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What the warnings given fifteen years ago, ‘can be gathered from the copy of the following letter dated 23rd April 1985, sent by me to the then President of Sri Lanka, with copies to the _Prime Minister, the Minister of Lands and Mahaweli, as well as to the Minister of National Security.

Tamil Nadu to open new sea channel

I refer to the news of the above project, appearing in the local papers. Daily News of 20th April 1985 and ‘The Island’ of 21st April 1985).

2. Very respectfully, 1 wish to submit to Your Excellency, three points for consideration

First - The strategic implications of the proposal where the security of our country is concerned.

On this I am not competent to comment.

Second - If the opening up of a navigable waterway for ships as proposed, can be successfully implemented, it might adversely affect the economy of the Port of Colombo.

To counter such a situation, further development of the Trincomalee Harbour to make it more attractive than the ports on the east coast of India might be necessary. In addition, the transport system to Trincomalee from Colombo and other major cities should also be improved.

Third - The technical aspect of India’s proposal to open a thirty foot deep canal across Adam’s Bridge (which is a sand stone reef), will in all probability result in:

(a) Adverse oceanographic changes within the northern territorial water of Sri Lanka.

(b) Coastal changes in and around Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar.

3. Even at present, due to almost entirely natural causes, there is evidence that:

i. The coasts of Sri Lanka, are exposed to erosion.

ii. The productivity of aquatic resources off the west and north west coast are on the decline.

iii. Kachchaitivu, and even the string of fishing villages north of Kalpitiya, are becoming smaller.

4. Based on my observations and investigations, over a period of about 40 years and backed by research I have done from time to time during the same period, I am of the view that opening a waterway across Adam’s Bridge might increase the above problems further.

5. Even though the proposed waterway appears to be entirely within the maritime boundary of India, I believe we could quote international conventions (as for instance Lake Chad Commission, River Niger Commission etc.) to raise the third point mentioned, under pare 2 above, with a view to a settlement of this matter of international importance, and of direct concern to the natural resources of Sri Lanka.

(Ref. Island 12.11.02) Seminars

"Talking Shop while the coast erodes" was the title of the editorial in a popular local newspaper of July 1985. It is a paper which among other news of the day, carried a weekly page on Science and Technology relating to subjects needed to meet the challenges the country faces, both of natural and human levels, and even more to arrest the deterioration that is continuing to take place, even more increasingly than in the past decades. Following are the first few lines from the editorial mentioned above.

"Floods and earth slips have now been followed by an unprecedented attack by a turbulant sea on the southern coastal areas. ‘Sea erosion’ has hitherto been a comfortable subject to be discussed at seminars and other such verbal fiestas of technocrats, but suddenly the full savagery of the sea has for the first time been underlined by the series of incidents along the coast. A. 40 foot wide strip of land has been gobbled up by the ocean at Hikkaduwa leaving only a large crater behind, while the number of those who have been rendered homeless had yet to be compiled.

It has taken the savagery unleashed by an angry sea to bring home to the country the full dimensions of the problem which has continued to be a plaything among those who engage in the seminar game in spite of warnings dating back a decade."

Many of our scientists and technologists have availed of this opportunity to express their experiences and views on such topics. Some among" us have even kept copies of certain articles of special interest to us, or the country in general. I am aware that the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) too, have maintained copies of such articles in the library for reference.