WNPS demands halt to illegal construction on Mandaitivu Island

• No-balls proposed Jaffna International Cricket Stadium and Sports Complex by Sri Lanka Cricket without statutory approvals required by law

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) yesterday in a statement strongly condemned the illegal commencement of constructing the proposed Jaffna International Cricket Stadium and Sports Complex on Mandaitivu Island by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) without obtaining the mandatory statutory approvals required under law.

Despite SLC’s failure to obtain the requisite approvals, earth-moving machinery is presently in operation on site and construction materials have already been transported there.

 Construction work in the absence of mandatory environmental clearance constitutes a blatant, wilful, and continuing violation of the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980, which unequivocally mandates that prescribed development activities shall not be commenced without prior approval granted by the Central Environmental Authority upon the submission and approval of an IEE or EIA.

WNPS is reliably informed that no Initial Environmental Examination (IEE), or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been conducted prior to the laying of the foundation stone and the commencement of construction activities for the said project. Any clearing, fencing, or preparatory construction carried out without required environmental clearances is unlawful and constitutes a serious breach of Sri Lanka’s environmental safeguards.

Despite repeated written communications to relevant regulatory authorities and Sri Lanka Cricket itself, no decisive action has yet been taken to halt these activities. Authorities have been formally notified of clear legal violations and environmental risks, yet construction continues unchecked. This inaction is deeply irresponsible and sets a dangerous precedent—signalling that powerful institutions may ignore Sri Lanka’s environmental laws without consequence, undermining public confidence in regulatory oversight.

Mandaitivu Island is an environmentally sensitive area comprising salt marshes, mudflats, mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, and coastal wetlands. The proposed site lies close to the Mandaitivu Mangrove Reserved Forest and within an area identified in regional planning frameworks as highly sensitive, where large-scale development should be avoided.

Mandaitivu also functions as a natural flood-retention zone that becomes inundated during seasonal rains, as seen in 2012, 2017, and 2025. Constructing a large stadium and sports complex on this land would increase flood risk, weaken natural coastal defences, and create long-term economic and maintenance burdens—potentially turning the project into an unsustainable and wasteful investment built on land that naturally floods. The island’s mangroves and seagrass beds are vital blue-carbon ecosystems that store carbon, support fisheries, maintain water quality, and protect coastal communities from storms and erosion. Many local families depend on small-scale fisheries sustained by these habitats; their livelihoods are now at risk due to the ecological damage posed by the project. The proposed stadium and complex are not only unlawful but also threaten the community’s right to a clean, healthy, and intact environment, advancing the interests of Sri Lanka Cricket at the expense of local communities and fragile ecosystems.

Sri Lanka’s development must be legal, sustainable, and responsible. Powerful institutions must not be exempt from adherence to the country’s environmental laws