ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ඛනිජවලින් පොහොසත් වෙරළ තීරය ඉල්මනයිට්, රූටයිල්, සර්කෝන්, මොනසයිට් සහ ගානට් ඇතුළු වටිනා බර ඛනිජ වැලිවලින් බහුල ය. වර්තමානය වන විට ගෝලීය ඉදිකිරීම් ක්ෂේත්රය, මෝටර් රථ කර්මාන්තය සහ ලෝකය පුරා වේගයෙන් සිදුවන හරිත බලශක්ති පරිවර්තනය (Green Energy Transition) හේතුවෙන් මෙම ඛ…
Sri Lanka’s mineral-rich coastline is rich in valuable heavy mineral sands including ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite and garnet. These mineral sands are currently in high demand in the global market due to the global construction sector, the automotive industry and the rapid Green Energy Transition across the world. In this context, the Sri Lankan government recently announced its new National Mineral Policy, with a primary focus on ‘value addition’ before export rather than simply shipping raw materials abroad. However, the unsustainable efforts of some multinational companies to acquire these resources have come under intense scrutiny from environmental groups and civil society organizations.
Sri Lanka’s Coastal Zones
One unique area that serves as a true grassroots mirror of this global and national controversy is Thirukkovil, located on the eastern coast of Ampara District.
For generations, the people of Thirukkovil have lived between the ocean, the vibrant lagoon and the fertile farmlands. The area is home to a population of about 33,000 people in 11,000 families, most of whom make their living from paddy farming, crops such as peanuts, animal husbandry and fishing in the local lagoons and the ocean.
However, today, a silent battle is brewing for the very sand they walk on. According to geological surveys, this coastline is also rich in valuable mineral sand. While foreign companies argue that mining this sand will bring huge sums of money to the country, the locals fear that this will completely destroy the natural environment on which their entire life depends.
To understand this fear and the seriousness of the problem, we visited Thirukkovil.
The Wall of Local Government
S. Sasikumar, the chairman of the Tirukkovil Pradeshiya Sabha, who has strongly criticized the proposed mineral sand mining project, said:
“When the ‘Damsila’ company came to Ilmanai in 2021 for mining, the people completely rejected it because it would harm the environment and the economy. Our people are well aware of the devastation caused to the Pulmude area. They fear that large-scale mineral extraction will destroy the landscape and water resources here forever.”
“So far, our Pradeshiya Sabha has not given any permission for this. Despite various statements by the company, as far as we know, the final environmental approval for this project has not been issued yet. Even in the October 2025 District Coordination Committee, a firm decision was not reached on this. And “some people may be speaking in favor of this project. But most of them are not residents of this area. The overwhelming majority of the real residents of the area are against it. If there is no will from the people living here, how can such a project be carried out?”
What do the locals say?
Standing on the beach, Thirukkovil Pradeshiya Sabha member Prabhakaran Yogarasa pointed out to us the waterway system that shapes the economy as well as the ecosystem of this region.
“This is not just a beach. Three important waterways join the sea here. They are the ‘Chinna Muhattuvaram, the Periya Muhattuvaram and the Koralai Lagoon,” he said.
The Koralai Lagoon estuary is particularly important for fishermen. According to Yogarasa, about 3,000 fishing families directly depend on this stretch of water for their livelihood. The region is also home to a vast mangrove ecosystem and a variety of aquatic species.
Taking us around the area, Mr. Yogarasa described a people’s life that is closely intertwined with the natural environment. In addition to fishing, hundreds of families are engaged in agriculture. In recent years, large-scale peanut cultivation has become their main source of income. In addition, coconut cultivation also contributes significantly to their economy.
He also noted that this debate about mineral extraction is not new.
“As far as I know, this issue has been going on for about twenty years. Companies have come and gone under different governments at different times. But people have consistently opposed it because they are afraid of the impact it will have on their livelihood.”
Yogarasa believes that the future of this area lies not only in agriculture and fishing, but also in tourism. He sees a huge untapped tourism potential in the region due to its lagoons, waterways, birdlife and coastal beauty. He believes that boat trips around the lagoons, bird watching and eco-tourism can provide new economic opportunities for the local people.
“Pothuvil is very close to us. Tourists from all over the world come to it. Thirukkovil also has the same natural beauty and ecological value. We can easily bring tourists from Pothuvil here. We need to think about ways to protect these resources and create sustainable income streams for the people of the area without destroying them.”
So for many residents, this discussion is not just about the mineral deposits hidden under the sand. It is a clash of opinions about what kind of development should take place on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka and the future vision of the area.
The chairman of the Thirukkovil Fishermen’s Association, Parasuraman Madan, said that he has been trying to get community support for the mineral sand mining projects for many years.
“During the time we were in office, representatives of a company called ‘Dhamsila’ met us more than fifteen times. They asked us to collect the signatures of a hundred people in favor of this project,” he said.
According to Madan, the company has proposed various support programs for the fishermen, including boats, fishing nets, roads and water facilities.
“They promised to help the fishing families in one way or another. But we refused all of them. Since then, our association has been on the same stand.”
Madan also expressed his concern about an office planned by the company ‘Capital Metals’ in the area.
According to him, the premises were originally licensed by the local government for a pawn shop, and when they later tried to use the building for another purpose, the local council put up a notice at the business premises stating that “this is illegal.”
Nature’s ‘bank’
According to many locals, the debate over mineral sand mining is not based on technical reports, but on bitter lessons learned from other areas.
Parasuraman, a 66-year-old fisherman living near the Korarakalappu estuary, reflected on his past experience: “My entire life has been spent protecting the fishermen. This great sea and the lagoon are our bank. I remember in 1997, we got the opportunity to observe the shrimp and crab farming projects in the Chilaw area through an NGO. We were taken to that area. What left a deep impression on me was not the shrimp farming methods, but the suffering that the people there suffered without even drinking water. Let alone agriculture, they had to bring even drinking water from very far away. People told us that the groundwater there had been polluted due to what had happened over the years.”
It was because of that experience that the local fishermen strongly opposed the various aquaculture projects that came to Thirukkoviil later.
“We decided that our natural resources were enough for us. Instead of changing the ecosystem, we continued to depend on the lagoon and the sea.” Mr. Parasuraman believes that this important lesson is also relevant to the current debate on mineral sand mining.
“What we have learned is that short-term gains can lead to long-term problems. Even today, we have clean groundwater in our villages. We are not ready to risk that.”
This is a common concern for many other fishing families who depend on the interconnected ecosystem of beaches, sand dunes, lagoons and waterways that define this region.
The human cost of the coconut garden
Currently, this mineral sand exploration is focused in and around the 460-acre ‘Korara Model Coconut Garden’, which is managed by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Community Infrastructure. Although the coastal areas were devastated by the 2004 tsunami, a large portion of the plantation bordering the Korarakalappu Lagoon is still covered in lush coconut plantations.
This narrow strip of land separating the ocean and the lagoon system is a natural barrier that maintains the ecological balance of the area. Already, during periods of high tide, saltwater seeps into the lagoon, affecting fish breeding grounds, and fishermen fear that this ecological balance will be completely disrupted if large-scale mining takes place.
Nationally, the coconut industry is an industry that generates more than a billion US dollars in export revenue annually. However, for the people of Thirukkovil, the value of this coconut plantation is more than the dollars it brings to the country, it is the direct and indirect jobs and livelihoods that have saved their lives for generations.
Ms. Bakiyam, 79, who met us near the estate, reflected on her past working on the land with her husband and son. “I was very young when I came here. Our family’s livelihood always depended on this coconut grove,” she said.
Like her, hundreds of families in the area still make a living through cultivation, maintenance and harvesting. So the fear of the people of Thirukkoviil, including Bakiyam, is simple; that this beautiful land that has sustained them for generations will be destroyed forever for the sake of a mineral resource that lies beneath the sand.
From Liberia to the East Coast of Sri Lanka
While ‘Damsila’ and ‘Capital Metals PLC’ appear to be different companies in local documents, official records reveal that they share the same structure and ownership. Capital Metals, backed by UK investors, is currently working hard to mine mineral sands on the east coast of Sri Lanka, in collaboration with several local companies including Damsila.
However, looking back at the past of this ‘Capital Metals’ company, we can see a dark history connecting two opposite corners of the world. Before changing its name to ‘Capital Metals’, the company was known as ‘Equatorial Palm Oil’ (EPO).
In 2013, the company was directly involved in a serious human rights crisis in the West African country of Liberia, including the forcible seizure of indigenous lands from local villagers, deforestation and intimidation of protesters.
International organizations such as ‘Global Witness’ raised their voices against this, and in the face of massive public protests and a financial crisis, the palm oil business ultimately failed completely in the country.
After the collapse of African agriculture, the company changed its structure and name and turned to mining mineral sands in Asia. They came to Sri Lanka as ‘Capital Metals PLC’ accordingly. As the same company that faced public opposition in Liberia prepares to launch its operations in the paddy fields and fishing ports of Ampara today, the question that the people of Thirukovil are asking is: “Will what happened to Africa happen to Sri Lanka today? Or will we be able to protect our homeland?”
Controversy in Parliament
The public opposition to the mining of mineral sands in Thirukovil has now reached Parliament.
On June 24, Batticaloa District MP Shanakyan Rasamanikkam argued in Parliament that the public has a right to know who is actually benefiting from mineral resources and whether the profits are justified in light of the environmental costs suffered by local communities. The following day, Ampara District MP Kavindran Kodiswaran also expressed his deep concern over this.
On the 17th, environmentalists held a teach-out session at the Galle Modara Grounds in Colombo to educate the public about this destructive mineral sand mining. While the environmentalists were raising their voices in support of protecting Sri Lanka’s coastline, a special technical conference called “Mineral Sands Technical Conference 2026” was being held at the nearby Gale Modara Hotel. The Chief Guest was the Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development, Sunil Handunnetti.
The event, jointly organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Mineral Technologies Australia, was fully sponsored by leading mining companies including Capital Metals.
All of these factors reflect that this is not just a local issue, but a broader national issue.
Sri Lanka has vast deposits of mineral sands that can generate export earnings and attract foreign investment. Past and present governments have also viewed these resources as part of a broader economic development strategy.
But at the same time, people living in these resource-rich areas say that they cannot allow mere economic calculations to determine the future of a land they have depended on for generations for fishing, farming and animal husbandry.
And the general public in the area say that the Thirukkovoil area has long been neglected in development compared to neighboring towns such as Akkarapattu and Pottuvil.
However, they argue that the value of this stretch of coastline lies not only in the resources that can be extracted from beneath the sand, but also in the entire ecosystem and livelihoods that it already supports.
As dusk falls on the Korakalappu lagoon, fishermen bring their boats ashore. While the final verdict in this battle over mineral sand will be decided in Colombo, its real consequences will be felt most directly by the people of Thirukkoviil. The real issue at stake is not just about development; it is about who will decide the cost of development and who will bear the brunt of it.
Shabir Mohamed