Mannar’s Sandmine Dispute

Historical Context

Mannar Island holds the fourth-largest ilmenite deposits in the world. The island is estimated to contain 53 million tonnes of mineral soil, including valuable deposits of ilmenite, leucoxene, zirconium, rutile, and titanium oxide. This geological wealth has made it a target for extraction projects that local communities say threaten their survival.

Since 2015, different companies have been involved in mineral exploration on Mannar Island. The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau granted nine licences to five local companies, which were subsequently acquired by two Mauritian shell companies, ultimately taken over by the Australian company Titanium Sands Limited. The company completed a scoping study involving over 4000 exploratory holes, some as deep as 12 metres, reportedly without obtaining permission from private landowners.

In April 2021, the Bureau cancelled all exploration licences following continuous protests from locals and environmentalists concerned about environmental degradation, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and threats to agriculture and fishing. However, the licences were mysteriously reissued in December 2021, allowing exploration to recommence in January 2022.

Present Situation

Since February 2025, residents of Mannar have repeatedly blocked government officials from conducting surveys for mineral sand mining projects on their island. What began as scattered opposition has evolved into sustained resistance that has now stretched across ten months.

The pattern has been consistent. Survey teams arrive, often without proper authorisation from coastal conservation or fisheries departments. Residents gather. The teams leave. In February alone, this happened three times. On 19th February, when 23 government departments led by the Central Environmental Authority attempted an assessment at Konnaiyan settlement, protesters met them with banners. The inspection was abandoned.

The mining proposals involve extracting ilmenite and other heavy mineral sands from Mannar’s coastal belt. International companies, including Orion Minerals, Mass Metals and Minerals, and Australian firm Ilmenite Sands, have been linked to the projects. Reports emerged in February of former Sri Lankan military personnel facilitating land grabs for these corporations. In one instance, a survey team, including a former Navy officer, was turned back by locals due to a lack of proper authorisation.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stated publicly that no mining would proceed without local consent. Yet the projects have continued to advance. In May, a Colombo-based team conducted a land survey in the Pesalai 50 Housing Scheme area for Mass Minerals without coordinating with the Mannar District Land Survey Department. V.S. Sivakaran, Chairman of the Federation of Community Organisations in Mannar District, intervened. The team withdrew. The District Government Agent confirmed all surveying would halt until a District Development Committee meeting could address the issue.

Despite government pledges, officials from the Central Survey Department, accompanied by a private company, entered the same area just days after local government elections in May to conduct preliminary surveys. The timing raised questions about the government’s commitment to its promises.

By August, the opposition had crystallised into a formal satyagraha that would run for over 100 days. Youth-led protests under the slogan “Protect Black Soil.” Fishing communities, farming groups, and civil society organisations joined. The campaign was organised in rotations, with different villages taking turns to maintain a continuous presence.

The concerns are practical. Fishing and farming communities warn that mineral extraction would disrupt livelihoods, damage the fragile coastal ecosystem, and accelerate existing problems with flooding and groundwater salinity. Environmental activists have pointed to Mannar Island’s vulnerability—a narrow strip of land where industrial-scale excavation could have cascading effects. Protesters have claimed that more than 4500 boreholes, each dug below 50 feet, have been created across the island.

Legal action followed in October. The Centre for Environmental Justice and Rev. Fr. Santhiyogu Marcus filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court challenging the mining licence. The court set a hearing for February 10th, 2026.

Throughout this period, community leaders have maintained that multinational corporations and successive governments prioritise profit over the welfare of Mannar’s population. Fr. S. Marcus Adigalar has called the projects “destructive activities” carried out without prior consent, warning they threaten local ecosystems and communal life. Civil society organisations from the Eastern Province have condemned what they call “development under disguise” that violates the rights and livelihoods of Tamils in the North-East.

The government’s response has varied. In February, the Mannar police obtained a 14-day restraining order against ten prominent activists, including lawyers and priests organising the protests. The measure targeted figures like Attorney Selvaraj Dinesan and Rev. Marcus, prohibiting demonstrations that might disrupt operations. Residents described it as an attempt to silence dissent.

Political figures have also weighed in. Daniel Vasanth of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation accused the government and JVP-led administration of continuing environmentally harmful projects despite promises to halt them, alleging that government officials and security forces have actively facilitated exploration.

As of November, no large-scale mining operations have begun.

In a significant legal development, a Fundamental Rights petition was filed by Fr. Santiago Marcus, Chairman of the Environmental Justice Centre, along with the Mannar Citizens’ Committee. This case was taken up before a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Sampath Abeykoon on 13 January 2026. The court has scheduled the confirmation of facts for 10 February.

The petitioners, who have named the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, the Central Environmental Authority, and the Attorney General among the respondents, contend that mining licences were issued without a proper tender process. This oversight could allow foreign companies to extract and export Mannar’s mineral wealth without contributing significantly to the local economy. In their petition, they urge the court to invalidate any unlawfully granted licences, halt the issuance of new ones, and mandate an environmental assessment prior to the commencement of any mining activities.

This legal challenge unfolds alongside ongoing community resistance, which has successfully stalled the island’s extraction projects for nearly a year, highlighting the growing tension between local interests and external economic pressures. The resistance continues, rooted in a straightforward claim: the people who live on this land should decide what happens to it.