EIA clears sand mining in the North in spite of flagging environmental drawbacks

Just weeks after an environmental impact assessment (EIA) backed the mining of heavy mineral sands in a three-kilometre stretch on the Akkaraipattu to Komari coast in Ampara, another study has cleared the harvesting of sands from a 6.5km section between Kokilai and Kokkuthoduvai in Mullaitivu.

The Government-owned Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd (LMSL) project is estimated to cost just Rs 500mn and also envisages the setting up of a processing plant at Karunaddukerny, north of Kokilai. The main minerals to be extracted are hi-titanium ilmenite, ilmenite, zircon, monazite, rutile and garnet. The mine life will be around 25 years.

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