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Canal project: Issues still to be resolved
By Heshan Priyatilake
The Sri Lankan government is awaiting a date from India to hold the 2nd Expert Level Meeting, to discuss issues regarding the ecological changes associated with the Sethusamudram Canal Project.

The meeting was scheduled to be held before the end of this month.
The 1st Expert Level Meeting between India and Sri Lanka discussed various ecological and environmental issues, and the 2nd meeting aims to focus more on the issues presented in the first meeting, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Himalee Arunatilake said.

The Sethusamudram project was set into motion on the second of this month, but the Sri Lankan Government has yet to give consent, according to Ms. Arunatilake.

In early October last year, Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the then visiting Sri Lankan President Kumaratunga that, ‘any issue that may have adverse effects for Sri Lanka will be resolved in Sri Lanka`s favour’.

“The meeting is aimed at reaching a common understanding on the environmental concerns and on addressing those concerns” Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar stated in Parliament on July 7.

According to Rohan Abeywickrema, director of maritime company Sathsindu Ltd., the Sri Lankan Government is yet to be informed about where the dredged silt is to be deposited.

Although the canal itself is dug on the Indian side of the Indo- Sri Lanka maritime boundary, its effects percolate into Sri Lankan waters.

Oceanographers and environmentalists warned that the dredging would make half the Jaffna peninsula go under water. The project is expected to destroy the coral reef in the area that serves as a habitation for more than 750 fish varieties.

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