Identification of the most suitable location in Kaduwela area to establish a mega quarry site to supply aggregate requirements of mega projects in Colombo

Abstract

Western Megapolis Project is a massive scale development project. The scale of the project demands huge amount of coarse aggregates for its construction. Most of these projects are concentrated within or on the pheriphery of Colombo district. Hence, the requirement to find a coarse aggregate source within Colombo district, closer to metropolitan area is inevitable. This project was carried out in order to identify the most suitable location to establish a mega quarry to address the above issue. Initially a desk study was carried out to analyse spatial data in order to get a rough idea about suitable locations. Field visits were carried out to observe prospective lands, collect rock samples and to gather sociological data through a questionnaire survey. The suitable location was determined by considering the distance to Colombo metropolitan area, rock outcrops, current mining activities, existing settlements, land ownership etc. The quality of rock samples were investigated through Aggregate Impact Value (AIV) and Los Angeles Abrasion Value (LAAV) tests. The volume of aggregates that can be extracted was calculated and compared with estimated aggregate demand. It was concluded that the aggregate requirement of considered construction projects could be satisfied by implementing the Mega Quarry project.