Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2019-03-26

Procurement of a Dredger (TSHD) for deep sea mining

- Due to the scarcity of the river sand used for the construction purposes, the demand for the treated off-shore sea sand which is used as an alternative material is increasing. As a remedial measure the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & Development Corporation makes treated sand which could be used for construction purposes and provide the required supply to meet the demand. This activity, presently, caters to less than 10% of the total sand requirement of the construction industry. As such,the proposal made by Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, the Minister of Megapolis & Western Development to procure a dredger for sand mining in the deep sea to meet the high demand for sand anticipated in the future with the development of the construction industry, was approved by the Cabinet.