Tsunami afflicted Kirinda Harbour back to biz

Colombo: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation (CFHC), officially reopened Kirinda harbour, which was damaged by the tsunami, Friday. US assistance paid for the renovation of machinery and dredging of the tsunami-damaged inlet.


The ceremony was attended by Minister of Agriculture Chamal Rajapakse, Minister of Fisheries Felix Perera, CHFC Chairman Asanga Abeygoonasekera, and Mike DeSisti, Country Representative of the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives, which financed the project with the CHFC.


Kirinda is known as the fishing capital of Tissamahara Division. Thousands of people depend on the harbour for their livelihood. The project helped Sinhalese and Muslim fishers form a harbour management committee that will work collaboratively with the CHFC to address common issues affecting their livelihood and the fishing sector.'In addition to obvious economic impact, the real legacy of this project will be the relationships formed between the Sinhalese and Muslim fishermen,' DeSisti said, adding that they recognise the value of solving their problems together and sharing a vision for the development of their community.'


Keeping the harbour free of sand has always been a struggle, yet the sand that must be regularly dredged to maintain access to the sea was sold for a profit that helped sustain the harbour economically beyond fishing revenue.


The damage caused by the tsunami to dredging machinery, which is crucial to keep the harbour deep enough for larger boats, had slowed economic activity to a trickle. Small-boat fishers had to drag their boats across the sands at the harbour’s mouth. Only a fraction of the revenue remained, and profits from sales of the dredged sand had dried up completely.