The growth of Sri Lanka's construction sector has led to an increase in demand for building materials, chief among them being sand, which is primarily sourced from river beds. However, due to the impending sand shortage faced by the country, industry leaders are now forced to turn to alternatives.
According to data from the Ministry of Environment, the annual national demand for sand from the construction industry is an estimated 7 million m3. However, this demand has led to a severe shortage of river sand in the last two years. This led the Ministry to urge the construction industry to look at alternative building materials in order to reduce the use of sand in building and construction work.
“The construction industry has to look at using alternative construction methods where less sand is used or explore the possibility of extracting sand from the debris of demolished buildings. Moreover, the construction industry should also look at using sea sand as a raw material as well,” said Ministry of Environment Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe when speaking to The Sunday Morning last January.
Unfortunately, all our attempts to reach the Ministry Secretary for an update proved futile.
The Government has imposed several restrictions over the mining of river sand over the years, which in turn created a scarcity that consequently pushed up its prices. In fact, during the last eight years, the price of river sand has doubled, making it almost unaffordable to the majority of the general public.
Speaking to us, Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka (CCISL) President Eng. Maj. Ranjith Gunatilleke stated that there is a drastic difference in river sand compared to a decade ago.
He explained that while other materials, such as metal, was more expensive, its prices have remained somewhat stagnant compared to that of river sand.
"A cube of river sand costs almost Rs. 18,000 now, due to factors such as its scarcity, the approvals needed to mine it, and its transportation; all of these are added costs."
He stated that due to its scarcity and price, the industry has begun looking at alternatives such as processed sea sand, manufactured sand which is acquired by turning rock materials into fine sand-like particles, and finally processing normal soil into sand. He explained that the industry should look into these alternatives due to them currently being cheaper than river sand.
"The construction industry needs about five million cubes of river sand annually, and with the increased prices, and the restrictions placed on the material by the Government, the industry needs to look at these alternatives."
However, data from the CCISL stated that switching to alternatives is currently challenging, due to alternatives such as mechanically washed and sieved-off seashore sand only fulfilling 3 million m3 of the requirement, leaving the construction industry to largely depend on river sand.
This was further emphasised on by a leader in the local construction industry, who stated that the alternatives do not cater to the requirements of the high-end developers in the country. They explained that the demand for the material will only increase with the upcoming large-scale projects in the country.
Sri Lanka already has an ongoing initiative to use processed sea sand as a possible alternative to river sand, with the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) launching the initiative in 2019. According to an SLLRDC official, sea sand was first used as an alternative to river sand back in 1994, when dredged sea sand was used in the reclamation of a 400-acre land in Kerawalapitiya, Muthurajawela. Since then, dredged sea sand has been used in the construction of highways and in other government projects.
Despite the machinery needed to wash and sieve the sea sand to make it usable for construction, they stated that it still cost 40-50% less than the current price of river sand. They went on to state that there has been a noticeable increase in interest in sea sand throughout the years from both the public and private sectors.
The SLLRDC operates an offshore sea sand pumping and washing plant at Muthurajawela that has an annual supply capacity of 350,000 cubic metres. Even with an additional washing plant, the output would only increase to 1.3 million m3; therefore, requests have been made to the Government to explore the possibility of setting up two more plants, possibly in Chilaw.
The other most likely alternative to river sand is to promote the manufacture of rock sand. There are a few companies that have set up manufacturing plants to produce rock sand, but are unable to supply the material at an economical price point due to the Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on their business.
The Government has imposed several restrictions over the mining of river sand over the years, which in turn created a scarcity that consequently pushed up its prices. In fact, during the last eight years, the price of river sand has doubled, making it almost unaffordable to the majority of the general public.
Speaking to us, Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka (CCISL) President Eng. Maj. Ranjith Gunatilleke stated that there is a drastic difference in river sand compared to a decade ago.
He explained that while other materials, such as metal, was more expensive, its prices have remained somewhat stagnant compared to that of river sand.
"A cube of river sand costs almost Rs. 18,000 now, due to factors such as its scarcity, the approvals needed to mine it, and its transportation; all of these are added costs."
He stated that due to its scarcity and price, the industry has begun looking at alternatives such as processed sea sand, manufactured sand which is acquired by turning rock materials into fine sand-like particles, and finally processing normal soil into sand. He explained that the industry should look into these alternatives due to them currently being cheaper than river sand.
"The construction industry needs about five million cubes of river sand annually, and with the increased prices, and the restrictions placed on the material by the Government, the industry needs to look at these alternatives."
However, data from the CCISL stated that switching to alternatives is currently challenging, due to alternatives such as mechanically washed and sieved-off seashore sand only fulfilling 3 million m3 of the requirement, leaving the construction industry to largely depend on river sand.
This was further emphasised on by a leader in the local construction industry, who stated that the alternatives do not cater to the requirements of the high-end developers in the country. They explained that the demand for the material will only increase with the upcoming large-scale projects in the country.
Sri Lanka already has an ongoing initiative to use processed sea sand as a possible alternative to river sand, with the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) launching the initiative in 2019. According to an SLLRDC official, sea sand was first used as an alternative to river sand back in 1994, when dredged sea sand was used in the reclamation of a 400-acre land in Kerawalapitiya, Muthurajawela. Since then, dredged sea sand has been used in the construction of highways and in other government projects.
Despite the machinery needed to wash and sieve the sea sand to make it usable for construction, they stated that it still cost 40-50% less than the current price of river sand. They went on to state that there has been a noticeable increase in interest in sea sand throughout the years from both the public and private sectors.
The SLLRDC operates an offshore sea sand pumping and washing plant at Muthurajawela that has an annual supply capacity of 350,000 cubic metres. Even with an additional washing plant, the output would only increase to 1.3 million m3; therefore, requests have been made to the Government to explore the possibility of setting up two more plants, possibly in Chilaw.
The other most likely alternative to river sand is to promote the manufacture of rock sand. There are a few companies that have set up manufacturing plants to produce rock sand, but are unable to supply the material at an economical price point due to the Value Added Tax (VAT) imposed on their business.