The Cabinet has approved a Rs. 700 million project to develop the Hamilton Canal and the waters around it as a tourist attraction.
The scheme is intended to promote nature-based and historical heritage tourism by developing coastal and marine environments in the Western Province, including the Negombo Lagoon and the canal itself, the Daily Mirror reported.
What will be developed
Under the programme, the Hamilton Canal will be developed along the stretch running from the Queen’s Island Jetty in the Negombo Lagoon up to the mouth of the Ma Oya estuary, with the aim of putting the waterway to use for tourism.
The Western Provincial Council has already prepared a project report setting out the proposed development activities.
The proposal was a joint one, submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism together with the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government. It sought approval to implement the project at an estimated cost of Rs. 700 million, and the Cabinet granted it.
Context
The Hamilton Canal links the Negombo lagoon system with the waterways on the northern approaches to Colombo, and forms part of an inland canal network begun under Dutch administration and extended in the colonial period. It has long been identified as an underused asset in a district whose tourism economy is concentrated on the Negombo beachfront and its proximity to Bandaranaike International Airport.
The Negombo Lagoon is also a working fishery, supporting lagoon fishing communities whose access and livelihoods have been a recurring consideration in previous proposals to develop the waterway.
Not reported
The Cabinet decision as reported does not give a timeline for implementation, name an implementing agency or contractor, break down how the Rs. 700 million will be spent, or say what physical works — dredging, jetties, walkways, boat services — the project covers. It does not state whether the lagoon’s fishing communities were consulted, nor whether an environmental assessment has been carried out for works in an estuarine system.
This desk found no other verified newsroom carrying the decision at the time of writing. The story appeared on aggregator sites, which do not count toward this article’s credibility rating and are not cited here.
