SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN SRI LANKA July 1999 CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 14 July 1999) Currency Unit – Sri Lanka Rupee/s (SLRe/SLRs) SLRe1.00 = $0.0140 $1.00 = SLRs71.425 ABBREVIATIONS CBO - community-based organization CCD - Coast Conservation Department CERM - coastal environment and resource management CFHC - Ceylon Fisheries Harbours Corporation CRMP - Coastal Resource Management Project DFAR - Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources DFEO - District Fisheries Extension Office EIA - environmental impact assessment FPIU - Field Project Implementation Unit MFARD - Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development MSY - maximum sustainable yield NGO - nongovernment organization PIU - Project Implementation Unit PMO - Project Management Office WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ha - hectare km - kilometer km2 - square kilometer m - meter m3 - cubic meter t - ton NOTE In this report, “$” refers to the US dollar. CONTENTS Page MAP ii I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1 III. DESCRIPTION OF THE COASTAL AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT 2 A. General Environmental Conditions 2 B. Site-Specific Conditions 5 IV. ALTERNATIVES 8 V. ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 9 A. Positive Impacts 9 B. Potential Adverse Impacts and Mitigation Measures 12 VI. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 17 VII. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING 18 A. Institutional Requirements 18 B. Monitoring Program 18 VIII. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 19 IX. CONCLUSIONS 20 APPENDIXES 21 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The Government of Sri Lanka requested assistance from the Asian Development Bank to finance the design and eventual implementation of the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), which will focus on environmental protection and poverty reduction through integrated coastal resource management (CRM), including coastal erosion control, and will address institutional strengthening issues. The proposed CRMP is designed to arrest the increasing loss and degradation of coastal habitats and prevent the overexploitation of coastal fish stocks in order to ensure the sustainable development and management of the coastal resources in selected areas of the country. 2. This summary environmental impact assessment (SEIA) report presents the findings of the EIA of the coastline stabilization component and the fishery harbors and anchorages subcomponent of the CRMP and the initial environmental examination of the coastal environment and resource management (CERM) component. The report also includes mitigation measures to be incorporated in the detailed engineering design of the proposed physical infrastructure facilities and to be implemented during the construction and operation of the facilities. A proposed environmental monitoring plan is also presented as part of the report. The EIA report, as well as this SEIA, was prepared as part of the feasibility study of the proposed CRMP. 3. The concerned Government agencies have reviewed the EIA report and its summary, and have concurred to circulate the SEIA to the Board. The Government has advised the Bank that more detailed studies will be carried out for fishing harbors, anchorage sites and sand extraction sites in accordance with its relevant regulations upon completion of site specific detailed designs that will be prepared during the implementation of the proposed Project. These studies will be reviewed and cleared by the concerned Government agencies prior to the start of the works.1 II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 4. The CRMP will comprise four components: (i) coastline stabilization, (ii) coastal environment and resources management, (iii) fisheries management and fish quality improvement, and (iv) institutional strengthening, and will be implemented in selected areas in six administrative districts along the southwestern, western, and southern coasts of the country: (i) Colombo, (ii) Galle, (iii) Gampaha, (iv) Hambantota, (v) Kalutara, and (vi) Puttalam. 5. The coastline stabilization component will be implemented in seven coastal segments from Galle to Chilaw, along 52 kilometers (km) of a total 210 km of coastline. The engineering measures proposed for establishment at these sites will include groins, revetments, offshore breakwaters, artificial beach nourishment, and a combination of these methods to obtain the optimum stabilization scheme in terms of construction and establishment cost, maintenance cost, and functionality. 6. The CERM component will introduce a series of interventions at the national and local levels. National-level activities will include revising and updating the Coastal Zone Management Plan, information and database strengthening, and building of environmental awareness through a nationwide information, education, and communication campaign. At the local level, activities will be implemented using a modular approach where different combinations of the following modules are proposed for each site according to its management needs: (i) community 1 The Government relevant regulations require preparation of detailed management and monitoring plans based on detailed site specific studies and in further consultation with stakeholders concerned. strengthening through the establishment of a community coordinating committee; (ii) awareness building through local-level information, education, and communication, and the establishment of community and visitor awareness centers; (iii) special area management planning or the preparation of integrated plans for a naturally defined area or system with the involvement of local communities; (iv) habitat conservation and resource management activities such as coral reef rehabilitation and transplantation, lagoon management including delineation of lagoon boundaries, mangrove and wetlands management, and biodiversity conservation, sustainable ecotourism, and outdoor recreation; (v) measures to improve water exchange in lagoons; and (vi) social programs such as livelihood enhancement, social infrastructure delivery, solid waste management, and historic and cultural site preservation. The activities to be implemented are shown in Appendix 1. 7. The fisheries management and fish quality improvement component will consist of three subcomponents: (i) fisheries management, (ii) fish quality improvement, and (iii) fishery harbors and anchorages. Component activities will be implemented at the national level and at specific sites, in conjunction with CERM activities or as stand-alone activities such as fishery harbors for establishment at selected sites. The harbors and anchorages will be designed with fish unloading, handling, and marketing areas that conform to international health and hygiene standards. Civil works will include dredging; rock excavation; and construction of breakwaters; quay walls; revetments; and shore services such as fish handling sheds, net repair sheds, and fueling facilities. All the selected sites will be provided with access roads, toilets, perimeter fences, water, electricity, and area lighting. Auction sheds will be provided with adequate freshwater supply and with toilets and wash areas for fish, boats, and people using the harbor and anchorage. 8. The institutional strengthening component will aim at enhancing the institutional capabilities of concerned Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development (MFARD) agencies and community organizations in resource management. The component will have a substantial training and technical assistance element that will target MFARD personnel (i.e., at ministry, department, corporation, and agency levels) as well as community beneficiaries as trainees. It will also strengthen MFARD’s data collection, processing, and database management capabilities through providing additional staff and equipment for data collection and management. III. DESCRIPTION OF THE COASTAL AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT A. General Environmental Conditions 1. Physical Features 9. Sri Lanka sits on a relatively narrow continental shelf that ranges in width from 45 km in the northeastern and northwestern coasts to 8 km along the southeastern and eastern coasts. The country has a total land area of 44,250 square kilometers (km2). The northern shelf merges with India, forming an extensive shallow bank consisting of the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Strait, and Pedro Bank. The total length of Sri Lanka’s coastline is 1,770 km. The country claimed a 200- nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in 1976, adding to its territorial waters a total of 233,000 km2. 10. The climate of Sri Lanka is influenced by two monsoon and two intermonsoon periods. The southwest monsoon, which occurs from May to September, is associated with cyclonic wind circulations or depressions, and is marked by heavy rainfall and squally weather, especially in the southwestern seaboard. The northeast monsoon period occurs from December to February, and is characterized by heavy rainfall more or less confined in the northeastern half of the country, and with wind generally coming from an easterly direction. Wind becomes generally light during the two intermonsoon periods, one from March to April and the other from October to November. 11. Hydrographic information collected from research surveys conducted from 1978-1980 shows that sea surface currents are directly influenced by the monsoon and are often strong at the beginning and end of the southwest monsoon and during the entire northeast monsoon. During the southwest monsoon, the general oceanic circulation is from west to east, with current velocities