Financial Times

MODARAVILA, Panadura - Industrialists at the Modaravila industrial zone who face several problems due to a lack of proper infrastructure are now confronted with a fresh crisis – a housing scheme for those affected by the tsunami coming smack in the middle of the complex.

Clashes between companies and residents, once the housing scheme is completed, are going to be inevitable industrialists fear, and also raises some serious health issues for future residents.

The tsunami housing scheme has added to the burden of industrialists who are grappling with the lack of a continuous supply of water, proper waste water drains, sewerage and garbage disposal systems that are clogging canals.

The zone created through funding by the Finland government in 1989, houses 19 factories of different products of which a majority are for export. Expansion plans of some of the factories were stalled when the authorities decided to have the housing scheme on the 10 acres of bare land inside the complex compound which had been allocated to the industrial zone by the government. Anurath Abeyratne, President of the Modaravila Industrialists’ Association said the housing scheme is right in the middle of the zone with factories all around. “There are paint factories and perfume factories and other similar production factories around the scheme. It may give rise to health issues. According to industrial law a child under the age of 12 is not allowed to enter an industrial zone; so to have a housing scheme inside one is a huge issue,” he said.

The probability of security issues and transport problems will also increase, said Abeyratne explaining that there are many containers and other heavy vehicles that drive in and out of the zone which would be an issue to householders.

Sarath Kahapalarachchi, President of the Kaluthara district Chamber of Commerce agreed adding that the interests of the industrialists and the residents are going to clash once the families settle down.
The problems of the zone don’t end there. These factories have been undergoing major difficulties as there is no proper supply of water. According to Abeyratne, each factory in the zone spends about Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000 a month on water bowsers for the employees.

The two associations have been complaining to the authorities about the water problem but have yet to receive a positive reply. The zone was built over treated marsh land with a proper canal system and waste water treatment plant included in the design. However neither of the two is properly functioning at present.

The canal system has not been properly maintained and ignored by the Water Board. The waste-water treatment plant on the other hand was never been completed by the authorities.

Kahapalarachchi quoted the UDA as saying that because funds from the Finland government were exhausted it was unable to complete work and has instead asked industrialists to pay Rs 3 million for them to complete the project. In addition, the factories are faced with yet another giant problem: the removal of garbage and factory waste. The town council and the UDA, the two authorities responsible for the collection of garbage, have been evading their duties. The reason given: the authorities have no place to dump the waste.

“These problems are only going to get worse once the residents of the scheme settle down here,” he said.

Kahapalarachchi, also highlighted the fact that the industrialists have been unable to obtain ISO certificates when the zone is faced with this kind of issues. He said the streets inside the industrial zone have no street lights and that there is no transportation to the zone and as a result the factories have been facing difficulties in recruiting workers for the factories. He said 15 percent of the machines in the factories are lying idle and that there is a 10 to 15 percent worker shortage at present.

“We have spoken to the authorities many times but progress is slow. The government should first take care of the existing industrial zones before they start new ones,” Abeyratne, representing zone industrialists, said.