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GOVERNMENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF
SRI LANKA
Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation
in collaboration with Western Region Megapolis Planning Project
Final Report
Pre-Feasibility Study Inland Water Based Transport Project (Phase I)
Western Province Sri Lanka
April 2017
PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY TEAM The Pre-Feasibility Team comprised a team of experts from the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC), Western Region Megapolis Planning Project (WRMPP), Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development (MoM&WD) and University of Moratuwa (UoM).
Name Designation Institute
Dr. N.S. Wijayarathna Team Leader, Deputy General Manager (Wetland Management)
SLLRDC
Dr. Dimantha De Silva Deputy Team Leader, Transport Specialist, Senior Lecturer
WRMPP and Department of Civil Engineering, UoM
Mr. R.M. Amarasekara Project Director, Transport Development Project
MoM&WD
Dr. W.K. Wimalsiri Infrastructure Specialist Head of the Department
Department of Mechanical Engineering, UoM
Dr. H.K.G. Punchihewa Safely Specialist, Senior Lecturer
Department of Mechanical Engineering, UoM
Mr. Nayana Mawilmada Head of Investments WRMPP
Mr. Thushara Sumanasekara Procurement Specialist WRMPP
Ms. Disna Amarasinghe Legal Consultant SLLRDC
Mrs. Ramani Ellepola Environmental Specialist WRMPP
Mr. Indrajith Wickramasinghe Financial Analyst WRMPP
Ms. Chantal Sirisena Investment Analyst WRMPP
Mr. Kaushan Devasurendra Transport Engineer WRMPP
Eng. Mahinda Gamage Structural Engineer SLLRDC
Ms. Ranoshi Siripala Ecologist SLLRDC
Mr. Chanuka Suranjan Architect SLLRDC
Mr. Wickramanayake Land Officer SLLRDC
Mr Dilruk Wedage Surveyor SLLRDC
Mr. Hasitha Kalahe Civil Engineer SLLRDC
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document presents the Final Report of the consultancy services for the ‘Pre-Feasibility
Study of the Inland Water Based Transport Project, Western Province, Sri Lanka (Phase I)’.
The report is the result of a three-month consultancy project which involved meetings
between the consultants and officials of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development
Corporation (SLLRDC) and Western Region Megapolis Planning Project (WRMPP) as well
as the review and analysis of relevant documents and available secondary data. This study
was undertaken to identify the pre-feasibility of proposed Inland Water Transport lines,
Wellawatte-Battaramulla (IW1) along the Wellawatte and Kotte Canal and Fort-Union Place
(IW2) in the Beira Lake by the Western Region Megapolis Transport Master Plan.
The average speed of the vehicles in the major transport corridors has fallen below 10 kmph
during peak hours and the existing public transportation system is unable to cater for the
mobility requirements of the people, hence its modal share is decreasing gradually.
Therefore, the need has arisen for an alternative transportation mode, which does not use the
existing road structure. In this regard, inland water transportation has been identified as a low
cost, minimal pollution, sizeable capacity, pleasant and a safe transportation medium.
Forming the basis of this study, existing data on the Wellawatte-Battaramulla canal stretch
and Beira Lake was documented and data gaps were identified. The Initial Transport Demand
Assessment is taken from the JICA STRADA (System for Traffic Demand Analysis)
transport demand model which was used for demand estimation of the Transport Master Plan
developed for the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project. Field surveys were carried
out to address the identified data gaps; bed levels in the canal, horizontal clearance at bridges
and vertical clearance between water level and soffit level of the overhead structures.
Locations of the stations were identified considering the demand availability, land
availability, inter-connectivity with other transport modes and access to those stations. Nine
stations were proposed for Wellawatte-Battaramulla Line and four stations were proposed for
Fort-Union Place Line. Vessels were designed according to canal specifications; single hull
boats are recommended for IW1 and catamaran double hull boats for IW2.
Environmentally-friendly vessels with minimum pollution are encouraged. Vessels with
adjustable roofs are suitable to address the limit of overhead clearance at certain sections.
2
Safety concerns regarding design and operation, project risks related to political, economic,
social, legal, environmental and technological aspects were considered. From the financial
feasibility study, it was identified that it is possible to achieve an Equity IRR of 20% with a
basic ferry operation model. In this scenario, additional revenues are modelled at less than
10% of the total revenue generation. The core business case is the operation of the passenger
ferry transportation system. Other potential revenues generated through additional uses of the
canal system (such as ecotourism or other services deemed appropriate) will enhance this
business case.
The project is feasible to implement through a Public Private Partnership where the
government of Sri Lanka will contribute assets; namely the jetties. The GOSL should also
undertake the initial dredging of the waterways and maintenance of this throughout the
contract period. The vessel operation service and maintenance facility construction should be
awarded to a selected private party through a competitive two-stage tender process.
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 9
1.1 Project Background 9
1.2 Scope 12
1.3 Objectives 12
1.4 Justification of the selected routes IW1 and IW2 13
1.4.1 Battaramulla- Wellawatta Line (IW1) 14
1.4.2 Fort-Union Place Line (IW2) 16
1.4.3 Mattakkuliya-Hanwella Line (IW3) 17
1.5 Approach and Methodology 19
2. Transport Demand Assessment 20
2.1 Initial Demand Assessment 20
2.2 Updated Demand Assessment 32
2.3 Ferry Capacity 39
2.4 Start-up Demand for 2017 40
3. Structural Capacity Identification of Related Water Bodies 42
3.1 Current Infrastructure Status of Wellawatte- Battaramulla Line (IW1) 42
3.2 Land availability for boat stations and other development 43
3.2.1 Wellawatte - Battaramulla Line (IW1) 43
3.2.1.1 Water level limitations along IW1 46
3.2.1.2 Suggestions for an effective transport solution along IW1 47
3.2.2 Fort-Union Place Line (IW2) 48
4. Initial Environmental and Social Assessment 49
4.1 Environmental impacts of Inland water based passenger transportation 49
4.2 Social impacts of Inland water based passenger transportation project 53
5. Preliminary boat designs and specifications 55
5.1 Boat Design 55
5.1.1 Design approach to boat’s capacity estimation 56
5.1.2 Design and Construction of the boat 58
5.1.3 Engine and Propelling System 59
5.1.4 Resistance and Power calculations 62
6. Initial Safety Audit of the Canal Route 66
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6.1 Health and Safety 66
6.2 Regulations 66
6.3 Designing for safety 66
6.4 Operational Safety 72
6.5 Water Safety 77
6.6 Fuel Safety 78
6.7 Security 80
7. Project Risk 81
7.1 Political Risk 81
7.2 Economic Risk 82
7.3 Social Risk 83
7.3.1 External 83
7.3.2 Internal 84
7.4 Legal Risk 84
7.5 Environmental Risk 85
7.6 Technological Risk 85
8. Financial Viability 86
8.1 Demand Inputs 86
8.2 Baseline financial modeling 87
8.3 Sensitivities 88
8.3.1 Price Sensitivity 89
8.3.2 Boat Price Sensitivity 89
9. Investment through Public Private Partnership 90
9.1 Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) 90
9.2 Build, Operate, Own, Transfer (BOOT) 90
10. Status of Legal and Institutional Arrangements 92
10.1 Assess Current Laws, policies and Institutional Assessment 92
11. Summary and Key Recommendations 94
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Parameters for IW1 and IW2 25
Table 2: Fare for IW1 26
Table 3: Daily bi-directional passenger volume for IW1 for Scenario 2,5 & 11 31
Table 4: Daily bi-directional passenger volume for IW2 for Scenario 2,5 & 11 31
Table 5:Aggregate Outputs of Demand Model for Megapolis Project Scenarios 33
Table 6: Daily bi-directional Passenger Volumes for IW1 at an av. speed of 18kmph 38
Table 7: Daily bi-directional Passenger Volume for IW2 at an av. speed of 18kmph 38
Table 8: Demands for IW1 for Years 2020, 2025 and 2035 for updated demand analysis 39
Table 9: Demands for IW2 for Years 2020, 2025 and 2035 for updated demand analysis 40
Table 10: Fleet Requirement for IW1 40
Table 11: Fleet requirement for IW2 41
Table 12: Year 2017 Demand for IW1 42
Table 13: Year 2017 Demand for IW2 42
Table 14: Soffit levels of overhead structures along the IW1 43
Table 15: Summary of land ownership of proposed jetty locations 45
Table 16 Flood level frequency 48
Table 17: Proposed commercial developments along IW1 50
Table 18:Boat Specifications for IW1 60
Table 19:Final calculations of resistance and power by Mercier and Savitsky's method 61
Table 20: Preliminary Design of Catamaran Passenger Boat 62
Table 21: Resistance and Power calculations 63
Table 22 Peak Demand Hour-Single Direction 83
Table 23 Off-Peak Demand Hour-Single Direction 83
Table 24 Usage Trend Projection 83
Table 25 Results of financial modelling 84
Table 26 Baseline Analysis 84
Table 27 Ceiling Price Sensitivity 85
Table 28 Boat Price 85
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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: WRMPP Proposed Inland Water Transport System 13
Figure 2:Wellawatta-Battaramulla (IW1) Line 17
Figure 3:Parts of Beira Lake 18
Figure 4: Fort-Union Place Line 19
Figure 5: Mattakkuliya-Hanwella Line 20
Figure 6: Pre-feasibility Study Model 21
Figure 7: Process of the analysis for present and future demand forecast 22
Figure 8: Analysis of the Megapolis Transport Demand Project Scenarios 24
Figure 9: Fare for IW1 26
Figure 10: Total Inland Water Transport Passenger Volume for 2020 for Scenario 2 28
Figure 11: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2025 for Scenario 5 29
Figure 12: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2035 for Scenario 11 30
Figure 13:Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2020 at av. speed of 18kmph 35
Figure 14: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2025 at av. speed of 18kmph 36
Figure 15: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2035 at av. speed of 18kmph 37
Figure 16: Unprotected canal banks at Kotte Marsh Border 52
Figure 17: Water Quality status of Canals in the CMR (Source: MCUDP) 52
Figure 18: Manual collection and control of weeds 53
Figure 19: Routine fishing in Kotte canal 54
Figure 20: Boat Design for IW1 59
Figure 21: Boat Design for IW2 62
Figure 22: Guard rails for the passengers to hold to ensure safety 66
Figure 23: Protected platform for passengers to embark and disembark 67
Figure 24: Ensuring non-slippery floors 67
Figure 25: Pier designs with guard rails 68
Figure 26: Pier suitable for terminals 68
Figure 27: Headroom for passengers 69
Figure 28: Guardrails for turning 71
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BOO- Build Own and Operate
BOOT- Build Own, Operate and Transfer
BOQ- Bill of Quantities
BOT- Build, Operate and Transfer
BRT- Bus Rapid Transit
BTO- Build, Transfer and Operate
CIDA- Construction Industry Development Authority
CMR- Colombo Metropolitan Region
DNS- Do nothing scenario
EIA- Environmental Impact Assessment
F&B- Food and beverages
FRP- Fiber Reinforced Plastic
IC- Internal Combustion
IWT- Inland Water Transport
JICA- Japan International Cooperation Agency
KIP- key performance indices
KRB- Kelani Right Bank
LRT- Light Rail Transit
MCUDP - Metro Colombo Urban Development Project
MMTH- Multi- Modal Transport
MoT- Ministry of Transport
NPD- National Planning Department
PPP- Private- Public Partnership
RP- Revealed Preference
RTS- Rapid Transit System
SLLRDC- Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & Development Corporation
SP- Stated Preference
STRADA- The system for traffic demand analysis
UoM- University of Moratuwa
WRMPP- Western Region Megapolis Planning Project
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Project Background
Being the capital and largest city of Sri Lanka, Colombo attracts more than one million daily
commuters by 160,000 vehicles from suburbs of Colombo. Having an average annual growth
ratio of 8%, the number of vehicles in the Western Province has increased by a factor of 2.5
in 12 years. The average speed of vehicles in the major transport corridors has fallen below
10kmph in peak time. Therefore, people travelling in and out of Colombo to the suburbs
through major transport corridors must endure significant traffic congestion. The loss of
valuable man hours, fuel and other resources and also the environment pollution is a
significant economic cost. The public transportation system prevailing in the country has
been unable to find solutions to this issue due to low network capacity, low travel time
reliability, discomfort, over crowdedness in peak hour and inadequate inter-connectivity with
other modes.
The Transport Master Plan developed by the Ministry of Megapolis and Western
Development in the year 2016 identifies a four-pronged approach to address the transport
issues. This approach is the result of a comprehensive study of previous Transport Master
Plans, proposed by the Western Province development structure plan.
The four-pronged approach tackles improvements to the following -
1. Public transport
2. Road infrastructure development
3. Transport demand management
4. Environmentally sustainable transport
The public transport and road infrastructure developments are under the following categories
with implementation to be undertaken from 2016 to 2025 -
● A modernized bus service throughout the Western Region
● A modern and electrified railway system
● A modern Rapid Transit System (RTS) with LRT technology
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● An inland water Transport service
● An improved road network connectivity
The inland water based transportation is one of the solutions to mitigate the existing and
expected traffic congestion within the city. The Megapolis Transport Master Plan identifies
three potential water transport lines (see Figure 1) -
● Wellawatta- Battaramulla Line (IW1)
● Fort- Union Place Line (along Beira Lake) (IW2)
● Mattakkuliya- Hanwella Line (along Kelani River) (IW3)
10
Figure 1: WRMPP Proposed Inland Water Transport System
Inland water transport is considered a relatively low cost, fuel efficient, environmentally
friendly, flexible, pleasant and a safe transportation mode compared to the other transport
modes. Similar to public bus transportation, mooring sites or marinas can be considered and
treated as 'bus stands' for boats. The canals, reservoirs or rivers where the boats navigate can
be considered as thoroughfares or bus routes. The jetties/stations where the boats stop are
11
similar to bus halts in road transport. The boats that are used to transport passengers are
similar to the buses that operate on roads. Use of inland waterways has the potential to reduce
the travel time drastically on certain travel corridors. Presently, there is no proper connecting
mode in the East-West direction in the Colombo region, other than the prevailing bus
services. By using the existing canal systems, strong East-West transport connectivity can be
generated for the commuters’ convenience. Boat jetties will be placed at main linking points
where the canals cross the main roads and in other places where it is necessary in improving
the accessibility and the inter connectivity between other modes.
Comfortable and safe boats will ensure a smooth and comfortable ride for passengers during
peak periods, and the system can be used to promote ecotourism around the Colombo city
making this city a vibrant area during off-peak times as well. A ferry system will add an extra
dimension to public transportation options within the city.
In conducting the Pre-Feasibility of this project, six key areas have been analysed in detail -
transport demand assessment, capacity identification of infrastructure, financial feasibility,
safety, social and environmental feasibility, legal and institutional arrangements and risk
assessment. The project’s overall feasibility will be assessed on the findings of these six
areas.
1.2 Scope
The introduction of a feasible inland water based passenger ferry service as proposed by
Megapolis Transport Master Plan.
1.3 Objectives
To determine the feasibility of using inland waterways as a commuter transport mode to
reduce the heavy traffic congestion at main transport corridors during the peak time.
Secondary objectives (Objectives of the Project) include -
● Offer a smooth ride for the passengers by providing safe and comfortable ferries.
● Reduce the travel time of the commuters during peak hours.
● Provide a resilient connecting mode in the East-West direction in the Colombo region
through the use of the existing canal network.
● During off-peak period and at night time this transport network to be made available
12
to promote ecotourism around Colombo and facilitate tourist access to lesser-known
parts of the city.
● Present a sound and verified financing proposal with a detailed model, which will
ensure a sustainable ferry service.
The study has given due attention for the above objectives.
1.4 Justification of the selected routes IW1 and IW2
Ferry transportation on this scale is a relatively new mode of transport in Sri Lanka. This
presents a challenge since Sri Lankans will need to adjust to this new form of public
transportation. The regulatory framework also needs some work in order to incorporate this
new transport mode; there is currently no organization directly responsible for this type of
passenger transport and present transport related law will also need to expanded to
incorporate ferry transportation.
Sri Lanka’s inland canal system is vested under the jurisdiction of SLLRDC. SLLRDC
improves and maintains this canal system as a responsibility to facilitate drainage preventing
flooding of low lying areas.
The Wellawatta-Battaramulla Canal system falls under the jurisdiction of SLLRDC whereas
Beira Lake is under the custody of Sri Lanka Ports Authority. However, the Beira Lake water
body is under the SLLRDC custody for water quality maintenance purposes. IW3, the Kelani
River is under the custody of Irrigation Department and there are a variety of stakeholders
involved in this water system. Hence IW3 pre-feasibility requirements are still at the
discussion stage. IW1 and IW2 water bodies are directly managed by the SLLRDC. A
potential ferry service considered to be beneficial for the water quality of these two water
bodies, due to the circulation caused by the boat movements.
The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development is desirous of commencing water
transport to ease the present traffic congestion. Considering the urgency, inter agency
coordination, and present jurisdiction of the other water bodies, it was decided to carry out a
prefeasibility study on Wellawatta – Battaramulla (IW1) and Fort – Union Place (IW2)
corridors aiming to complete the study during a short period of time and to accommodate the
13
implementation of the project in a timely fashion, with minimum burden to the government
budget.
IW1 intersects six main roads including Marine Drive, Galle Road, High level Road, Baseline
Road, Nawala Road and Parliament Road, of which three are main transport corridors. This is
one of the interventions identified under the Megapolis Transport Master Plan that can come
into action immediately due to the availability of jurisdiction of the canal with SLLRDC and
hence with Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development.
IW2 is also considered important in its potential to save a lot of time for passengers travel
between union place and lakehouse who otherwise have to use the bus service to travel
between these points especially during the peak time which incur a significant time.
Wellawatta-Battaramulla Line (IW1) and Fort-Union Place Line (IW2) are considered to
have the most potential to provide an urban transport solution. The Mattakkuliya-Hanwella
Line (IW3) and other potential waterways will be considered at a later stage in due course.
1.4.1 Battaramulla- Wellawatta Line (IW1)
The Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) consists of a network of canal systems, which
interconnects marshes and lakes in the region. These marshes and lakes act as storm water
storage centers or retention basins and hence are compulsory for flood mitigation. Other
service is purification of water coming from the urban areas. This canal path connects Kotte
Canal and Wellawatta Canal. Kotte canal starts from near Diyatha Uyana lake and ends at the
canal bifurcation (Demodara) situated just downstream of Baseline Road Bridge. It divides
into two water paths namely Wellawatte Canal to the right-hand side and the Dehiwala Canal
to the left-hand side. Wellawatte canal extends up to the sea outfall at Marine Drive,
Wellawatte which is the proposed destination of IW1.
The Kotte canal flows along the border of Kotte Marsh and the canal banks are earthen up to
Nawala “Wali Park”. This stretch is 6.1km long and has an average width of 35m with
trapezoidal cross section. From “Weli Park” to Wellawatte the canal covers a length of 4.5km
with an average width of 25m. The canal bank protection type varies from earthen Gabion to
sheet pile protected. Certain canal banks are protected with Riprap protections. The canal
14
cross section of this stretch is rectangular. The bed level of the entire canal stretch is
maintained at -1m MSL by SLLRDC for flood water management purpose. The bottom of
Gabion wall is fixed at -2m MSL.
Despite the variety of uses and services of the canal network, the potential for recreational
and passenger transportation has been identified by the newly published (2016) Wetland
Management Strategy conducted by SLLRDC for Colombo catchment. Also, according to the
feasibility study done by University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 2006, the existing Wellawatte
canal and Kotte canal, up to Battaramulla, has a navigable channel of 8.3km in length from
Diyawanna Oya up to the Marine Drive at Wellawatte. It passes through major roads such as
Galle Road, Duplication Road, Baseline Road, High-level Road, Sri Jayawardenapura
Mawatha etc. which carries considerable amount of traffic. Therefore, this canal would be
developed as a potential waterway for public transport as it acts as a transverse connector link
for the radial road network connecting to the city of Colombo (see Figure 2).
Furthermore, this canal stretch will be extended up to Koswatta, Battaramulla via
Diyawannawa Lake along the proposed sea-plane landing area, to cover more congested
areas around Battaramulla.
Figure 2:Wellawatta-Battaramulla(IW1) Line
15
1.4.2 Fort-Union Place Line (IW2)
The Beira Lake is a both historically and socio-economically important water body in Sri
Lanka. It was created by the Portuguese in 1518 for defense and transport purposes. The Lake
comprises five sub parts connected to ten municipal wards in Colombo and covers nearly 65
ha with a mean water depth of 2.0 m. East Beira, the main water body, West Beira, South
West Beira, Floating Market area and the small fragmented area, the finger section (refer
Figure 3) are the above said sections. All these sections are highly commercialized and
urbanized especially with the working population. The East Beira is surrounded by D.R.
Wijewardene Mawatha from the North, T.B. Jayah Mawatha from the East, Kew Road from
the South and Sir Chiththampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha from the West and these roads carry
huge traffic during peak hours.
Figure 3:Parts of Beira Lake
Existing and planned urban development in Colombo will generate further local and foreign
crowds to the Colombo city and therefore, catering to their transportation, recreational and
hospitality requirement is a top priority. The waterfront of the heart of the Colombo City, the
Beira lake and its surroundings provides an ideal ground for these activities. The Government
of Sri Lanka wishes to implement such projects efficiently and effectively to give the
maximum benefit. The inland water transport line (see Figure 4) from the Lake House
(McCallum Gate) to Union Place across the Beira Lake is such an identified route for
passenger transportation by the Megapolis Transport Master Plan and thus becomes a top
16
requirement for its long-term sustainability.
Figure 4: Fort-Union Place Line
1.4.3 Mattakkuliya-Hanwella Line (IW3)
Mattakkuliya- Hanwella Line (IW3) has a high potential to provide an alternate mode for the
Low-Level corridor where the public transport is poor. Kelani River is the second largest
river in Sri Lanka. Kelani River and its tributaries provides 70% of the portable and industrial
water requirements for the people in Greater Colombo area. Starting from the Sri Pada
mountain range, it flows in the western direction and falls to the sea at Modara. Along the
river stretch from Mattakkuliya to Hanwella which is 35.7 km, Kelani River flows through
main cities such as Peliyagoda, Kelaniya, Kaduwela and Malwana. The stream velocity
ranges between 0.15m/s to 0.6m/s in the dry season and it can rise up to 0.9m/s to 2.0m/s
after heavy rains.
Environmental impacts from the system have to be considered as the main water intakes;
water intake at Ambatale and Kelani Right Bank (KRB) water intake is located along the
Kelani River. Introducing an environmental friendly boat type such as solar powered boats or
hybrid boats is very important for this line to maintain the quality of water.
17
Figure 5: Mattakkuliya-Hanwella Line
Aside from the identified three routes IW1, IW2 and IW3, other waterways may also be
considered for passenger transportation, once a feasibility study is undertaken.
18
1.5 Approach and Methodology
Overall approach of feasibility study is based on five pillars as given below;
i. Demand assessment
ii. Structural capacity assessment
iii. Environmental feasibility
iv. Legal and safety needs assessment
v. Financial feasibility
The data collection and analysis of these aspects were done iteratively to decide the final
project outputs. Baseline review of these secondary data identified further data needs which
are to be filled through formal surveys and other possible ways. The expert recommendations
are given by amalgamating the findings with project needs. Finally, best fit PPP model is
presented to run the project while necessary boat operation plans, infrastructure designs and
modifications and a risk profile of the project are presented.
Figure 6: Pre-feasibility Study Model
19
2. TRANSPORT DEMAND ASSESSMENT 2.1 Initial Demand Assessment
The initial Transport Demand Assessment is taken from the demand estimation done as part
of the overall Transport Master Plan developed for the Western Region Megapolis Planning
Project. Content and data provided in this section draws from the above report, unless
otherwise stated.
The STRADA (The system for traffic demand analysis) transport demand model that was
used for Megapolis Transport Master Plan employs a traditional four step modelling process
widely used in the world. STRADA developed by the Japan International Cooperation
Agency (JICA) is one of the widely-used software in the world for demand projections,
especially for traffic assignment. The software is a window based package where the
development started in 1993 by JICA under the leadership of Prof. Hideo Nakamura at Tokyo
University with other experts in relevant fields. The software consists of 17 individual
modules. In the transport demand analysis exercise, JICA STRADA version 3 was used for
trip assignment of present transport demand and future forecast. The flow of the analysis is
shown in figure 7.
20
Figure 7: Process of the analysis for present and future demand forecast
The socio demographic forecasts based on urban development projects and urban planning
policies including transit oriented development were considered to estimate residential
population, employed population and student population by income level which were used in
the trip generation model and distributed to come up with the origin destination tables by trip
purpose and income level.
The relationship between road traffic and public transport was taken into account in the
demand forecasting, in addition to the conventional four step modelling. It was determined
21
that relationships such as bus travel speeds depending on the congestion level of the roads,
and slow travel speeds of private vehicles contributing to the mode shift to rail based
transport were important, therefore two stages of road assignment and two stages of transit
assignment were conducted to account for the above relationships. This was a looping of the
model with a second iteration incorporated with impedance tables, initial link speeds and
initial bus volumes on roads were considered for a second iteration of model split and second
road and transit assignment. The model parameters were estimated using Household Activity
Surveys, SP and RP surveys conducted as part of the project. The model was calibrated to
match the observed volumes on screen lines.
The complete details of model specification and parameters can be found in Technical Report
5: Transport Demand Forecast, Urban Transport System Development Project for Colombo
Metropolitan Region and Suburbs.
The demand forecasting using the JICA STRADA model was completed under several
project scenarios for the analysis years 2020, 2025 and 2035 with different transport network
improvements been commissioned in different years. The JICA STRADA model that was
used for demand estimation of the ComTrans Master Plan and Megapolis Transport Master
Plan will be used in this study as well for demand estimation purposes.
The key performance indices (KPI) were developed and compared with a Do-Nothing
Scenario (DNS) which included all ongoing projects. The DNS was considered for each
future year as the base case to identify the indirect benefit for the economic analysis. DNS
was considered as a good starting point to determine the best project although DNS inflates
the benefit since any intervention becomes a solution. The following scenarios were analyzed
with different implementation methodology of projects identified in the Master Plan as
outlined in the figure 8.
Scenario 1: Do-Nothing Scenario (DNS) for Year 2020
Scenario 2: Case A (Project Case) for Year 2020
Scenario 3: Do-Nothing Scenario (DNS) for Year 2025
Scenario 4: Case A for Year 2025
Scenario 5: Case B (Project Case) for Year 2025
22
Scenario 6: Case C for Year 2025
Scenario 7: Do-Nothing Scenario (DNS) for Year 2035
Scenario 8: Case A for Year 2035
Scenario 9: Case B for Year 2035
Scenario 10: Case C for Year 2035
Scenario 11: Case D (Project Case) for Year 2035
Scenario 12: Case E for Year 2035
Figure 8: Analysis of the Megapolis Transport Demand Project Scenarios
As indicated, three water transport lines were identified and coded as part of the modelling
process. The following jetty locations were considered as part of the initial demand
estimation at Master Plan Level.
23
Wellawatte – Battaramulla Line (IW1)
1. Marine drive – Wellawatte/(1-ST1)
2. St. Peter’s College (In between Duplication Road and Galle Road (1-ST2)
3. Havelock Road near Royal Institute (1-ST3)
4. Baseline Bridge (1-ST4)
5. Open University Bridge (1-ST5)
6. Bridge at Nawala Road (1-ST6)
7. Diyatha Uyana (1-ST7)
8. Sethsiripaya (1-ST8)
Fort- Union Place Line (IW2)
1. Lake House (2-ST1)
2. Fort Railway Station (MMTH) (2-ST2)
3. Lotus Tower (2-ST3)
4. Union Place (2-ST4)
The model is a daily assignment model which provides daily segment volumes along with
other KPIs. The following operational parameters given in the Table 1, as well as operational
speed for the IW1 and IW2 were assumed for modelling.
Table 1: Parameters for IW1 and IW2
Parameter IW1 IW2
Fare Fixed (first 1km) Per km
Rs.12 Rs.10
Rs.4 --
Frequency (per direction) 30 Boats/hr 30 Boats/hr
Boat Capacity 50 Pax 50 Pax
24
The IW1 fare considered has a variable cost based on distance. The first km is charged at a
cost of Rs. 12 and then an additional Rs. 4 per km is charge for the remaining distance. The
IW2 fare is modelled at a flat rate of Rs. 10 irrespective of number of stations or distance
travelled travel (see Figure 9).
Figure 9: Fare for IW1
According to the above operational fare considered in the IW1 for modelling, a ticket fare
matrix can be developed as follows in the table 2, which gives the ticket fare from one station
to another. The fares are given in Sri Lankan Rupees.
25
Table 2: Fare for IW1
1-ST1 1-ST2 1-ST3 1-ST4 1-ST5 1-ST6 1-ST7 1-ST8 1-ST9
1-ST1 12 13.2 18 20 23.2 39.2 43.2 50.4
1-ST2 12 12 16 18 21.2 37.2 41.2 48.4
1-ST3 13.2 12 12.8 14.8 18 34 38 45.2
1-ST4 18 16 12.8 12 13.2 29.2 33.2 40.4
1-ST5 20 18 14.8 12 12 27.2 31.2 38.4
1-ST6 23.2 21.2 18 13.2 12 24 28 35.2
1-ST7 39.2 37.2 34 29.2 27.2 24 12 19.2
1-ST8 43.2 41.2 38 33.2 31.2 28 12 15.2
1-ST9 50.4 48.4 45.2 40.4 38.4 35.2 19.2 15.2
The summary of the STRADA modelling outputs for each of the scenarios provide
parameters for measurement of KPI for the entire multimodal transport system and
performance across the CMR. The following scenarios, of the scenarios given in the figure 8,
were considered as project scenarios for future years 2020, 2025 and 2035 and were used for
further analysis and detail demand outputs -
Project Scenario For the Year 2020:- Scenario 2: Case A (Project Case)
Project Scenario For the Year 2025:- Scenario 5: Case B (Project Case)
Project Scenario For the Year 2035:- Scenario 11: Case D (Project Case)
Scenario 11 (Project Case D) in the year 2035 comprises all of the interventions given in the
Master Plan and Scenario 2 (Project Case A) in the year 2020 and Scenario 5 (Project Case
B) in the year 2025 are intermediate level of completion of the project as outlined in the
Master plan.
The average operational speed of the boat was considered as 25 km/h for the masterplan
analysis and the projected demand in IW1 and IW2 for future years 2020, 2025 and 2035 are
shown in the following figures 10,11 and 12 respectively.
26
Figure 10: Total Inland Water Transport Passenger Volume for 2020 for Scenario 2
27
Figure 11: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2025 for Scenario 5
28
Figure 12: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2035 for Scenario 11
29
In summary, station to station projected demand for Battaramulla- Wellawatte Line (IW1)
and Fort- Union Place Line (IW2) at an average operating speed of 25 kmph are as follows.
Table 3: Daily bi-directional passenger volume for Wellawatte-Battaramulla Line (IW1) for Scenario 2,5 & 11
Table 4: Daily bi-directional passenger volume for Fort-Union Place Line (IW2) for Scenario 2,5 & 11
The summary of the STRADA modelling outputs for each of the scenarios outlined above is
provided in term of the following parameters for measurement of KPI for the entire
multimodal transport system and performance across the CMR.
● Scenario – Described in above
● Total trips per day – total estimated trips by each mode for each year in the CMR
● Total Public transport trips
● Total Car trips
● Total motorcycle (MC) trips
● Total three-wheeler (3W) trips
● Total Truck Trips
● Vehicle km per day - Total daily vehicle kms estimated to be made by each mode in
30
the CMR.
● Passenger km per day – Total number of passenger km estimated to be made per day
in the CMR.
● Trip length – the average trip length in km
● Passenger hrs per day – the total number of passenger hours spent in transport per day
in CMR.
● Average speed- the Average speed by mode within the CMR.
● Capital Cost- The capital costs of proposed interventions.
● The system cost is the total estimated transport cost per year in the CMR made up for
the cost components.
o Vehicle Operating Costs – Speed based operating costs for road based on
National Planning Department (NPD), Cost of LRT and railway from
ComTrans study
o Value of Time Costs – values determined by NPD in 1999 and updated and
used in Colombo Metropolitan Region Transport Master Plan (MoT/UoM
Study).
o Accident Costs - values determined by NPD in 1999 and updated and used in
Colombo Metropolitan Region Transport Master Plan (MoT/UoM Study).
o Emission Costs - values determined by NPD and updated and used in
Colombo Metropolitan Region Transport Master Plan (MoT/UoM Study).
31
Table 5: Aggregate Outputs of Demand Model for Megapolis Project Scenarios
32
2.2 Updated Demand Assessment
The initial demand estimation was done with scenarios considered under the Megapolis
Masterplan development where the speed of the boats was assumed as 25 kmph. However, it
was decided that the maximum permitted speed of the boats on the Wellawatte Canal in
particular should be 7 to 10 knots (13 kmph to 18.5 kmph) considering the strength of the
canal banks. Since passenger demand is directly correlated with the speed of the boats, the
demand was remodelled for the same project scenarios, same fare, but at an operational speed
of 18 kmph. In addition, an additional jetty location at Koswatte (1-ST9) for IW1 was
identified making it 9 jetty locations for IW1. The complete lists of jetty location are as
follows.
Wellawatte – Battaramulla Line (IW1)
1. Marine drive – Wellawatte/(1-ST1)
2. St.Peters College (In between Duplication Road and Galle Road (1-ST2)
3. Havelock Road near Royal Institute (1-ST3)
4. Baseline Bridge (1-ST4)
5. Open University Bridge (1-ST5)
6. Bridge at Nawala Road (1-ST6)
7. Diyatha Uyana (1-ST7)
8. Sethsiripaya (1-ST8)
9. Koswatta (1-ST9)
Fort- Union Place Line (IW2)
1. Lake House (2-ST1)
2. Fort Railway Station (MMTH) (2-ST2)
3. Lotus Tower (2-ST3)
4. Union Place (2-ST4)
The following figures 13, 14 and 15 illustrate the projected demand for both lines IW1 and
IW2 for the years 2020, 2025 and 2035 respectively at an average operating speed of
18kmph.
33
Figure 13:Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2020 at an av. speed of 18kmph
34
Figure 14: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2025 At An Average Speed of 18kmph
35
Figure 15: Total Inland Water Passenger Demand for 2035 at an av. speed of 18 kmph
36
Travel time is a critical factor in determining the demand for a transport mode. When speed
decreases, travel time increases and therefore a reduction in the demand can be seen when the
operational speed drops to 18 kmph. A summary of the demand volumes given in the figures
13, 14 and 15 are listed in the Table 6 and 7 below.
Table 6: Daily bi-directional Passenger Volumes for IW1 at an av. speed of 18 kmph
Table 7: Daily bi-directional Passenger Volume for IW2 at an av. speed of 18 kmph
In addition, the station to station demand can be estimated. However, it should be noted that
care should be taken when using the numbers as the JICA STRADA model that has been
used has calibrated for master plan level and such finer level of information should be used
with caution. (Refer Table 8 and 9)
37
Table 8: Station to Station Demands for IW1 for Years 2020, 2025 and 2035 for updated demand analysis
38
Table 9: Station to Station Demands for IW2 for Years 2020, 2025 and 2035 for updated demand analysis
2.3 Ferry Capacity
The number of boats required for operation is a function of the headway of the service, the
capacity of the boat and the stoppage time at the jetties. The round-trip time for IW1 is
approximately 100 minutes with operation speed of 18 kmph and 30-minute total stoppage
time at jetties. The Table 10 shows the number of boats required for operation of IW1. For
example, if 10 min frequency is provided (6 boat trips per hour per direction) provides a
bidirectional passenger capacity of 600 passengers per hour (with 50 passengers per boat).
The total number of fleet would be 10 boats.
Table 10: Fleet Requirement for IW1
Headway of the boat(min)
No: of boat trips per hour per direction
Round Trip Total time(min)
Req. Total Fleet Size
Bi-directional Passenger Capacity per hour
5 12 100.6 20 1200
10 6 100.6 10 600
15 4 100.6 7 400
20 3 100.6 5 300
30 2 100.6 4 200
Round trip time includes travel time plus stoppage time at jetties
39
The navigational path in Fort-Union Place line(IW2) is 2 km in length and it has a round trip
time of 24 minutes with an operation speed of 18 kmph and 11-minute stoppage time at
jetties. The table 11 given below provides the fleet requirement needed for IW2 for different
headways between boats.
Table 11: Fleet requirement for IW2
Headway of the boat(min)
No: of boat trips per hour per direction
Round Trip Total time(min)
Req. Total Fleet Size
Bi-directional Passenger Capacity per hour
5 12 24 5 1200
10 6 24 3 600
15 4 24 2 400
20 3 24 2 300
If a 15-minute (4 boat trips per hour per direction) frequency is considered, it will cater for a
total bi-directional capacity of 400 passengers per hour (with 50 passengers per boat). Then it
would need one boat per direction.
2.4 Start-up Demand for 2017
The operation of the service is considered for year 2017, therefore an estimation of the
demands for starting year is important. Further, the year 2020 estimates in the previous
section is with consideration of other major infrastructures such as railway electrification and
LRT lines in operation. The demand would be much higher if the other public transport
developments are not operational. However, the model is not setup to estimate year 2017
therefore a scenario was run to estimate year 2020 with only IW1 and IW2 been operational.
Table 12 and Table 13 shows the demands for year 2020 with only inland water transport in
operation and start up 2017 demand has been estimated as 20% of the year 2020 demand,
where only IW1 and IW2 will be implemented without the other projects outlined in the
Masterplan.
40
Table 12: Year 2017 Demand for IW1
Table 13: Year 2017 Demand for IW2
41
3. STRUCTURAL CAPACITY IDENTIFICATION OF RELATED WATER BODIES
3.1 Current Infrastructure Status of Wellawatte- Battaramulla Line (IW1)
The canal stretch from Battaramulla to Wellawatta can be segmented into two as Kotte Canal
(8730 m) and Wellawatta Canal (1886 m). This route passes several overhead structures, nine
(9) Highway Bridges, two (2) Railway culverts, one (1) Railway Line and two (2) water lines.
The Baseline Bridge and Open University Bridge near Lanka Walltiles has the minimum
overhead height and it was considered in determining the maximum permitted boat height.
The soffit levels of overhead structures are given in Table 14.
Table 14: Soffit levels of overhead structures along the IW1
Location Overhead Structure type Soffit level (m MSL)
1-ST1: Wellawatta Marine Drive
Bridge 2.850
Railway Culvert (New) 2.654
Railway Culvert (Old) 2.535
1-ST2: Wellawatta, Galle Road
Bridge 6.363
1-ST2: Wellawatta, Duplication Road
Bridge 3.946
Water Line 4.037
1-ST3: Havelock Road Bridge 2.388 to 3.345
1-ST4: Base Line Road Bridge 2.606
Railway line 4.03
1-ST5: Open University, Near Lanka Walltiles
Bridge 2.550
1-ST6: Open University, 176 Road
Bridge 3.266 to 4.096
1-ST7: Sri Jayawardenapura Mawatha, Near Dominos Pizza
Bridge 3.715
Water Pipes 2.755
Polduwa Bridge Bridge 4.044
42
Source: Survey conducted by SLLRDC for the current study
Use of IW1 for passenger transportation was started in 2011 by Sri Lanka Navy with the
assistance of Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation. It was targeted to
cater the transport needs of the students of Open University at Nawala, Nugegoda to
Wellawatte and extended the service from Wellawatta to Battaramulla along the Kirulapone
Canal. Several jetties were constructed to facilitate the passenger transportation as well as to
provide the access for the canal and bank maintenance purposes. The Megapolis Transport
Master Plan has identified 8 jetty locations. Later it was extended up to 9 pier locations
considering Koswatta, Battaramulla.
3.2 Land availability for boat stations and other development 3.2.1 Wellawatte - Battaramulla Line (IW1)
Jetty locations were selected by considering the existing and prospective land uses, passenger
demand accessibility to the land and land availability. The land ownership is either state or
private (refer Table 15). The state-owned lands are either under the custody of SLLRDC (for
retention or development purposes) or UDA owned. In brief, expected land blocks at ST2,
ST3, ST5 and ST6 jetties are under the SLLRDC custody while ST7 and ST8 are under UDA
custody. Land acquisitions should be done for ST1, ST4 and ST9 as there are no available
state lands in near proximity. Therefore, it is recommended to initiate the implementation of
said project at SLLRDC owned locations and gradually expand to the other areas as well.
43
Table 15: Summary of land ownership of proposed jetty locations
Jetty Location Land ownership Land
extent
(Perch)
Current land use
Wellawatte (Marine Drive) /
(1-ST1)
Private, (need to
acquire the Canal
bank reservation)
4 Railway station, Beach
wadiya, KFC, Kandoori,
Ozo, Global towers,
Hotel and Apartment
Next to St. Peter’s College (1-ST2)
State (Canal bank
reservation)
100 St. Peters College,
Kingston College
International, BCAS
City Campus, Muslim
Ladies College, Hindu
College, Golden Gate
(Restaurant), St Peters
and Cooray Grounds
Havelock Bridge (1-ST3)
State (Canal bank
reservation)
35 Havelock city, Lumbini
College, Royal Institute,
Amal International
School, Isipathana
College, Royal Burger
(restaurant), CCC,
Hendry (grounds),
Badra Kali amman
Kovil
44
Baseline Bridge (1-ST4)
No available lands,
need acquisition/
recommends
floating jetties
- Lanka Hospitals, IPM,
Sakura Restaurant Tea
Talk, Hotel Sansu
(Restaurant), Shalika
Grounds, Govt Service
Sports Club, Sri Maha
Bodi Vihara
Open University Bridge (1-ST5)
State (Canal bank
reservation)
11 Open University Hostel,
ETF Board
Nawala Bridge/ (1-ST6)
State (Canal bank
reservation)
40 Open University
Entrance, Chinese
Dragon Café, Tile shops
Ethul Kotte Bridge (1-ST7)
State (Canal bank
reservation)
20 Waters’ Edge Park,
KFC, Café Beverly,
Freshies, Fashion Bug,
Residencies: Lakewind,
Diyawanna
45
Sethsiripaya (1-ST8)
State (UDA) 100 Sethsiripaya, Dept of
Immigration and
Emigration,
Koswatta/ (1-ST9)
Private (need to
acquire the Canal
bank reservation),
recommend
Floating Jetties
20 Asoka College
Playground, Diyawanna
Rowing Club
Initiation of jetty construction at five SLLRDC owned locations will accelerate the
implementation of the project while the necessary agreements between UDA and land
acquisition should start immediately to run the project smoothly without interruptions.
Since the distance between Galle Road and Duplication Road along the Wellawatta canal is
nearly 300m, it is proposed to construct a common jetty (1-ST2) to give the access to both the
roads. Further, a pedestrian route should be introduced along the canal bank of Right Bank to
link the said two main roads.
The Bathymetric Survey conducted in this canal stretch has revealed that approximately
75,000 m3 should be dredged to maintain the -1 m MSL bed level (Annex 1).
3.2.1.1 Water level limitations along IW1
According to the water level variation, Open University Bridge location and Wellawatta
Bridge location are critical, because Wellawatta has the most frequently recorded minimum
water level (+0.1 m MSL) and Open University bridge has the minimum soffit level (+2.55 m
MSL). According to the water level variation for 2015 to 2016 (Table 16) the boat service
may not available for a total of 40 days per year.
46
Table 16 Flood level frequency
Flood Level Range (m MSL)
Frequency (days/year) At St. Peters Wellawatte Open University(near
Lanka Walltiles) Below 0.1 2 0 0.1-0.19 27 30 0.2-0.29 145 99 0.3-0.39 123 129 0.4-0.49 48 77 0.5-0.59 11 8 0.6-0.69 6 12 0.7-0.79 2 6 0.8-0.89 0 3 Above 0.9 1 1
3.2.1.2 Suggestions for an effective transport solution along IW1 The sustainability of any passenger transportation project depends on how well the service
caters to the passenger needs. Such needs include the main requirements such as access to
information, food and beverage, communication opportunities, access to Fast- moving
Consumer Goods etc. Table 17 summarizes the possible commercial activities which could
be introduced to facilitate the water based passenger transportation.
Table 17: Proposed commercial developments along IW1
Station Name Land (Perch)
Services
Food Court
Mini/ Super Market
ATM Toilet Facilities
Information Center
Bookshop
Textile Shop
Salon Photocopy Center
Marine Drive (1-ST1)
4 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
St. Peters (1-ST2)
100 √ √ √ √ √ √
Havlock (1-ST3)
35 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Baseline (1-ST4)
- √ √ √ Open University (1-ST5)
40 √ √
Nawala (1-ST6)
11 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Diyath Uyana (1-ST7)
20 √ √ √
47
Sethsiripaya (1-ST8)
100 √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Koswatta (1-ST9)
20 √ √
3.2.2 Fort-Union Place Line (IW2)
Being located at the heart of the Colombo city, Beira Lake has the potential to create
considerable demand along the lake and its waterfront for for commuter transportation and
recreational activities. Along IW2, there are 4 proposed jetty locations. These locations will
be developed as outlined in the Beira Lake Restoration Master Planning Project. The project
has identified the most effective land use to the area (see Figure 16).
48
4. INITIAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ASSESSMENT 4.1 Environmental impacts of Inland water based passenger transportation
There are a number of environmental considerations to evaluate. On the one hand, water is a
scarce resource in the country and thus use of water for transportation is difficult to justify.
However, the counterbalancing argument is that the IWT is considered an environment
friendly mode of transport versus other modes of transport. The main reason for this is the
low fuel usage and low pollution from emissions. Water based transportation could be made
into a benign form of transportation through the adoption of appropriate environmental
safeguards. Since the transportation will take place within existing canal system there will be
minimal social impacts due to involuntary relocation of people. The potential environmental
issues that should be mitigated in the implementation of this system can be categorized as
follows.
1. Bank Erosion
2. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation
3. Species disturbance and displacement.
4. Pollution
Pollution occurring as a result of water based transportation can be classified into the
following; operational oil pollution, solid waste disposal, accidental spills, air pollution,
pollution occurring at a jetty, channel construction maintenance and threat to non-indigenous
aquatic species
The adoption of precautionary measures for each of the above-mentioned impacts is
relatively simple and straightforward.
Regulatory Requirements on Environment: Depending on the components of the proposed
project an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Initial Environmental Examination
(IEE) may be required to be carried out according to the Terms of Reference issued by the
Central Environmental Authority. As the potential environmental issues arising from the
project are minimal and not of a serious nature, an Initial Environmental Examination will
suffice for this purpose. However, the final decision in this regard has to be made by the
49
Central Environmental Authority.
There are several ways in which the project could be made environmentally friendly. These
include the use of solar powered boats or electric boats rather than using diesel powered
boats. This will minimize the risk of oil pollution of the canals. The use of solar power will
also reduce the carbon footprint of the project thereby making it attractive to visitors and
tourists in particular.
Proper management of waste arising from the service, including the large number of the
commuters using the facility is crucial. Arrangements should be made to have sufficient
waste disposal receptacles at all boat stations as well as inside the boats. Facilities should be
available for waste separation, and plastic, glass, paper and biodegradable waste including
food waste should be collected in separate bins thus enabling recycling of such waste.
It is also essential that the optimum number of boats and passengers allowed within the canal
system be decided after careful consideration of the carrying capacity of the environment.
The maximum allowable speed of the boats should also be strictly enforced in order to ensure
safety of the passengers as well as to minimize damage to the canal banks. During the field
visits, it was noted that the canal bank along the border of Kotte Marsh remains earthen and
unprotected. These banks should be protected with soft engineering techniques and riprap
bank construction methods.
50
Figure 16: Unprotected canal banks at Kotte Marsh Border
Along IW1, the Kotte Canal up to Nawala Open University (1-ST6) has a good water quality,
however, from Nawala (1-ST6) to Wellawatta (1-ST1) canal, water quality reduces as there
are many waste water inlets.
51
Figure 17: Water Quality status of Canals in the CMR (Source: MCUDP)
The whole IW1 canal stretch is occasionally covered by floating weeds (Alien Invasive
plants) such as Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, and Hydrilla Spp. The SLLRDC
currently manage such weeds manually by collecting the plant life. Continuous circulation of
water in the system will serve to hinder the growth of such species in the canal.
52
Figure 18: Manual collection and control of weeds
4.2 Social impacts of Inland water based passenger transportation project
Being located in a highly-urbanized area, the IW1 route passes through a wide range of land
uses from residential to commercial, state to private land ownerships, from organized to
unorganized settlements etc. At present the canal stretch near Kotte Marsh is used for small
scale fishing and such activities might be disrupted due to the implementation of a passenger
ferry service along the canal. Additionally, the wake and sound produced by the ferries will
cause a disturbance to residents along waterfront. Therefore, it is recommended to develop
engagement initiatives such as community groups, to get them involved with the project such
that project benefits are shared among them as well. These benefits might be the security
facilities, enhanced transportation connectivity, water quality improvements or even the
opportunities for new commercial endeavor.
53
Figure 19: Routine fishing in Kotte canal
54
5. PRELIMINARY BOAT DESIGNS AND SPECIFICATIONS
The preliminary designs and specifications were evaluated under,
● Boat designing and constructions
● Loading unloading points, pier construction and crossing bridges construction
5.1 Boat Design
Demand assessment, boat type and capacity identification and economic analysis are
interrelated and iterative. It was necessary to determine the preliminary dimensions of the
boats based on economic analysis in order to minimize boat fares within the constraints like
canal width, water depth, clearances of the bridges etc. Therefore, the following information
was considered for the boat design -
a. Route distance, loading and unloading points and their distances.
b. Maximum operational speed
c. Water depth profile and whether dredging is needed based on bathymetric survey
d. Draft limitation based on loading capacity
e. Boats propeller type (inboard propelled or outboard propelled)
f. Fuel type (Diesel or Petrol)
g. Direct engine power for propelling or hybrid power system
h. Whether to limit the transportation system up to Open University depending on
clearance of the Open University Bridge.
i. Need for an adjustable roof and minimum roof height to be maintained
j. Whether Air conditioning is possible with adjustable roof.
k. Maximum allowable length of the boats depending on maneuverability requirement
l. Availability of passengers whether to consider peak hours passenger flow separately
or assumption of constant passenger flow throughout the day.
m. Cost of insurance depending on the boat size and number of passengers
n. Whether the hull to be Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) or steel.
o. Safety equipment to be carried in the boat.
55
5.1.1 Design approach to boat’s capacity estimation
Usually in maritime transportation and analysis, capacity of a vessel is determined based on
vessel’s design model integrated with transportation model as the economic size of a vessel
will depends on
● Route and port characteristics (Route distance, number of ports, loading unloading
time)
● Passenger availability (Limited or unlimited)
● Number of vessel intend to operate
● Dimensional variables (Length, Breadth, Depth etc.)
● Fuel and Insurance cost etc.
Capacity required to carry certain number of passengers can be defined by the length, breadth
and depth of the boats. However, their exact dimensions would affect the costs of building
and operation in the following way.
1. Length
Building cost is proportional to the length of a vessel and at the same time length x breadth
can be proportional to the number of passenger that can be carried. As the length/ breadth
ratio increases water resistance per unit weight decreases whereas increase in same ratio
weaken the stability of the vessel. At the same time length of the vessel can be limited based
on available canal breadth for easy maneuverability.
2. Breadth
Decrease in breadth is beneficial in reducing the resistance to operate and has to be limited
depending on the minimum stability requirement. At the same time, it is advisable to take the
number of lane of seated passengers and canal breadth into consideration and decide on the
breadth of the boat for comfortable maneuverability and cost effectiveness.
3. Draft and Depth
56
Operating draft has to be limited as the canal depth is around 1.5m. Further the stability will
depend on the operating draft as well. Increase in depth will increase the center of gravity of
the vessel and again weaken the stability. Therefore, correct hull form has to be selected
based on the numbers accommodation deck intended to design. For canal operation number
of accommodation deck has to limited to one and at the same time it has to be as low as
possible because of the underneath clear height of bridges.
However, for Beira lake operation, catamaran hull with two deck accommodation can be
considered as a more economical design. Catamaran hull would give additional stability even
with increase in number of decks and also less resistance.
4. Modeling
When total cost (building and operating cost) is modeled with basic dimensions (based on
number of passengers) as variables, the optimum dimensions can be found for minimum
operating boat fare within the constraints like stability requirements and route port
characteristics. Passenger availability, fuel cost, insurance cost, maintenance cost would also
become part of the operating cost model. In this analysis, maximum operating speed can be
limited as this would affect canal bank erosion.
Number of trips per annum/ day will depend on the number of stations/jetties and the time of
boarding and alighting and also on the availability of passengers. Number of trip per day will
also be directly proportional to the revenue. Therefore, optimum boat size and its dimensions
could be determined to minimize boat fare. At the same time influence of uncertain
parameters like fuel cost, insurance, availability of passengers could also be further studied
for future.
Maximum number of passengers to be carried in a boat can be fixed to 30 or 40 and the
vessel’s dimensions can be found to minimize the boat fare. This option would be easy to
arrive at dimensional variable with less calculation.
5.1.2 Design and Construction of the boat
a. Hull design
Type of hull will depend on the basic dimensions selected and the number of accommodation
57
deck and any other constraints as mentioned above.
For Battaramulla- Wellawatte Canal - A single hull, shallow draft, narrow boat will be
suitable based on the canal characteristics and limitations. As the clear height between water
level and underneath bridges are limited around 7 ft, catamaran vessels cannot be used as the
vessel height become more than 9 ft due to the floor of the boat has to be placed over the
deck. The most suitable hull type would be single hull with straight sides in order not to
develop excessive waves when boat is moving. The bottom can be almost flat with very low
deadrise angle. Shape of the hull is recommended to be semi-displacement with round bilges.
In this case floor of the boat can be below the waterline so that boat height above the
waterline can be minimized.
For Beire Lake a double hull catamaran vessel can be utilized as there is no limitation on the
boat height. Catamaran hull has advantages over the single hull on stability and deck area of
the vessel. However, floor of the boat would be above two hulls. Vessel can de designed to
carry more passengers with two narrow hull that minimizes resistance to movement and with
very good stability. Roof top can also be used for standing passengers when there is no rain.
The minimum boat height would be around 11 ft and part of the hull above waterline could
be more than 8ft.
b. Hull material
Steel hull can be constructed as one-off construction. Usually steel is corrosive but can be
controlled with application of epoxy marine paints. If the hull to be constructed with FRP, a
mould has to be developed and constructed. Steel hulls heavier than FRP hull and resistive to
damages due bang on piers and banks. FRP hull is more prone to damages than steel hull but
non-corrosive. Aluminium can also be used as hull material but the cost of construction may
be slightly higher compared to FRP.
c. Interior Design
Interior design should be made so attractive to passengers and hence stained hardwood
designs may be low cost and easily constructive. But the weight is considerable compare to
any other material. There are other options like use of veneer board with plywood and also
FRP boards also suggested.
58
Seats can be made out FRP so that those are resistive to water ingress. The other option is to
fix cushion seats with non-soaking material for cushions with water resistive fabric covers.
Framing of the cushion seats may be with stainless steel tubes.
There has to be neat lavatory facilities in the boat with storage for waste collection. Floor of
the boat should be non-slippery even when the floor is wet.
5.1.3 Engine and Propelling System
a. IC Engines
Engines can be either inboard mounted or outboard mounted. Outboard mounted engines are
lighter and small compared with inboard engines of same power. Outboard engines operate
either on petrol or kerosene. Inboard engines are heavy and work on diesel fuel. Transom
shape of the boat would also depend on the kind of engine to be mounted, influence of flue
gas and carbon emission need to be taken into consideration as well.
b. Electrical Motor Driven
Propellers can be driven by electrical motors and need to have power generation unit in the
boats. This would give rise to less emission if the generator is run at a one constant speed to
generate the power. Motor speed control unit should be reliable to have uninterrupted
operation. This method can lead to less sound pollution.
c. Roof
As already envisage, adjustable roof to be fitted with the boat in order to adjust the roof
height when boat passes underneath some of the bridges. This mechanism is possible with
hydraulic system to lift and lower the roof when necessary. This system should operate
smoothly and can be fitted with adjustable stainless steel tubes to support the roof. Roof
material can be either FRP or aluminum sheets strength with necessary stiffeners.
d. Air Conditioning
Air conditioning will be easily possible with adjustable roofing arrangement and hence
recommend to build the prototype as an AC boat.
e. Safety equipment
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Life jackets should be available underneath of the seat or in front of the seats. Number of life
jackets should be adequate and additionally there has to be sufficient number of life rings.
The proposed model of the mono-hulled boat for Wellawatte- Battaramulla Line (IW1) and
its specifications are shown in Figure 20 and Table 17 and 18 below.
Front View Side View
Internal Design of the vessel Figure 20: Boat Design for IW1
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Table 18:Boat Specifications for IW1
Basic Dimensions
Length Overall 12.00m
Beam Overall 3.063m
Design Draft 0.400m
Loaded Displacement 9.276 tonnes
Passenger Capacity 53
Design Hydrostatics
Block Coefficient 0.6766
Prismatic Coefficient 0.8262
Waterplane Coefficient 0.9263
Vert. Prismatic Coefficient 0.7304
Wetted Surface Area 35.945 m2
Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy 5.320m
Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy -1.781%
Vertical Center of Buoyancy 0.241m
Length on Waterline 10.918 m
Beam on Waterline 3.063 m
Waterplane Area 30.975 m2
Waterplane Center of Floatation 5.221 m
Transverse Moment of Inertia 22.459 m4
Longitudinal Moment of Inertia 274.43 m4
Initial Stability:
Vertical of Transverse Metacenter
2.723 m
Transverse Metacentric Radius 2.482 m
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5.1.4 Resistance and Power calculations Table 19:Final calculations of resistance and power by Mercier and Savitsky's method
Vs R_f R_r R_t Pe [kn] [kN] [kN] [kN] [kW]
9.34 0.952 8.290 9.241 44.39 Vs- Ship speed (knots) 9.89 1.057 9.850 10.907 55.47 R_f - Frictional Resistance (kN)
10.44 1.169 10.745 11.914 63.96 R_r - Residual Resistance kN) 10.98 1.285 11.066 12.350 69.79 R_t - Total Resistance (kN) 11.53 1.406 11.222 12.628 74.93 12.08 1.532 11.610 13.142 81.69 Pe- Effective Power (kW) 12.63 1.663 12.312 13.976 90.82 13.18 1.800 13.096 14.896 101.01 13.73 1.941 13.450 15.391 108.72 14.28 2.087 13.381 15.468 113.63 14.83 2.238 13.013 15.251 116.34 15.38 2.394 12.748 15.142 119.79 15.93 2.555 12.535 15.090 123.64 16.48 2.720 12.387 15.107 128.05 17.03 2.891 13.030 15.921 139.44 17.57 3.066 14.720 17.786 160.81
Power to be installed = 140kW to achieve 12 knots The double hull Catamaran boat and its specifications which is proposed for IW2 is shown in
the following figure.
Front View Side View
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Side View
Figure 21Boat Design for IW2
63
Table 20: Preliminary Design of Catamaran Passenger Boat
Basic Dimensions
Length Overall 12.90m
Beam Overall 5.00m
Design Draft 1.0
Loaded Displacement 18.2 tonnes
Passenger Capacity 125
Design Hydrostatics
Block Coefficient 0.3195
Prismatic Coefficient 0.8545
Vert. Prismatic Coefficient 0.7345
Wetted Surface Area 99.825 m2
Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy 4.258m
Longitudinal Center of Buoyancy -13.780%
Vertical Center of Buoyancy 0.553m
Waterplane Area 25.578 m2
Waterplane Coefficient 0.4349
Waterplane Center of Floatation 4.621m
Y Coordinate of Dwl Area Cog 0.000 m
Half Entrance Angle of Dwl 0.014 degr
Transverse Moment of Inertia 61.557m4
Longitudinal Moment of Inertia 357.65m4
Initial Stability
Vertical of Transverse Metacenter 2.723 m
Transverse Metacentric Radius 2.482 m
Longitudinal Transverse Metacenter 20.698
Test Stability Coefficient 10.561 if >= 0.8
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Table 21: Resistance and Power calculations
SPEED R_F R_R R_T EFFECTIVE POWER
[KN] [KN] [KN] [KN] [KW]
7.97 2.1 1.4 3.5 14.4
9.21 2.7 1.5 4.3 20.2
10.44 3.4 2.1 5.6 30
11.68 4.2 3.9 8.2 49.1
12.92 5.1 6.5 11.6 76.9
14.16 6.1 8.7 14.7 107.3
15.4 7.1 9.8 16.8 133.2
17.87 9.3 10.1 19.5 179
18.37 9.8 11.3 21.1 199.1
18.87 10.3 13.4 23.8 230.7
Power to be installed to achieve 12 knots = 140 KW.
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6. INITIAL SAFETY AUDIT OF THE CANAL ROUTE 6.1 Health and Safety
Safety is an essential consideration throughout all stages of an inland water-based transport
scheme. There are diverse and detailed safety regulations, which should be incorporated into
the design, construction and operation of vessels, transport routes (e.g. lakes, canals and
waterways) and stations/jetties. The discussion of this topic can be broadly broken down into
regulations, design for safety, operational safety, water safety and security. A detailed
technical discussion needs to be carried out looking at all aspects of the transportation system
in order to make the system safe for the users of the system, crew and the general public that
are not direct users of the system.
6.2 Regulations
Similar to that of road-based transport systems, regulations for safety in boat transportation
are equally important for all facets of the systems. First and foremost, the primary legislation
covering safety in businesses in general needs to be looked at in order to determine the
applicable regulations. In order to ensure safety, entities such as the Municipal Councils,
Divisional Secretariats, Maritime Authority, Transport Authorities, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri
Lanka police and the National Institute of Occupational health and safety will have a role to
play. The rules and guidelines established by these authorities need to be taken into account
when setting up a boat transportation system for public transport. In addition, public safety, in
particular, water safety needs to be looked at in order to provide a safe and secure system that
includes all facets of a boat-based transportation system.
6.3 Designing for safety
The Design, Construction and Management related legal duties need to be in place for the
designers of the project to ensure that constructing, maintaining and dismantling of the boats
can be achieved safely. The layout and the construction of the boats need to ensure stability at
all times. Stability of the boats need to be checked for both tranquil and turbulent water when
the boat is least submerged (i.e. no load conditions) and fully submerged (i.e. extreme loading
conditions). In addition, the maximum pitch and roll angles permissible for the passenger
transport boats must be established and incorporated when designing the boats in order to
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provide a safe and comfortable ride for the customers. In this regard, incorporating drogues to
enhance stability can be an option if necessary.
When designing, relevant safety factors must be in place to suit different canal and loading
conditions to withstand both static and dynamic forces that will be acting on the boat in
general. Maximum speed of the boats is also another important consideration during the
design phase. Here, special emphasis should be given to the navigational safety of the boats
on the mainline canals. In order to fulfil the above conditions, material selection to construct
the different components of the boats becomes a key issue. Provision of safety features such
as emergency evacuation access ways (e.g. doors) is also important during the design and
construction phase of the passenger boats, for instance, the location and use of escapes in the
craft and the evacuation of passengers. In addition, it is advisable to have uniformity in the
boats being constructed, for example, the components, construction and the colour of the
body and interior. In general, rules and guidelines accepted by the international maritime
regulatory authorities and design standards must be adhered to at all times in the design and
construction phase. It is recommended to carry out a failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) by
the boat builder to ascertain the safety of the boats. These would ensure a safe boat-based
transportation system, which would be trusted by the intended users and regulatory bodies. It
is suggested that the boats must be equipped with the following list of items in order to make
the journeys safe according to the Ministry of Transport and Communication, Finland.
However, the list appropriate for the Sri Lankan boat transportation system needs to be
determined.
● Navigation lights ● Anchor light ● Anchor and cable ● Drift anchor ● Mooring ropes ● Towing rope ● Fenders ● Steering wheel and spare steering device ● Oars or paddle ● Boat hook ● Hand pump ● Bucket or bailer ● Signal horn
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● Fire extinguishers (Manual extinguishers complying at least with classes B and C) ● Life jackets for everyone on board ● Life buoy ● Lifeline (floating) ● Distress flares ● Hand-held lamp ● First-aid kit ● Compass ● Navigation charts ● Stern flag
When designing the boats and piers, the following aspects needs to be taken into
consideration for passenger safety and comfort. These have been incorporated into the
proposed designs.
Inclusion of handrails is essential as an aid to boarding and disembarking the boats. The
handrails need to be placed from the point of the seats to the point at which the passengers get
on to the pier. They have to be placed overhead and in the level of the waist for safe and easy
support inside the cabin. Railings also need to be in place outside the cabin area to prevent
passengers from falling overboard. Several examples are shown in Figure 22.
Figure 22: Guard rails for the passengers to hold to ensure safety
The passengers must be able to get into the boat and also disembark safely. In order to
facilitate this, adequate platforms and handrails need to be provided. Examples are shown in
Figure 23. As shown, it is possible to integrate the platforms with either the pier or the boat or
both.
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Figure 23: Protected platform for passengers to embark and disembark
Seats for the passengers need to be designed so that they provide safety and comfort to the
passengers. Seat dimensions can be determined using standard seat sizes used in passenger
boats for ease of design and construction. However, the seat height can be determined
through a user survey. If the seat dimensions are planned to be customized to the Sri Lankan
population, user anthropometric survey need to be carried out since the relevant data on the
Sri Lankan population is only available from a study carried out in 1982. This shortcoming
can be overcome to a limited extent by the anthropometric information of the Indian
population, which is published. The seat material can be treated wood with a waterproof
paint, laminated wood or polypropylene without cushions so that maintenance is easy. Using
the Sri Lankan data, the following seat dimensions were identified.
Seat height: 350-380 mm
Seat depth: 446-460 mm
Seat width: 331-360 mm
Backrest height: 873-949 mm from the floor
Leg space (seat pitch): 724-781 mm from the backrest
The floorboards of the boats need to be finished to have a non-slippery surface even when the
floor is wet. In order to facilitate this, granulated and chequered plates can be used to finish
the floor board. Application of non-skid paint is another method to avoid slippery floors.
These options are shown in Figure 24.
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Figure 24: Ensuring non-slippery floors
Pier design is also a very important aspect of the boat-based transport system. Every possible
step needs to be taken in order to prevent people from falling into water. Therefore, piers
need to be protected with railings with gates to facilitate passengers to get on board and
disembark the boats. Several examples of railings being employed in piers are shown in
Figure 25. However, an architectural design unique to Sri Lanka can be made for the current
application.
Figure 25: Pier designs with guard rails
The piers at open areas, especially terminals, can be arranged as shown in Figure 26 with
addition of railings for the safety of the passengers. Such terminal will be able to dock several
boats at a time. Shelter also need to be provided even to the access-way that leads to the pier.
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Therefore, this type of pier is suitable for locations such as Diyatha Uyana and Beira lake.
Figure 26: Pier suitable for terminals
Provision of adequate headroom is essential so that the passengers can stand safely without
striking the head on the roof of the boat. This is vital for efficient boarding and disembarking
the boats. This is especially important at the doorway to prevent injury. The mean stature of
the Sri Lankan male population is 1639 mm (s.d. 64 mm). The height (the linear distance
from the footboard to the ceiling) is best designed for a 95th percentile male in terms of
stature. This figure is 1746 mm for the Sri Lankan population. Therefore, the minimum
headroom that must be kept when designing the boat is 1746 mm. This means, 95 % of the
male passengers are able to use the boat without any difficulty. In addition, almost all the
females can use the boat without difficulty.
Figure 27: Headroom for passengers
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6.4 Operational Safety
Operators' responsibilities extend to everyone on the site including boating customers, casual
visitors, general public and staff. The safety of those with disabilities and people by the water
are equally important considerations in the modern-day context of boat-based transportation.
Guidelines and regulations, and signposts, displays, notice boards, flags and lights along the
waterways, safety equipment and training on correct practices/procedures for both operators
and passengers are put in place to ensure operational safety.
Risk Assessment is a key element to providing a safe environment. The safety of people at
the site that includes all areas of the boat transportation system is a fundamental aspect of the
design process. A risk assessment, at the design stage of the proposed activities at the site will
highlight features to be designed into the scheme. These could extend to, for example, pier or
pontoon, layout and sizes, lighting, access to facilities such as washrooms, service provisions
to boats such as fuel, segregation of vehicle parking, provision of life saving equipment, and
storage of hazardous substances. Once the site is built and operational, there should be a clear
safety policy and appropriate operating procedures (including inspection and maintenance)
informed by regular risk assessment.
Accidental drowning can usually be linked to one or more of the following factors: failure to
provide personal buoyancy equipment; failure of buoyancy equipment to operate correctly;
disregard or misjudgment of a hazard; lack of supervision, especially of the young; inability
to cope once a problem arises; the absence of rescuers and rescue equipment; and failure to
take account of weather forecasts. Falling unexpectedly, fully clothed into water, and trying
to swim or co-operate with rescuers, is often extremely difficult. In such situations, even
strong swimmers may experience problems. Where there is a risk of falling into the water and
drowning, it is essential to provide sufficient buoyancy to keep the person safely afloat. In
addition, clear and strict instructions need to be provided using different modes (e.g. mass
media, display posters and verbal instructions at the piers) for the passengers. It is also
essential to train the crew in order to help them provide a service focusing on safety of the
passengers. The necessity for a rescue team will also be necessary to provide a dedicated
service to the passengers.
In order to operate safely without collusions, a set of rules on water also need to be
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established. For example, to have speed limits (i.e 7- 12 Knots) , minimum (safe) distance (or
time lag) between two boats operating in the same direction, minimum (safe) distance
between two boats operating in the opposite directions, guidelines to keeping near to the right
or left hand bank (keeping near to the left may be more appropriate to align with the norm for
road-based transport system), right of way as the boats may tack (i.e. zig-zag) across the
water and to pass them as they move away and provide specific channels in some areas for
safety so that the boats must stay within the channels.
The maximum safe speed internationally is in the range of around 6.4 kmph (maximum speed
for narrow boats in the United Kingdom) to 15 kmph (Finland Saimaa canal regulation,
Ministry of Transport and Communication, Finland) based on the draught of the boat, breadth
and the depth of the canal and importantly, considering a minimum level of risk to safety of
passengers using the system. Such limits are imposed primarily because of erosion that take
place due to generated waves hitting the canal banks when boats are travelling. Thus, the
maximum speed limit for the Sri Lankan canals need to be established based on the draught
of the boats being used, width and the depth of the canals not forgetting the safety of
passengers. The design speed considered for Sri Lanka’s waterways is 18 kmph.
The speed also need to be regulated to reduce passenger discomfort due to motion sickness.
Furthermore, taking bends that are present along the canals and turning around at the ends
need to be carried out safely. Taking bends at the maximum permissible speed especially
when ripples are present can bring discomfort. Turning the boats fast at the endpoints, could
even damage the boats. Thus, speed regulation at the bends and end points need to be put in
place and collision of the boats with the banks and piers has to be avoided. It is suggested that
a rolling guardrail be provided at the endpoints (e.g. Wellawatta) for convenient and safe
turning of the boats without colliding with the banks. Although it is seldom used in passenger
boat transport systems, it can be advantageous to be used in the Sri Lankan context given the
condition of the canals. An example of guardrails used as a collision protection device in a
highway is shown in the Figure 28.
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Figure 28: Guardrails for turning
In addition, rules such as the following must be adhered to when operating and using a
boat-based transport system. For example, alcohol limits (preferably zero tolerance on
alcohol) for passengers need to be established. Drinking may make one more likely to fall in,
and reduce the chances of surviving if fallen. It may also affect the safety of others using the
service. Rules must also be set to force never to drink water from the canals, rivers or lakes
and not splashing it onto the face to cool down and if one gets wet, getting him/her to wash or
shower promptly; to wash and thoroughly dry any wet clothing before wearing it again; and
to keep away from water, which is discolored or where foam, scum or algae is present. Thus,
it is important to provide changing rooms/ washrooms with fresh water facilities at the piers.
Since water safety in operation is important, it is discussed below in a separate section.
The observed canals flow under several dangerously low bridges and pipelines. This can be a
threat to both design of the boat and health and safety of the boat users. Particularly during
the high tide, there can be a possibility of not having an adequate height clearance for safe
passenger transport. Therefore, it is suggested to take account of this when designing the
boats. In addition, structural changes to the bridges and overpasses, and pipelines are
suggested in order to make the canal transport safe throughout the year. For instance, raising
of the bridges and pipelines need to be carried out.
The flow in canals and the lake can change with the weather conditions. Most canals are calm
and smooth-flowing, but rivers can have strong streams, currents or, in some cases, tides.
Handling a boat in fast-flowing water takes special skill and good judgment. Furthermore, the
usual risks are magnified – a current makes collisions more likely. Therefore, the operators
must be trained to handle the boats under different flow conditions. They need to be provided
with training that complies with the international standards. In addition, there needs to be a
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set of signposts, preferably electronic messages, to indicate the operators regarding the canal
or lake condition at different places.
Flora and fauna is also a factor to recognize pertaining to health and safety. Thick vegetation
is present in the canals, Beira lake and along the banks. Sri Lanka being a tropical and fertile
country, rapid growth of this vegetation will be inevitable and it can be a threat to the
transportation system causing a safety hazard. With the vegetation, there is an abundance of
reptiles and other creatures such as monitor lizards and birds that will result in fear and hence
lead to a safety hazard. Therefore, measures need to be taken to keep the canals clear of
excessive vegetation and the animals at bay in particular at the piers.
The canals are surrounded by woodlands and shrubs. They are a haven for the numerous
species of birds in large numbers. Thus, the walkways, piers and boats can get littered by
elements such as tree leaves and bird droppings. In order to keep passenger areas litter and
germ free, regular cleaning (i.e. daily) will be required. This will also help to attract
passengers and also to prevent possible diseases being spread. A cleaning team is essential to
maintain the transport system in peak condition.
The fire extinguishers used in the boats and the piers must be approved by the Sri Lankan fire
brigade. The boats and piers have the risk of fire due to all classes of material except Class D
as shown below. Thus, it is advisable to carry appropriate fire extinguishers. Water fire
extinguishers are suitable for Class A fires, but they are not suitable for Class B (Liquid)
fires, or where electricity is involved. Although more expensive than water fire extinguishers,
foam fire extinguishers are used for Classes A & B fires. They are more versatile as well.
Foam spray extinguishers are not recommended for fires involving electricity, but are safer
than water if inadvertently sprayed onto live electrical apparatus. Dry powder fire
extinguishers are often termed the ‘multi-purpose extinguishers’, as they can be used on
classes A, B & C fires. They are best for running liquid fires (Class B) and will efficiently
extinguish Class C gas fires, but it can be dangerous to extinguish a gas fire without first
isolating the gas supply. Interestingly, special powders are also available for class D metal
fires. However, when used indoors, powder can obscure vision or damage goods and
machinery. Carbon Dioxide extinguishers are ideal for fires involving electrical apparatus
(Class E), and will also extinguish class B liquid fires, but has no post fire security and the
fires could re-ignite. Therefore, dry powder fire extinguishers (Blue colour according to BS
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5423) together with carbon dioxide extinguishers (Black colour according to BS 5423) need
to be made mandatory for the boats and piers. If the boats and piers are used for recreational
activities that involve cooking oil and fat (Class F), wet chemical fire extinguishers also need
to be available.
Class A: Solids such as paper, wood, plastic etc.
Class B: Flammable liquids such as paraffin, petrol, oil etc.
Class C: Flammable gases such as propane, butane, methane etc.
Class D: Metals such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium etc.
Class E: Fires involving electrical apparatus
Class F: Cooking oil & fat etc.
For passenger safety, slips and trips have to be avoided. In this regard, focus on mooring
ropes, bollards, holes and other hazards are essential. In addition, use of guard rails in piers
and boats, and not trying to jump from the boat onto the bank or piers are important. A
moving boat has the force to crush a person. Therefore, keeping people out of the way by not
allowing to fend off with one’s arms, legs or a boat pole and letting the fender take the
impact, not allowing to have ones’ legs dangling over the side, ones’ hands over the edge or
the head out of the hatch, and not allowing to be on the roof when underway are also
important. At the same time, it is essential to make sure that the boats are not made top heavy
by loading increasing the tendency to roll over. Standing together on the same side also
increases the risk of tipping the boat over. Thus, it also needs to be prevented by imposing
rules and regulations when occupying seats.
Passengers need protection from weather conditions such as sun and rain. Therefore, the
walkways, piers and boats need to have adequate shading and canopies. The walkways that
connect the other forms of transport systems and the piers need to have a natural (i.e. shading
trees) and/or an artificial (i.e. roof) canopy to provide protection to the passengers. The piers
need to be provided with roofs to protect the passengers from especially bad weather
conditions. The boats too need to be fitted with roofs to protect the passengers from elements
such as the sun and rain. In addition, adequate measures (e.g. louvers) need to be taken to
76
prevent passengers from being getting wet during rain due to wind.
6.5 Water Safety
Serious consideration must be given to water safety. The provision of life saving equipment
alone may not necessarily discharge the legal duties. Issues such as slip resistant surfaces on
piers, pontoons and walkways adjacent to the water, demarcation of edges (e.g. contrasting
colours & tactile surfaces), height of freeboard, the provision of a means of escape and a
method of preserving life whilst waiting to be rescued must all be considered. A
comprehensive water safety audit, which includes reports with advice on risk assessments
and operating procedures need to be carried out in this regard before commissioning the
system. Such audits are needed to identify any foreseeable hazard, assess the level of risk and
identify measures necessary to prevent or adequately control the risk. Where there is a
foreseeable risk of drowning, not controlled by other means, suitable personal buoyancy
equipment needs to be provided for the users of the system. Crew has requirements for their
own safety and will be expected to provide and wear suitable buoyancy equipment when
needed. Operators of boats will also need to consider provision of suitable buoyancy
equipment for use by members of the public who are not direct users of the transportation
system where necessary.
When selecting the correct personal buoyancy equipment, a number of factors such as
frequency of use, size/weight of the wearer, ability to swim, protective clothing in case of
foul weather, use of tool belts or other loads, likely weather/water conditions at site and
availability are of help. The final decision on the design and level of buoyancy needed
depends on the results of a suitable risk assessment and should only be made after discussion
with the supplier/manufacturer on the intended use. All relevant life saving appliances
(including lifejackets) should meet adequate standards and an enforcing authority such as the
Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) needs to be in place to check the quality standards of the
safety equipment.
There is a risk of any design of personal buoyancy equipment failing to operate correctly, or
at all, if it is not properly used and maintained. To minimize this risk, a policy to ensure
proper use, inspection, maintenance and storage of the equipment is needed. The maintenance
needs of the equipment are largely dictated by the method of achieving buoyancy and the
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environment to which it is exposed. The lowest maintenance requirements are on equipment
relying totally on permanently buoyant material. This will normally need only regular visual
checks to ensure the integrity of the outer cover, buoyancy material and fastenings. The
greatest requirements are on equipment, which relies entirely on manual or automatic gas
inflation as damage to the inflation chamber(s), inflation mechanism or gas cylinder could
result in total failure to provide buoyancy. Therefore, permanently buoyant equipment are
preferred to be used in the boat transport system.
If inflatable devices are used despite their disadvantages, there are a number of different
automatic inflation mechanisms in use to inflate lifejackets. However, they work on similar
principles. The automatic inflation mechanism consists of an automatic firing capsule, a
carbon dioxide gas cylinder and a fitting attached to the lifejacket that holds these two parts
in place. A substance that breaks down on contact with water, e.g. ‘salt’ or ‘paper ring’ is
used within the automatic firing capsule to hold back a spring loaded piston, which acts on a
sharp pin. If the mechanism comes into contact with the water, the ‘salt’ or ‘paper ring’
breaks down and releases the spring. The piston is forced forward by the spring and the sharp
pin pierces the cap of the gas cylinder and the lifejacket is inflated.
A thorough inspection and testing programme needs to be carried out for any type of
buoyancy equipment in accordance with manufacturer's’ instructions. Where lifejackets are
used heavily, e.g. by the boat crew, the periods between inspection may need to be shorter
than the quarterly inspection recommended by some manufacturers. As a general guide where
lifejackets are used daily, inspections on at least on a monthly basis may be necessary.
Inspection and testing need to be carried out by those competent in recognizing defects and
the remedial action to be taken. Records must be kept of all inspections and repairs made for
safety audit purposes.
6.6 Fuel Safety
All boat operators using petrol, and especially those who are new to boating, should
appreciate the nature of petrol vapor especially in the context of the bucket-like quality of a
boat cabin and hull. The fundamentals are that petrol, when spilt or exposed to open air, can
evaporate quickly and the vapor can be ignited easily by any source of fire such as a spark,
flame or cigarette. Even a small spill of petrol will create a large amount of vapor. Likewise
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when it is being poured and when a tank is being filled, the vapor in the ‘empty’ tank is
displaced by the new liquid fuel. Escaping vapor will sink to the lowest level of its
surroundings, accumulating at low level in places such as cabin floors, lockers, bilges and
other ‘still-air’ spaces. Continuous inhalation of petroleum vapor can cause health and safety
problems such as respiratory tract irritations, allergic reactions and long-term health effects
like cancer. Even if the concentration of vapor is too rich to ignite immediately, it will dilute
creating the potential for serious fire and/or an explosion, even though, given enough
ventilation, it may dissipate to a safe level eventually. Following are ten petrol safety
essentials that have been identified from the literature:
1. Checking the fuel system and engine for fuel leaks or any signs of damage or
deterioration of the fuel system before starting. Having any problems sorted out if
there are any.
2. Not switching on electricity or turning the ignition key on if there is a strong smell of
petroleum.
3. Immediate stopping of the vessel is necessary if there is a strong smell of petroleum
after starting the journey.
4. Keeping vapor out of the boat. Before refueling, closing all windows, hatches, doors
and awnings; also, turning off ignition sources such as cooking appliances.
5. Double checking the correct filling point before starting to pour fuel.
6. Making sure to re-secure the filler cap.
7. Cleaning up any spills immediately.
8. Avoiding decanting petrol from containers. If it is unavoidable, it is essential to use
anti-spill containers, spouts or nozzles to allow, clean and easy, no-spill refueling.
9. Not carrying spare fuel, unless it is needed. If it is carried, it must be in cans
specifically designed for petrol. Keeping within the legal capacity limits of cans is
also important.
10. Containers should be filled to the legal capacity limit and must be stowed securely
upright, away from intense heat and out of direct sunlight to prevent pressurization.
11. Refueling any portable engine or tank ashore and safely away from any sources of
ignition. Establish marina / mooring rules on petrol refueling and handling and always
follow them.
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12. Never use any bowl, bucket or other open container to carry or transfer petrol.
6.7 Security
Security is particularly important to customers or the passengers. Good design can limit the
potential for crime, vandalism and enhance personal safety. Good practice for designing out
crime from waterside environments is one initiative that can be formulated and implemented
with the boat transport system.
● Adequate lighting, security alarm systems and proper layouts can be designed into the
system in order to prevent crime and provide a secure environment to the passengers
at all times. National/International standards for lighting and security alarm systems
must be used in order to comply with the rules and regulations pertaining to public
transport and passenger boat operation.
● There needs to be a quick-contact number such as the one provided for the
expressways (i.e. 1969).
● A Crime Prevention Officer dedicated to the service. In addition, experts in crime
prevention can be part of the early design stages.
● Recruiting a team for security and maintenance of the entire system.
● A division of the Police and especially the Navy needs to be established in order to
ensure security, law and order.
● A life saver unit needs to be established to safeguard the users of the system. This
may be provided by the Police and the Navy or alternatively by the Sri Lanka
coastguards.
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7. PROJECT RISK
In addition to the health and safety related risks, the threats due to other potential risks need
to be evaluated. Such risks, which are uncertain events or conditions that can have positive or
negative effects on the objectives of the project can be categorized into political, economic,
social, technological, legal and environmental risks. The risks must first be identified. Once
identified, they must be analyzed. The analysis will lead to risk mitigation actions and
implementation plans.
7.1 Political Risk
The demand analysis for the project has been carried out based on the forecasted passenger
travelling scenarios for 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030. However, the transport policy can change
if the local authority, minister or government changes in the future. This has been the typical
situation in Sri Lanka with the governments that have been elected into power in the past.
The governments being elected tend to reject the predecessors’ policies and formulate new
ones. Thus, in order for the project to progress, the transport master plan has to be established
as the national transport policy for the Western Province irrespective of the changes in
political leadership.
The project is to be implemented initially with limited facilities, and with time, the facilities
are planned to be enhanced. This is to make sure that that project is successfully implemented
and to avoid any unforeseen major setbacks. Therefore, the government policy needs to be
conducive towards the project in general and its sustenance in particular. As such, sustained
allocation of funding adequate for the project and government patronage needs to be ensured
for the successful implementation of the project.
Acts of sabotage, slow progress and/or inefficient operations may push the project towards an
abrupt stop resulting in a failure. These can be promoted or manipulated by politically
motivated factions of the society. Again, this has been a feature in Sri Lanka in the past
where the opposition tends to oppose every project that the ruling party tries to implement
irrespective of their expected outcomes. Therefore, it is important to award the contracts to
reliable and impartial parties to develop infrastructure and carry out the operations. In
addition, transparency of the entire process needs to be guaranteed.
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This project can encounter opposition from other transport mode operators such as bus and
taxi operators envisaging potential drop in the demand for their modes of transport. Such
opposition can also be used by political opponents for their advantage and aggravate matters.
Therefore, the project needs to be guarded against such activities. Public awareness
campaigns through electronic and print media can be carried out in this regard.
In order to counter political risk for a project of this nature is to have strong and powerful
political vision and leadership to drive the project forward. Such backing could potentially
motivate the project executors. In addition, monitoring and controlling of the project by the
relevant authorities could effectively reduce the political risk. The stakeholders that will be
instrumental in the project success need be identified and they need to be empowered to drive
the project forward.
7.2 Economic Risk
Pricing of tickets in boat-based transport depends on the demand and the provided service
and the facilities. However, with the low demand during the initial period, the collection by
issuing tickets may not be enough for break-even. Therefore, the operator needs to be allowed
to supplement the income using other means such as recreational activities (e.g. tourism and
banqueting) given that the operator provides an agreed minimum level of service. This
minimum level needs to be established through consultation. This is the reason to carry out a
‘what if’ analysis based on the possible scenarios of demand.
Ticket pricing in other modes of transport may also affect the successful implementation of
the project. Most probably, the prices of other modes of transport will increase with time. As
a result, the prices in boat-based transport may become more feasible with time. However, a
formula needs to be established to determine the ticketing prices, i.e. ticketing formula. It
may be dangerous in the project viewpoint to decide the ticket prices in isolation without
giving due regard to the price of other modes of transport because all the modes of transport
are expected to operate in concert towards a common goal under the transport policy.
Therefore, intervention of the government authorities is seen as a must for the successful
implementation and sustenance of the project.
Changes in the exchange rates will affect the project outcomes as there are many facets of the
project that depend on foreign exchange. Therefore, managing the project as much as
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possible within Sri Lanka and by Sri Lankan organizations is advantageous. For instance, if
the boats are imported, the project may get boats that are not ideal for the Sri Lankan context.
At the same time, government taxes, dependency on foreign manufacturers can be
detrimental to the project. In order to avoid this, the boats can be manufactured using
resources in Sri Lanka. This will ensure the suitability of the boats to the Sri Lankan
conditions. This is also feasible as the boat building sector in Sri Lanka is very well
established with players like Dockyard. The knowledge required is also within Sri Lanka for
such endeavor that would ultimately lessen the economic risk.
Determining the direct cost involved with the boat-based transport project and comparing
against the income can reduce the feasibility of the project. It may show that the project is not
feasible at all. Thus, indirect costs and income also need to be considered in order to
determine the economic effectiveness of the project. Reduction of congestion, regular
maintenance of the waterways and enhancement of the appearance and security around the
waterways can be considered as economic benefits that the project has. The cost due to
congestion and the savings expected from the project therefore need to be estimated in order
to justify the economic feasibility of the project.
7.3 Social Risk
7.3.1 External
There may be cases of relocation of dwellings when trying to implement the project as the
project needs to construct jetties and access pathways. This is especially relevant in the case
of Beira lake based transportation system. Therefore, an effective resettlement plan needs to
be in place along with the project.
People are often seen fishing in the canals. In addition, there are existing boat operators that
engage in leisure activities in the lakes. The project therefore, can affect the livelihoods or
profits of such factions of the community. At the same time, the people who have property
along the banks of the waterways may be affected due to the frequent noise emitted from the
motor boats. This could affect the tranquil environment of such dwellings. Furthermore,
possibility of water pollution can also be considered as a threat. Thus, strict regulations need
to be imposed in order to maintain the noise levels and minimize the other types of
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disturbances such as operating at night with lights switched on and contamination of canal
water.
A boat service that will reduce the demand for other forms of transport is bound to
detrimentally affect the livelihoods of people such as three-wheeler operators and bus
operators. Such cases need to be identified and alternative measures need to be taken in the
long run. Providing employment to affected parties such as three-wheeler operators in the
boat-based transport project is one of the strategies that can be used. It would also reduce the
possibility of them opposing the project.
The travellers will be reluctant to use the boat service during the initial period due to the
general fear of water. Therefore, the general public needs to be educated. The boat design
needs to be explained. The safety features and the measures that have been taken to ensure
passenger safety comfort and security needs to be emphasized through media and other
sources. With time, people will get used to boat-based transport and time taken for this needs
to be minimized.
7.3.2 Internal
The project at its inception will have low demand and it is expected to increase with time. In
the initial period, the workers may get bored and frustrated with low amount of work. This
might result in high labour turnover and also lead to malpractices. Therefore, it is important
to decide the number of workers that need to be deployed in the project initially and increase
the number with the growing demand. In addition, facilities need to be provided for the staff
to have a trouble-free work environment.
7.4 Legal Risk
It is not possible to deploy a boat or any kind of vessel without the permission of relevant
government authorities. In order to do so, the boats must be constructed according to set
design standards. At the same time, the workforce need to be trained according to strict
guidelines, especially to act during times of turmoil. Therefore, permission need to be taken
from the relevant authorities in order to implement the project. At the same time, the
employees need to be trained so that they could take decisions quickly and promptly. This
also give rise to the need of boat permits (similar to vehicle revenue licenses and bus route
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permits) and insurance policies, which enables the boat operators to use the boats in a more
user-friendly manner.
The boats will require permanent members to work as pilots. Therefore, people need to be
recruited and then trained in order to transport passengers.
7.5 Environmental Risk
The boats emit noise both due to the engines and the water on which the boats operate. Lights
when operating at night will also be a cause of environmental risk. In addition, the water in
the canals will become turbulent. If there are spillages of fuel or oil, the water will get
polluted. These will affect the environment and both the flora and fauna around the
waterways will be at risk. At the same time, the dwellers by the side of the waterways will be
affected.
Boat-based transport is in general expensive than the other modes of transport. This is due to
higher consumption of fuel. This will be a cause of concern with respect to the environment.
Although the environmental cost is high, the economic benefits can be highlighted in order to
reduce the risk of social unrest considering the environmental cost.
7.6 Technological Risk
Efficiency of other modes of transport due to improvement of infrastructure facilities can be a
treat to boat-based transport. For example, construction of flyovers and widening of roads
will smoothen the traffic flow and the current bottlenecks will no longer be there. This will
make boat-based transport redundant.
If boats and other required equipment are imported, spare parts and repairing facilities will be
difficult to find. In addition, the imported boats may not be suitable for the Sri Lankan
waterway system. For example, the draft of the boats need to be low in order to manoeuvre in
shallow water and if a boat with a capacity of 50 is selected from the international market, the
draft may be too high. Therefore, it is advised to construct the boats within Sri Lanka to
reduce this risk.
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8. FINANCIAL VIABILITY
The financial feasibility study focuses on the IW1 route Wellawatta - Battaramulla and
utilises the demand projections assuming an 18 kmph speed. Demand inputs indicate the %
capacity that will be achieved in any given year. Revenue inputs are limited to ticket fare
revenue and advertising revenue. Other revenue streams (which can incorporate innovation
on the part of the private company - for example eco-tourism) are not modelled in this
reference model. The concession period is modelled as 15 years.
8.1 Demand Inputs
Demand flows are split by peak hour and off-peak hour demand. Usage trends (% of total
capacity) are assessed using these peak and off-peak demand projections. We assume that
standard service will require a boat every 10 minutes and therefore ferry transport capacity
within any given hour is 300 people per station.
Table 22 Peak Demand Hour-Single Direction
Table 23 Off-Peak Demand Hour-Single Direction
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Table 24 Usage Trend Projection
Occupancy rates during peak hour, assuming same service frequency are considerably higher
than at off-peak times. However, peak hours only constitute four hours of each day’s 16-hour
service, and therefore a weighted average calculation is appropriate.
Interestingly, 2017 baseline numbers indicate that usage is higher than in 2020 and 2025
projections. This is due to the baseline case taking into consideration the increase in transport
options as other projects currently under planning and construction are realized. However, for
the purposes of modeling, this usage rate is reduced to account for a ramp up period. We
assume 30% occupancy in 2018 (the first year of operation), 41% in 2019 and 52% in 2020.
After this, occupancy increases gradually in-line with demand analysis projections.
8.2 Baseline financial modeling
The financial model uses the pricing inputs used in the Demand Analysis. Here, the first km
is charged at Rs.12 and subsequent kms of the same trip are charged at Rs.4. We calculate a
total Rs. 88 revenue collection for a single seat from Wellawatte to Battaramulla (i.e. where
the entire length of the canal is traversed). This Rs.88 calculation is higher than the pricing of
a single Wellawatte-Battaramulla ticket (~Rs. 55) as we must take into account the average
trip length of 1.93km i.e. this distance would benefit from 5.5 ~2km trips. As such the total
fare revenue generated from this trip will be Rs.88 instead of Rs.55. The model also assumes
a 15-year concession beginning in 2018. The boat service is assumed to require a fleet of 10
boats that call at each jetty with a headway of 10 minutes.
Cost associated with the project are maintenance costs, operational costs, staff costs, boat
yard facility costs and initial set-up costs. Leverage is built-into the model with a 60/40
debt-to-equity split.
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The results achieved are as follows:
Table 25 Results of financial modelling
Projects that achieve above 20% IRR are considered financially viable. In this model, annual
passenger ferry ticketing revenues stabilize at ~Rs.82 million per year in 2020 and then
increase in line with demand projections and inflation. The model includes other revenue
generation to the amount Rs. 750,000 per boat (i.e. Rs. 7.5 million per year) . Other sources
of revenue that were not considered in this reference model are envisaged to be eco-tourism
etc.
8.3 Sensitivities
The basis of the fare structure are previous studies that established demand levels at this
pricing. This price maintains affordability for commuters and allows direct competition with
alternative modes of public transport. Any increases in price are likely to see counterbalances
in reduced demand.
If we make the strong assumption of fixed demand, we can conduct a sensitivity of the
impact of different single-journey revenue potentials on the project returns . The following
Single-Journey ticketing revenues would allow the passenger ferry service to achieve 20%,
25% and 30% IRRs independent of other revenue generation:
Table 26 Baseline Analysis
Excluding other revenues, the Single-Journey revenue for one seat would have to be Rs.97.96
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in order to generate a 20% IRR in this base case.
8.3.1 Price Sensitivity
Table 27 Price Sensitivity
Comparing this with other potential ticket prices indicates the range of ‘Other Revenue’ that
must be generated with a range of Single-Journey Ticket Revenue options. At Rs.100, the
equity IRR is self-sustaining. However, at below Rs. 100, some Other Revenues are required
to supplement the ticketing income.
8.3.2 Boat Price Sensitivity
Another area that is likely to provide some room to increase profitability for boat operators is
the boat cost itself. The boat cost is modelled at Rs. 45,000,000. Variation in this results in
different capex levels for the project and thereby alters returns significantly.
Table 28 Boat Price Sensitivity
A 10% increase in the boat price estimates results in a 3.1% reduction in IRR. Conversely, a
saving of 10% in the boat costs results in a 3.7% increase in the IRR.
Overall, making conservative assumptions for additional advertising revenues, and other
revenues, this project should comfortably target an IRR range of 20-25%. With private sector
innovation and scope to reduce costs, this IRR has the potential to reach 30%.
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9. INVESTMENT THROUGH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
9.1 Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT)
The Build Operate Transfer (BOT) approach is an option for the government to outsource
public projects to the private sector. Background, the first official private facility
development under the name Build Operate Transfer was used in Turkey in 1984, by Prime
Minister Ozal, as part of an enormous privatization program to develop new infrastructure.
However, the BOT approach was used as early as 1834 with the development of the Suez
Canal. This revenue-producing canal, financed by European capital with Egyptian financial
support, had a concession to design, construct, and operate assigned to the Egyptian ruler
Pasha Muhammad Ali.
Definition, In the BOT approach, a private party or concessionaire retains a concession for a
fixed period from a public party, called principal (client), for the development and operation
of a public facility. The development consists of the financing, design and construction of the
facility, managing and maintaining the facility adequately, and making it sufficiently
profitable. The concessionaire secures return of investment by operating the facility and,
during the concession period, the concessionaire acts as owner. At the end of the concession
period, the concessionaire transfers the ownership of the facility free of liens to the principal
at no cost.
BOT projects are very useful in bidding situations. By implementing these methodologies,
the company or the government can share the risk of the project. BOT projects include a wide
array of public facilities with the primary function to serve public needs, to provide social
services and promote economic activity in the private sector. The most common examples are
roads, bridges, water and sewer systems, airports, ports and public buildings.
9.2 Build, Operate, Own, Transfer (BOOT)
There are many factors that make BOOT attractive and suitable for governments as a project
delivery method includes stable political system, predictable and proven legal system,
government support for a project that is also clearly in the public interest, Long term demand,
limited competition, reasonable profits, good cash flows, predictable risk scenarios.
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Definition, Build-Own-Operate-Transfer is a founding model and a form of concession in
which a public authority makes an agreement with a private company (concessionaire) to
Design Build, Own and Operate a specific piece of an infrastructure such as power, transport,
water, and telecom industries, within receiving the right to achieve income from the facility
under a period of time (concession period approximately 15-25 years), and later transferring
it back into public ownership through a single organization or consortium (BOOT provider).
The earned income can be based on a variety of arrangements, ranging from a fixed annual
fee (flat rate) to the measured quantity supplied (unit rate) and "Take-or-pay" arrangements
are effectively two part tariffs expressed in a different manner. The objectives of BOOT s
participants including Government, Special Purpose Company (SPC), the Contractor, the
Lenders, the Operator, and the Sponsors are reducing the capital expenses and government's
role in build, operation and maintenance of infrastructures, making new jobs for unemployed
citizens and accountable atmosphere for a reliable and appropriate quality, providing
opportunities for a comparative or competitive climate and a sympathetic cost benefit for
both parties, introducing innovative and alternative technology.
In the current scenario, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) should construct fixed jetties as
match with the operator’s requirement and consideration. The investor should do boat
operation and boat yard construction.
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10. STATUS OF LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
10.1 Assess Current Laws, policies and Institutional Assessment
The SLLRDC Act with its amendments provides to have custody, management,
improvement, maintenance and control of canals and prevention of pollution of canals. A
Cabinet approval was obtained on specific environmentally friendly activities such as
passenger/cargo transport and recreational activities on canals for which on the advice of the
Hon. Attorney General has been obtained. The Cabinet has taken a decision to prepare
feasibility studies on each activity.
Further to that, Hon. Minister for Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development has
submitted a Cabinet paper on “Implementation of new Inland Water Transport System
through Private Public Partnership (PPP) System on BOO/BOOT/BOO Basis” and it was
approved by the Cabinet on 10.02.2016. The Cabinet has granted approval to implement the
proposal for new inland water transport system subject to findings of respective feasibility
studies. The care of waterways is a joint responsibility of the following institutions.
● Sri Lanka Navy
● Dept. of Irrigation
● Ministry of Environment & Renewable Energy (MERE),
● SLLRDC
The guidelines for the sustainable use of canals have been prepared by SLLRDC and it
should be updated before commencing the RFP stage. Issues such as mitigatory actions on
petroleum control, solid waste management, hazardous waste management, sewage
management gray water, boaters impact on aquatic fauna and flora, controlling invasive
plants, boat cleaning and service in the water, and generally, boat sizes, safety, insurance
coverage, and reliable communication system at an emergency with inland have been
discussed.
Further, following legislations will be review to develop the legal requirements relating to
project implementation:
● Environment Maintenance Unit to be formed - Central Environment Act
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● If bank erosion is taking place - Client should take immediate Action
● Maximum speed - with the permission of the SLLRDC
● Boat safety, insurance, - Boat Ordinance
● Approval from relevant stakeholders
● Parking facilities and other utilities – permission from UDA
● Safety of workers/visitors/passengers – Factories Ordinance, Wages Board, Laws &
by Laws of the Local Authorities
● Insurance coverage to indemnify the SLLRDC
● Sounds/erosions/ - Adhere Fauna & Floor Ordinance
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11. SUMMARY AND KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
According to the pre-feasibility study, the project as outlined is feasible to implement through
PPP. The jetty construction should be done with funding from the GOSL as it should be
shared by all permitted stakeholders. Ferry operation and ferry yard construction should be
conducted by the selected private party through EoI/ RFP process.
Single hull boats are recommended for IW1 and catamaran double hull boats for IW2.
Environmentally friendly ferries with minimum pollution are encouraged. It is expected that
boat specifications should be similar to the designs detailed in this report. Adjustable roofs
are suitable to address the limit of overhead clearance at certain points. For IW1, boats should
be operated in with a headway of ten minutes to address the demand. Other factors that were
highlighted by the pre-feasibility analysis include the following -
1. Insurance and other prescribed safety precautions are compulsory at operation. All the
safety precautions should be documented and displayed at operation. Navy rescue
point is necessary to be established.
2. Value additions to the service through more reliable ticketing, mobile phone apps,
Wifi facilities etc. should introduce at the implementation.
3. A market survey should be done in finalizing the service centers recommended at
pre-feasibility stage.
4. Regular canal maintenance plan should be developed based on the bathymetry survey
and dredging needs
5. Rectification of Gabion, commencement of soft banking and sand blasting treatments
for sheet piles are needed. According to the conducted Bathymetric Survey a total of
75,000 m3 to be dredged prior to the project implementation.
6. Water pipes at Ethul Kotte Bridge and Havelock Road Bridge should be lifted
immediately along with the implementation.
7. The minimum operable water level is 0.2 m MSL and maximum operable water level
is 0.7 m MSL. Under these limits, the boat service can be conducted only for 325 days
per year.
8. Diyatha Uyana should be considered as the starting point and sensors for real time
monitoring at every km along the route
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9. Community group should be addressed in advance to mitigate the social issues.
Efforts should be made to create a win win situation for the canal neighbors and
consumers.
10. Habitat creation for aquatic fauna at periphery canals around the route should be
immediately started.
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