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Galle Fort boulder wall project abandoned as residents protest
The Urban Development Ministry had cancelled plans for a 30 million-rupee boulder wall around the sea-side ramparts of the Galle Fort after residents protested to the World Bank (WB), the funder, that it would destroy the surrounding coral reef.
The WB decided not to finance the boulder-stacking component of the restoration and improvement of the ramparts under the Strategic Cities Development Project (SCDP) for Galle after an outcry by residents in the Galle Fort. “The SCDP has no further interest in those activities hereafter,” says a letter from H.M.A.R. Madawela, Additional Project Director (Galle).
The SCDP is an Urban Development Ministry initiative being carried out in Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Ratnapura and Kurunegala and backed by the WB, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Agence Francaise de Developpment (AFD).
Lawyer Uzman Anver occupies a historic Dutch house in the Fort and his family has lived in Galle for eight generations. He said residents had welcomed initiatives to preserve the Galle Fort. But when it came to the boulder wall, they had been concerned it would affect the long-term stability and quality of the coastal zone. It, therefore, required an environmental impact assessment (EIA) but this had not been done.
The Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department (CCD) had recommended the construction of a six-metre-wide, 2.5m high boulder wall stretching around 1.5km on the sea-side of the Galle Fort ramparts to prevent erosion, said Nilan Cooray, a conservation architect who leads the project consultancy team. The technique envisaged was the ancient “ralapanawa” system–which used stone liners on reservoir banks to guard against erosion from waves.
Dr Cooray backed the proposal saying a similar technique was adopted during the Dutch period. “So, it was not an addition but restoration of a defunct system,” he said. The CCD produced the design and the team initiated a community consultation.
“Everybody was fine with it but when we were about to start, and the contractor was mobilised, some Galle Fort residents started protesting,” Dr Cooray said. “One concern they had is that the coral reef will be damaged. The CCD says there won’t be any damage. In some areas, the coral reef is around 150m wide. The boulder wall was to be, at maximum, 6m in width.”
There was no other way to mitigate erosion of the Galle Fort’s sea-side ramparts, he said. But Mr Anver, who spoke on behalf of a residents’ group, rejected this. He said Prof Saman Samarawickrema–who is a coastal, port and estuarine engineer–had submitted a report on their request. And while this independent expert had supported installing a boulder wall in some areas, he had said it was not necessary in places where considerable protection was available from wide reef formation acting as submerged breakwaters.
“What they (project) were trying to do was an over-development measure that was unnecessary for the Galle Fort,” Mr Anver said.
Residents propose protecting the coral reef through mesh-packing or other means, on its outer side. This would help protect the dying reef–affected by the tsunami and bleaching–and break down high waves. It will encourage the dead reef to regenerate and return to its original beauty.
If boulders were to be used, the most sustainable solution would be to pack them in selected areas. Another concern had been that transportation of the heavily boulders would expose roadside properties to damage. Many houses in the Fort did not have a strong foundation.
The residents protested to the WB, also sending their own analysis and proposals. “According to World Bank regulations, if there are protests from the community and social issues, they will not proceed with the work,” said Dr Cooray. “So this was called off.”