The Imporatnce of Managing the Groundwater Source in Koggala Free Trade Zone Area in Order to Prevent Environmental Hazards

The Koggala Free Trade Zone is located at the southern Province of Sri Lanka. This is one of the major BOI projects in the country, initiated in the year 1992. The project area is bounded by sea to the South, Koggala Lake to the North, Poloya outfall to the East and connecting the Koggala area to the mainland by a narrow land section on the western boundary. As per request made by the BOI, Water Resources Board has undertaken this project. The main purpose of the project was to supply adequate amount of water for the factories established in the project area.

Reconnaissance surveys were conducted and all the hydrogeological data relevant to the study were collected. Geological, geophysical and detailed hydrogeological investigations were conducted along with test drilling and pumping test programmes.

Five number of wells were selected for the Water Supply Project and since 1992 the pumping was continued. The wells are still functioning smoothly. However, a groundwater level and water quality monitoring network has been introduced by the WRB in order to monitor the possible groundwater fluctuation and groundwater quality changes that might take place during the course of pumping.

Two major environmental problems can be expected in the future with the expansion of this industrial zone. The first problem would be the salinization and the second problem would be the groundwater quality changes due to activities of the factories.

The paper will discuss the groundwater investigation criteria adopted during the study period and the findings related to groundwater occurrences in the project area. Also the environmental problems that might happen in the future and the remedies that can be taken to overcome those in order to run the project smoothly, will be also discussed.

Ranjith Seevali Wijesekera
Water Resources Board
2A, Gegory’s Avenue, Colombo 07
Sri Lanka