Hambantota, the Candidate City for Commonwealth Games in 2018

Gateway to Development in Sri Lanka: Positioning Hambantota as the Focal Point

With a cluster of economic nerve-centres, including Hambantota International harbour and airport, well under construction, Hambantota is fast becoming the nucleus of development in Sri Lanka on the run-up to CWG in 2018.

It is stimulating to view how Hambantota will function as the chief focal point of development in Sri Lanka with its Sea Port, Oil Refinery, International Convention Centre, International Airport, International Cricket Stadium, Southern Railway Line and Southern Expressway together with Hambantota International Sports Hub and Commonwealth Games 2018.

The main intention of this article is to examine how these development activities and other development projects expected to arrive could position Hambantota as the major hub of development in Sri Lanka. I also attempt to illustrate the comparative advantage that Hambantota is having as an ideal location to integrate development to function as a hub and then link to various other focal development centres stretched over the island. This will offer a distinctive prospect for us to comprehend why we require sustaining Hambantota development which eventually leads to development of the entire country.

Hambantota Sea Port: Although inspiration of constructing a port in Hambantota has been in government scheme for decades, everyone knows that President Mahinda Rajapaksha had the vision to craft it into reality. It is reported that every year about 36,000 ships pass Hambantota. With the completion of the Hambantota Port, the ships travelling via Hambantota can save about three days sailing time. In addition, they will be able to refuel and enjoy many other benefits by anchoring at Hambantota. This will reveal enormous prospects for Hambantota to offer a range of facilities such as bunkering, ship repairing, food supply, water, medical supplies and entertainment services. The government of Sri Lanka expects Hambantota Port to be developed to provide links to twelve areas of development activities - Thermal power generation, oil refinery and petrochemical industry, coal fired power plant, bunkering services, coal transhipment and distribution, ship-building and repair activities, transhipment car activities, bonded export processing zone, bulk cargo and general cargo berths, fishing activities and export of fish products and container traffic. Consequently, the businesses will nurture and huge employment opportunities will be created to the youth. Since employment created will demand specific skills, local institutions will have the prospect to train such a labour force. In this milieu, Hambantota parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksha’s intention to invite foreign universities to commence skill development courses through their off-shore campuses in Hambantota is highly commendable because such institutions will be able to offer high quality skill development programmes. Hambantota port also will be useful to anchor passenger ships which can provide suitable exciting accommodation facilities to spectators when the 2018 Commonwealth Games are hosted in Hambantota.

International Airport: The Mattala International Airport in Hambantota will be Sri Lanka's second international airport and expects to serve entire south and eastern part of the country. This airport will be a catalyst for the economic development in Sri Lanka which will enable international trade, tourism, vocational training and create huge employment opportunties for the youth. The airport will have the capacity to accommodate more than 800 passengers at peak hours. It is also expected that the airport will have close links with the Hambantota sea port to facilitate air-sea cargo transhipment. Hence, both sea port and airport will benefit tremendously by being in the same vicinity. Such placement can also stimulate infrastructure facilities as well as socio-economic development of the south-east Sri Lanka. Especially, war-torn Eastern districts will substantially benefit by these mega development projects. Improvement of the infrastructure facilities in the south will encourage more and more foreign investors to establish businesses in Sri Lanka but especially in the districts like Moneragala and Ampara where lands are available in abundance and also along the costs of Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts due to tourist attractions and potential cargo sea-route.

International Cricket Stadium: The establishment of this international cricket stadium was possible because of the great commitment of Hambantota Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksha under his Tharunyata Hetak foundation. This cricket stadium will host two matches for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. It has the capacity of accommodating 32,000 spectators. Subsequently, this will host international as well as domestic matches. This is regarded as a huge contribution to the promotion of cricketing game in the peripheral areas of the country, especially where underprivileged districts such as Moneragala and Ampara will be encouraged to promote world class cricketers. It is also important to note that this stadium suitable to host international matches any part of the year due to its dry-climatic environment.

Hambantota International Sport Hub and Commonwealth Games: Essential Link: Again, Hambantota International Sport Hub is an excellent idea developed by Hambantota Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksha in 2008. This includes Sports Business Enterprise Park, IT Park and Warm-weather Facility. These three functions are interrelated to each other. As Sri Lanka is already rich in its sports activities stemming from Cricket, Sports Business Enterprise Park will provide a unique opportunity to promote sports activities in a beneficial business entrepreneurial context. The strategic geographical location and the good climatic conditions which prevail all year round will offer opportunities for the countries in the West to prepare their athletes and sporting teams in a warm-weather environment throughout the year which is lacking in such countries. IT Park can link all the businesses and any other social-economic openings in Hambantota locally and internationally. Such a development in Hambantota will offer huge infrastructure facilities to accommodate the proposed commonwealth Games in 2018. Expected Commonwealth Games in 2018 could bring a vast array of opportunities to Sri Lanka. Some of the major opportunities for the country are creation of employment opportunities, more investment to Sri Lanka, sporting legacy, improved transport links, creation of business opportunities, improved image of Sri Lanka, an increase in tourist numbers, introduction of the culture of volunteering, and cultural legacy. In addition, development taking place around these two projects can also attract a substantial proportion of population by releasing the pressure of adjoining high population density districts of Galle and Matara; help improving the livelihood activities of tsunami affected along the costal-line of south-western and the south-eastern part of the country; help the post-war reconstruction activities of the eastern part of Sri Lanka. Therefore, these two projects can function as the focal centre of Hambantota as all other projects can be linked and developed around these two projects.

Releasing population pressure: Hambantota development activties will surely help to release the population pressure of the surronding highly-densed district in the south-west part of Sri Lanka. We already witness a susbtantial migration stream towards Moneragala from Galle and Matara disticts from those who cannot compete with highly literate youth in those two districts. The availability of lands for faming in Moneragala distrcit is the major pull factor for this type of migration. Hambantota development will offer huge opportunites for not only to the skilled people but also to other semi and unskilled workers to obtain gainful employment which will in turn reduce the population pressure that exists in those surrounding districts.

Help rebuilding lives of tsunami-affected: The 2004 tsunami disaster brought numerous unavoidable effects to Sri Lanka including Hambantota but the current government successfully eradicated those ill-effects by implementing effective development plans with full commitment. Ampara which is an adjacent district was the worst tsunami hit district in Sri Lanka. Although we cannot bring back the lost lives, we can facilitate to diminish the distress associated with those by helping rebuild the lives of the survivors. Hambantota development can glow some optimism to those by offering new openings and some excitement. New income generating opportunities created through such a huge development effort will make people fully engaged and thus the improvement of their socio-economic standings. They will enjoy enhanced infrastructure facilities and mega sporting events such as Cricket World Cup and Commonwealth Games which can make huge excitements to their lives.

Strategic point for post-war Reconciliation: The 30-year long war which was created by a militant Tamil group named LTTE was successfully defeated by the government in May 2009. This created a huge relief to all Sri Lankans which include all the ethnic groups who suffered continuously of the brutal attacks of the LTTE, irrespective of their ethnicity. The government has already started resettlement of the displaced families and rebuilding their livelihood activities. The government also has commenced appropriate measures to reconcile the broken hearts of the Sinhalese and Tamils due to this pro-longed war. In this context, Hambantota development can be seen as a strategic centre to connect the predominantly Sinhala Southern Sri Lanka with the predominantly Tamil Northern and predominantly Islamic Eastern Sri Lanka. Transport network over land and sea routes around the island that are stemming from the Hambantota port will provide a distinctive opportunity to establish such a strategic link. The benefits of new ventures established in Hambantota by various entrepreneurs around the world can be transferred to the war-torn north and east via the land and sea transportation system linked to Hambantota. It is expected such benefits open up new opportunities for a harmonious interaction between Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. This contextual binding will be very supportive to the reconciliation process that is already in place in order to maintain sustainable peace among the Sri Lankan communities.

Professor Lakshman Dissanayake
Visiting Professor
Leeds Metropolitan University
United Kingdom

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