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Impending sand shortage: Consider alternatives to river sand, urges Env. Ministry 

17 Jan 2021

  • Industry says available substitutes insufficient  

  The Ministry of Environment is urging the construction industry to look at alternative building materials to reduce the use of sand in building and construction work, it is learnt.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that studies had revealed that there will be a shortage of river sand in a span of two years.  “The construction industry has to look at using alternative construction methods where less sand is used, or explore the possibility of extracting sand from the debris of demolished buildings. Moreover, the construction industry should also look at using sea sand as a raw material as well,” Dr. Jasinghe elaborated.  The Ministry of Environment estimated that the annual national demand for sand from the construction industry is approximately seven million cubic metres.  With the rapid development taking place in the country and the requirement for sand therefore on the rise, sand resources that are harvested from river beds, carved from river banks, and mined from sand deposits on dried-up river beds are fast dwindling.  Meanwhile, the Chamber of the Construction Industry of Sri Lanka (CCISL) presently estimates that the total annual sand requirement is at 21 million cubic metres.  “Switching to alternatives for river sand is challenging at present, as one of the alternatives, which is mechanically washed and sieved-off seashore sand, only fulfils three million cubic metres of the requirement. This means that we largely depend on river sand,” revealed CCISL Secretary General/CEO Eng. Col. Nissanka N. Wijeratne.  With the Government cracking down on illegal sand miners and strengthening laws to protect the environment, the construction industry is facing considerable challenges in maintaining sand supplies. The CCISL has therefore requested the Government look at increasing the supply of washed and sieved-off seashore sand.  The Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) operates an offshore sea sand pumping and washing plant at Muthurajawela that has an annual supply capacity of 350,000 cubic metres. Even with an additional washing plant, the output would only increase to 1.3 million cubic metres; therefore, requests have been made to the Government to explore the possibility of setting up two more plants, possibly in Chilaw.  Another alternative to reduce the demand for river sand is to promote the manufacture of rock sand. There are a few companies that have set up manufacturing plants to produce rock sand, but are unable to supply the material at an economical price point due to the Value Added Tax imposed on their business.


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