Neduntheevu or Neduntivu, widely known as Delft Island is about as remote as it gets in Sri Lanka. Delft Island is located in the Palk Strait the area between India’s state of Tamil Nadu and the Northern part of Sri Lanka. Delft is a small and isolated island that was out of bounds to tourists for many years during the recent civil war, but remained mostly unaffected by major conflicts. It is the second largest island in the country. It is oval in shape and approximately of 50 square kilometers with a small population of Tamil people. Located approximately 10 kilometers away from the mainland is the magnificent Delft Island with rich history from the Chola Dynasty, Portuguese, Dutch and the British Colonial Period. The location is abounding in archeologically important heritage. Delft Island is accessible by water and air, and for tourists visiting and villagers the easiest is to travel by Ferry. The Road Development Authority operates Ferry services free of charge that can carry hundred passengers between the mainland and the Delft Island.

The exhausting but fascinating journey begins from KKD Jetty which is bridged to the Jaffna Peninsula. The time taken depends on the condition of the sea. Though most of the site that tourists visit may be within a small radius, with average temperature of 30-34^◦ C, it’s advisable to hire a trishaw, a lorry, scooter taxis, or tractors. The island has semi-arid tropical vegetation dominated by Palmyra palms, thorny shrubs and grasses that grows on the porous coral line soil. Archaeological remains from the island indicate that Delft has been permanently inhabited by people since early Anuradhapura period. So that it’s present vegetation has been significantly influenced by humans apart from climate and soil. Unique species present on the island are the baobab trees and feral Delft ponies, introduced by foreigners.

It is likely that the first settlers on the island cleared the land for agricultural purposes. The island is basked in bright sunlight and the grazing pressure from cattle of its early settlers, likely to prevent the native trees from regenerating. It appears that natural and human influences have contributed to the total destruction of the native vegetation of the island, as well as many of the indigenous tree species over time. At present, much of the land area of the island is used as pasture land, which is the predominant landscape. Residential areas occupy a quarter of the island, and are located in a section of Delft that is less vulnerable to floods, and fertile.

The island has a history of occupation by various foreign invaders from time to time. A few remnants from its colonial past, such as ruins of ancient buildings, ruins of a Portuguese and Dutch fort and ruins of south Indian Chola Dynasty, can still be seen along the western coast. Also are the stupas of the early Anuradhpura period. Delft has the largest human population of all the islands located around the Jaffna Peninsula. It had a population of around 12, 000 in the 1960, which declined to around 6, 200 in 1981. During the 1990’s, when the northern conflict was at its peak, many people were displaced from the island and had fled to India. In 2007, Delft had an estimated population of 4,124 persons, all of whom were Sri Lankan Tamils. Following the conclusion of the war in 2009, people have begun to return to Delft, gradually. Its current population is approximately 4, 800 belonging to 1, 468 families.

Tourism Potential of Delft Island

On the way to the Island, travelers can see several islands which are located in close proximity to the Jaffna Peninsula as well as Delft Island. Rich with marine life, the sea is an ideal location to be developed as a diving location. Delft is characterized by dense growth of grasses, a green carpet amongst the mixed thorn shrubs, covering larger part of the landscape. The grasslands provide food but subjects to trampling, salinity and drought. Dry pasture is essential to sustain the wild pony population, cattle and the multitude of bird species. The rest of the vegetation is comprised of Palmyra and coastal woodlands and home gardens, which contributes to the aesthetics of the island’s landscape.

Delft does not have a significant biological diversity, and there are no endemic plants.  Arab traders have introduced the exotic Baobab trees in ancient times. It consists a total of 146 animal species, a single butterfly species that is endemic.

Herds of wild ponies lure tourists to Delft. Its current population stands around 1000, this sizeable population was originally introduced by the Portuguese. During Colonial times Delft has been used as a breeding center, with horses being distributed to other South Asian countries in the colony.

The seashore is jeweled with coral rubble and sand, with a belt of coral rocks, in itself is a unique feature.  The end of the conflict that raged for nearly thirty years has shown improvement of the economic activities of the people and is engaged in various traditional livelihoods with enthusiasm and optimism. Most of the economic goods produced by the islanders are sold to the mainland. Delft is dependent on diesel‐powered electricity generated by the state. Transport facilities within the island and between the mainland are limited and require much improvement.   There are remnants of a Buddhist temple and the ruins of three “stupas” said to have been constructed during the early Anuradhapura period. Thus there is evidence of ancient Buddhist influence in Delft, in the form of the ruins belonging to the Anuradhapura period. The ancient ruins and the remnants of buildings belonging to the more recent colonial period are aesthetically attractive to tourists. The island’s isolated nature, together with nearly 30km of beach frontage and the wild horse population enhances its uniqueness. High turbidity restricts water based recreation activities to snorkeling around the shallow reefs. Diving is not a viable option due to lack of underwater seascapes with high biodiversity. Sport fishing, sailing, kayaking, speed boat riding and gliding are other possible activities that could be promoted around the island to boost tourism.

The aesthetic beauty of Delft is marred due to the haphazard dumping of waste that includes carcasses of dead horses and cattle that perish due to lack of water and fodder in the dry season. Low‐ impact eco‐tourism could become the most viable tourism option for the island. The tourism potential of Delft could be scaled‐up, provided that its biodiversity and archeologically important sites are conserved to a level that is valued by tourists. These aspects require a detailed study and more comprehensive analysis. Availability of water, power, developed infrastructure and improved transportation could further improve Delft’s tourism potential.