Colombo South Port Project Encounters Rocky Patch

Rock blasting to go on till August

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema

The Colombo South Port Development Project is currently engaged in blasting a patch of rock in the seabed near Galle Face.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) says the rock blasting that commenced early this month will continue for another two or three months. The tremors felt in the Colombo Fort area last Friday have been attributed by authorities to the blasting of one of the rocks in the Colombo port expansion project. Last Friday’s rock blasting, according to the SLPA, is the 11th instance when rocks in the Colombo Port had been blasted. A similar rock blasting took place last year at the newly built Hambantota Port costing the government millions of rupees.
The patch of rock in the Colombo South Port Development Project is located where the quay wall of the container terminal is located.
SLPA Chairman, Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrema said that rock blasting was likely to be completed by August.
Dr. Wickrema said he was unable to give the volume of the rock patch.
He said the rock patch is located 14 metres below the surface in the the seabed and the foundation is to be laid 19 metres below the surface in the sea bed.
“The rock blasting is being carried out according to the standards set by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB),” Dr. Wickrema said.
“The rock patch blasting is carried out by the construction company and the SLPA does not have to incur any expense for it,” Dr. Wickrema noted. The construction work is being carried out by China Merchants Holding (International) Company Limited.
The Chairman added that the GSMB was monitoring the blasting of the rock patch and has even set up monitoring units in several buildings in the Fort area.
Chairman of the GSMB, Dr. N. P. Wijayananda confirmed that the GSMB has set up six monitoring units in buildings in the Fort area including the World Trade Center and the Central Bank.
He explained that the GSMB focused on the vibration velocity and that it has recommended to the Colombo South Port Development Project to ensure that the vibration velocity when blasting rocks is 3 mm per second. “The vibration velocity should not exceed this amount,” he said.
However, Dr. Wijayananda maintained that the vibration velocity recorded during last Friday’s blast was less that 2 mm per second. When asked for the reason behind the tremor felt in the Fort area, Dr. Wijayananda observed that it could have been due to the depth of the rock and proximity to the land.

vintage voter

June 17, 2012 - 9:18 am

DRS.WICKREMA AND WIJAYANANDA, ARE TALKING “POPPYCOCK”

BLASTING AT THE POLGOLLA BARRAGE WAS DONE BY SRI LANKAN ENGINEERS IN A HIGHLY RESIDENTIAL AREA,WHERE “NO TREMORS”
WERE FELT SINCE WE LIVED JUST THERE..
AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST STAGE, THE “COFFER DAM”
BUILT OF TWO ROWS OF GABIONS AND INTERLOCKING BENOTO PILES,WHICH TOO WAS BLASTED WITHOUT ANY OF THESE TREMORS..
THERE ARE SENIOR ENGINEERS ALIVE, WHO WOULD BEAR WITNESS TO THIS. I AM SO SORRY AND SAD THAT DR.KULASINGHE IS NO MORE,SINCE
HE IS THE ONE WHO PICKED THE SPECIALISTS FOR THIS GIGANTIC PROJECT..
COULD DR. WIJAYANANDA EXPLAIN, WHAT IS MEANT BY THE FRIDAY BLAST
WAS LESS THAN 2MM PER SECOND. WHOM IS HE TRYING TO BLUFF.
HIS STORY IS LIKE THE “STORY OF THE SHOE BOMBER REID”TRYING
TO “LET OFF P.E.T.N.” WITH A CIGARETTE LIGHTER.

PLEASE TELL THIS TO THE “MARINES”

CHINESE MAY HAVE DISCOVERED GUNPOWDER BUT THEY ARE GOOD AT ONLY USING IT FOR FOR “FIRE-CRACKERS”

TNT IS A HIGH EXPLOSIVE WHICH WAS DISCOVERED BY ALFRED NOBEL
MAHAVELI AND KOTMALE WERE DONE USING BRITISH AND SWEDISH EXPLOSIVES..

YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT CHINA HAS THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF ACCIDENTS IN MINES. SURPRISED????????????

vintage voter

June 22, 2012 - 9:22 pm

Two days ago there was a mine explosion in China.
These are just the few that are reported.

Dinuk

June 17, 2012 - 2:48 pm

First they will destroy the rock bed, make Colombo vulnerable to sea erosion, and rising tides caused by global warming in the name of a “development” and then borrow huge amounts from the World Bank to do “disaster management”! Environmental destruction including destruction of fish breeding grounds is the name of the development game!
The current mode of Colombo Development with the World Bank subsidizing the Defense Ministry and Gota the Goon’s White van activities via funds to the Urban Development authority needs to be investigated and questioned
The WOrld Bank has given a huge loan for Colombo city development but there is no mention of upgrading and creating a decent PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM that is people and environmentally friendly which is the highest development priority for Colombo residents. What sort of Development is taking place amid mounting debt. The so called DONORS like the World Bank and IMF need to be held accountable for promoting bad governance and subsidizing an already swollen military budget. Get with the plan and please do some investigative reporting on this! Thanks !