New survey finds country has enough phosphate deposits for 100 years

By Ifham Nizam

A new survey confirms that the Eppawala phosphate deposit, covering an area of four square kilometers, contains 25 million tonnes of the raw material enough to meet the country’s needs for 100 years.

The new survey was carried out to make effective use of this natural phosphate deposit here to provide phosphate fertiliser for organic agriculture, implemented by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and steps would be taken to submit the report to the Cabinet and Parliament, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.

Amaraweera said that the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) had conducted extensive exploration, in response to a court order, on the Eppawala phosphate deposit.

GSMB has completed the extensive research carried out by three teams of geologists. GSMB, the Ministry of Environment as well as the Ministry of Industries contributed to it. GSMB spent Rs. 16 million on the survey.

It has been identified that although there are several phosphate deposits in our country, only the Eppawala phosphate deposit is economically viable. Accordingly, there are two zones in this phosphate deposit, the northern part and the southern part.

The report states that the government has been spending about nine billion rupees annually on the importation of TSP fertiliser. “But we can save this amount through the proper use of this phosphate deposit. Although the heavy metal cadmium is abundant in chemical Triple Super Phosphate fertilizers, the Eppawala phosphate deposit is a natural fertilizer deposit and contains very little Cadmium,” Amaraweera said.

Eighty-five percent of the phosphate in the Eppawala deposit is currently used to mix TSP fertilisers. The natural phosphate fertiliser could also be exported as a value-added product, he said.