Spotlight on Mineral exploration project: Alarming ilmenite project threatens Mannar community, biodiversity

The Northern and Eastern Coastlines of Sri Lanka have been victimised by mineral exploitation activities which are predicted to cause more harm than good to sensitive ecosystems and livelihoods of people. Since 2015, Mannar Island has fallen prey to a heavy mineral sands exploration project carried out by Australia-based Titanium Sands Ltd. (TSL). Even though local authorities claim that the Company has only been issued an exploration licence, area residents and environmentalists claim that this Company is carrying out mining activities, drilling holes and dredging sand on lands that have already been occupied. However a recent update on the TSL website states that the Mannar Island Drilling Program has been completed and that 70% of samples obtained have been shipped to South Africa.   

Illegalities galore 

The Sri Lanka Mines and Minerals Act does not permit the issuance of permits or licenses to companies that are not registered in the country. Commenting on a previous article by this paper in June 2020, former Geological Survey and Mines Bureau Chairman Anura Walpola said that no mining licence was issued to this Australian Company. But the TSL website revealed that it had initially acquired land in July 2018 and a further acquisition was done in March 2020.  

 

"We need justice to be done for the people of Mannar island. Mannar Island is below sea level and people are being deprived of many things including their daily livelihoods as well. We request the government and all those involved in this process to see the real situation in Mannar and stop all kinds of destructive developments - Fr. A. Gnanapragasam, head of Mannar Citizens Committee"

However GSMB issued nine licences to five Sri Lankan private limited companies and one individual to explore minerals on Mannar Island. The companies included Kilsythe Exploration (1 licences in September 2015), Hammersmith Ceylon (2 licences issued in September 2015), Supreme Solution (2 licences issued in November 2015), Sanur Minerals (2 licences issued in September 2015) and Orion Minerals (2 licences issued in July 2015).
These local companies were then sold off to two Mauritian shell companies – Bright Angel Ltd. and Srinel Holdings; which were ultimately acquired by TSL and taken control of for the exploration project underway. At the time, TSL was of the view that it had no plans of mining minerals in Sri Lanka. The GSMB affirmed that it was unaware of this company and denied issuing mining licences and took further steps to cancel all exploration licences issued for the Mannar mineral sands project in April 2021. But on a mysterious note, TSL had allegedly recommenced its exploration and drilling activities in January 2022 while the GSMB had reissued the exploration licences. It is further revealed that neither Titanium Sands Ltd., nor its local partners have an office or bank accounts in Sri Lanka, but that they transfer funds to an individual to spend on operations taking place in Sri Lanka.   
Once GMSB reissued the licences, in December 2021, TSL officially announced that it had appointed Geological Survey and Mines Bureau Technical Services (GSMBTS) to manage the next phase of the drilling programme of approximately 304 holes. This announcement was officially made to the Australian Stock Exchange.   

A letter dated August 25, 2022 on the TSL website states that the Mannar Island Drilling project has been completed to enable an upgraded ‘Mineral Resource Estimate’ (MRE) and that samples would be shipped to a reporting laboratory in Cape Town, South Africa. Another letter issued on September 19, 2022 states that 70% of samples have been shipped to the laboratory in South Africa and that all local work on the Mannar Island exploration drilling programme has been concluded.  

Plea to stop destructive developments in Mannar

“All that we ask is to give an ear to the plea of the people in Mannar Island,” said Fr. A. Gnanapragasam, head of Mannar Citizens Committee. We are asking to stop the sand mining project in Mannar. We need justice to be done for the people of Mannar island. Mannar Island is below sea level and people are being deprived of many things including their daily livelihoods as well. We request the government and all those involved in this process to see the real situation in Mannar and stop all kinds of destructive developments. Mannar is a peculiar island, but we request outsiders to refrain from ruining its beauty and making it a miserable place to live in,” said Fr. A. Gnanapragasam.   

Press conference held in Colombo with the presence of residents of Mannar, urging authorities to protect Mannar Island

Titanium Sands operating against the law?

Shedding light on the activities of TSL, Jerome Liyanage, Executive Director at Bridging Lanka, said that the Company had started mining in December sans a mining licence. “Titanium sands claims that Mannar has the fourth largest deposit of ilmenite in the world. Ilmenite sand is used to make Titanium metal which is a lightweight and very strong and is used to make everything from medical prosthetics to spacecrafts and therefore it’s a valuable material. Titanium sands has targeted an area of 204 square kilometres, but Mannar Island is only 140 square kilometres. They have dug up augur holes; most of which are illegal and they have done their drilling sans the permission of land owners,” said Liyanage.   

"If locals opposed what was happening they were arrested by the police and some are still facing ongoing court cases just because they wanted to protect their land. Titanium sands maintain they have legitimate licences, but when we spoke to GSMB they said they granted nine licences to five local companies - Jerome Liyanage, Executive Director at Bridging Lanka"

“63% of Mannar is below sea level and already we are facing threats with high tide etc. Once a bulldozer dozes through the sand and when sand mining is 12 metres (40 feet) deep the seawater will come up because it’s a sand island. Once the seawater comes up you can’t grow anything and as a result grass and animals will die, the fishing, palymrah and coconut industries will vanish and people will be dislocated from Mannar Island. We must also remember that two-thirds of the population of Mannar district is on the island. This is a historical place because before Anuradhapura it was Mannar and King Asoka and all of them came through Mannar to Sri Lanka. Many archaeological excavations are yet to be done here. If the sand mining continues, fishing and agriculture industries would be affected and these are livelihoods of people in Mannar. Mannar is also the birding capital of Sri Lanka where over 400 species of birds come there and many of them are migratory birds. Their habitats too will be destroyed,” warned Liyanage.   

TSL has identified that 93% of Mannar Island comprises ilmenite and they will start with 204 square kilometres and expand afterwards. “We visited Pulmodai to see the ilmenite sand mining and we saw Mannar’s future. The Pradeshiya Sabha members and locals said that it’s a disaster and that the company has promised many things including jobs and compensation to rehabilitate the land after they finished, but none of these promises were kept. If locals opposed what was happening they were arrested by the police and some are still facing ongoing court cases just because they wanted to protect their land. Titanium sands maintain they have legitimate licences, but when we spoke to GSMB they said they granted nine licences to five local companies. These companies were bought by two Mauritian companies and these two Mauritian companies were bought by Titanium Sands and they say that these licences have been transferred to them. But GSMB says that this is against the Sri Lankan law because you cannot transfer a licence from one company to another company.  

“In 2020 they said it was an illegal operation and in April 2021 they cancelled all exploratory licences. But mysteriously in December 2021 all licences were reissued. The Environment Minister invited Titanium Sands- which is not registered in Sri Lanka- to put in a mining application. If this mining continues it will lead to the destruction of an environmentally-sensitive place in Sri Lanka,” Liyanage underscored. 

"Mannar is self sufficient in its food production, so why are we trying to disturb that part of it by allowing a private company to take the ilmenite away while disturbing the biodiversity in Mannar - Shreen Saroor, Women’s Rights Activist"

Mannar Island - a place to reunite IDPs

Speaking at the press conference, Mahalakshmi, a resident of Mannar reiterated that most Tamil people who were displaced during the war and most Muslim families who were displaced and left to Puttalam are coming back. “Therefore the Mannar Island is needed for that purpose instead of destroying it in the guise of development.”  

Mining project likely to displace Mannar’s population?  

“Mannar is a war-affected area and there is much occupation by the military all the way from the island up to the main land,” opined Women’s Rights Activist Shreen Saroor. “There’s displacement due to militarization. In that context when you bring in private investors to upset the balance of the soil it will cause a lot of problems to the livelihoods of people in Mannar. Mannar is a food-producing island with fishing and agriculture as the two main industries. Mannar is self sufficient in its food production, so why are we trying to disturb that part of it by allowing a private company to take the ilmenite away while disturbing the biodiversity in Mannar? Mannar is an island which boasts of its migratory birds and there are naturally-made sand dunes, seagrass and salt beds that add to its biodiversity. This country is talking about reconciliation and in that case the government should go to war-affected areas and ask people what they want. If people are not consulted with regard to their power it is a huge injustice done to the Tamil community. There are Internally Displaced persons returning from Puttalam, India etc., but if this ilmenite project continues, it will displace around 40% of the Mannar district population,” said Saroor.   

Protest against ilmenite mining on Mannar Island

State Minister Gamage squashes rumors 

Speculation is rife that the newly appointed State Minister of Tourism Diana Gamage had toured the Mannar Island along with a leading businessman recently. However, when contacted, Gamage denied rumors and said that she has plans to develop the islands in Mannar and Kalpitiya as means of uplifting livelihoods of people. “I haven’t visited Mannar yet,” said Gamage.   

Green light for exploration only; no mining licences issued: GSMB  

When asked how the Australian Company in question has been allowed to mine sand in Mannar sans a mining licence, Hema Liyanarachchi, Director – Mineral Titling at GSMB reiterated that ONLY an exploration licence had been issued. “We haven’t even thought of issuing a mining licence because they have to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment first. Here they have to identify the social and environmental issues in the area and once they are rectified and after a thorough observation we will issue a mining licence. But they have to meet all criteria first. In order to do mining they need to get approval from the Coastal Conservation Department and several other authorities as well.    Responding to a query on how the cancelled licences were reissued to the Companies, Liyanarachchi said that licences were issued to two companies that had legal clearance. She further said that there’s no chance of carrying out mining activities with just an exploration licence and that they continue to monitor activities every six months. 

Protest against ilmenite mining on Mannar Island

Announcements on TSL website indicating the completion of the ‘Mannar Island Drilling Program’ and the shipment of samples to a laboratory in South Africa