylon (the country's name until 1972), Sinhalese and Tamil rulers fought for dominance over the island. The Tamils, primarily Hindus, claimed the northern section of the island and the Sinhalese, who are predominantly Buddhists, controlled the south. In 1505 the Portuguese took possession of Ceylon until the Dutch India Company took over (1658–1796). The British followed them in 1796. On Feb. 4, 1948, Ceylon became independent. In 1972 a new constitution was introduced which changed the country's name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and declared it a republic. It made also protection of Buddhism a constitutional principle. It created also a weak president appointed by the prime minister. That constitution did not last and was replaced in 1978 by another one based on the French model, key element of which was the creation of a strong executive presidency The Tamil minority's mounting resentment toward the Sinhalese majority's monopoly on political and economic power, exacerbated by cultural and religious differences, erupted in bloody violence in 1983. Tamil rebel groups, the strongest of which are the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE or Tamil Tigers, were fighting for a separate nation. By early 2000, 18 years of war had claimed the lives of more than 64,000, mostly civilians. After Dec. 2001 elections, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as prime minister. His victory precipitated a formal cease-fire with the Tamil rebels, signed in Feb. 2002. The government lifted its ban on the group, and the Tigers dropped their demand for an independent Tamil state. Another significant breakthrough came in December when the Tigers and the government struck a power-sharing deal that would give the rebels regional autonomy. Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam entered into a ceasefire agreement in early 2002. Recent negotiations on a final peace settlement, brokered by Norway are going on. The Government 5 Per the 1978 constitution, the president of the republic, directly elected for a 6- year term, is chief of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the armed forces. Responsible to Parliament for the exercise of duties under the constitution and laws, the president may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of Parliament with the concurrence of the Supreme Court. The president appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers responsible to Parliament. The president's deputy is the prime minister, who leads the ruling party in Parliament. A parliamentary no-confidence vote requires dissolution of the cabinet and the appointment of a new one by the president. Parliament is a unicameral 225-member legislature elected by universal suffrage and proportional representation to a 6-year term. The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve Parliament. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws. The 1978 constitution clearly envisaged a system where the president and the prime minister were from the same party. Since the December 2001 parliamentary elections, however, the president and the prime minister have been from different parties. This has led to serious cohabitation strains. In November 2003, for example, President Kumaratunga (Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP) suddenly took over three key ministries (Defense, Interior, and Mass Communications), precipitating a serious cohabitation crisis between the two sides. In February of 2004, President Kumaratunga dissolved Parliament and called for fresh elections. The UPFA (a political alliance of SLFP and JVP), while receiving enough seats in Parliament to form a minority government, fell short of the 113 seats necessary for a majority in Parliament. Mahinda Rajapakse of the SLFP became Prime Minister and former Prime Minister and United National Party or UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe became Leader of the Opposition. The Judiciary Sri Lanka's judiciary consists of a Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court, and a number of subordinate courts.