Ja-Ela land grab : Mafia carries on regardless

The Muthurajawela land grab mafia has recently targeted the illicit filling of 240 acres of low lying mangrove lands at Malwatte, Ja-Ela, within the reserve area.

It is also reported that this land grab is a part of the major illicit filling of the Muthurajawela low lying area against which a presidential directive was issued earlier.

According to sources, the recent targeting of the 240 acres of land is also by the same group operating under the protection of a powerful politician.

During an inspection tour by our sister paper Rivira on Friday (31) of the affected areas, the most frequent questions asked by the inhabitants was how the miscreants blatantly disregarded a presidential order and carried on illicit filling that was both an environmental violation and enhance the flood threat to the neighboring areas.

The people welcomed the initiative of President Maithripala Sirisena and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamationa and Development Authority, Asela Iddawela for initiating action against the persons concerned and implored that the Presidential order will be carried out to the letter with the law taking action against the wrongdoers.

Pic by Chamila Karuanarathne

Source – 01/04/2017, Nation , see more at- http://nation.lk/online/2017/04/01/ja-ela-land-grab-mafia-carries-on-regardless.html

MANAGING WASTEWATER

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This year’s theme of the World Water Day focuses on wastewater. This article highlights the urgent need for effective management of wastewater, given the severity of the problem and the catastrophic outcomes it could result in, if not handled wisely.

Water can easily become ‘wastewater’ due to many reasons – mostly tied to human activity. The most common sources of wastewater include domestic effluent consisting ‘black water’ (excreta, urine and fecal sludge) and ‘grey water’ (kitchen and bathing wastewater), effluents from commercial establishments (e.g., restaurants and hotels) and other working places including hospitals, storm water and urban run-off and effluent from industrial, agricultural, horticultural and aquaculture sources.

Effluents from industrial and agricultural sources and from hospitals are considered water pollution; comprehensive pollution control measures that go beyond mere disposal of wastewater are necessary to handle the problem of water pollution.  On the other hand, managing wastewater from domestic and commercial sources and urban run-off is largely a matter of proper disposal. However, given the scale and frequency of wastewater generated from these sources, especially in urban areas where population and economic activities are concentrated, ‘proper disposal’ requires comprehensive solutions based on scientific management. This article focusses on domestic, commercial and urban run-off wastewater which has received limited attention by many.

Wastewater is an uncomfortable and unpleasant subject that many prefer to avoid. However, it cannot be easily ignored as everyone is faced with the problem of wastewater on daily basis, whether at home, work place or during the everyday commute. Developed countries have invested large amounts of resources to manage wastewater, giving it high priority and treating the issue as a matter of social welfare. In fact, the level of priority and resources allocated for solving the issue of wastewater reflect a fundamental difference in attitudes towards social welfare between developed and developing societies. In many developing countries, even educated and wealthy members of society seem to be intent on turning a blind eye to the harsh reality and prefer to stay in their own comfort zones, rather than actively seeking solutions to the issue. The usual inclination is to dispose the waste from one’s own premises without giving much thought to the health and environmental repercussions of their actions. In this sense, the wastewater problem is remarkably similar to the garbage problem. Some people carry domestic garbage bags in vehicles and covertly dump it at isolated places. The same motive is visible when a suburban household surreptitiously empties its wastewater pits to storm water drains during heavy showers. Such behavior is motivated by the lack of public collection and sanitary disposal systems, a situation prevalent in many developing countries.

Common methods for disposal of wastewater

There are two basic wastewater management strategies. They are onsite (non-sewered) disposal and off-site (sewered) disposal with or without centralized treatment facilities.  In urban areas, off-site disposal of wastewater and disposal of surface run-off are closely connected. Therefore, in some countries, combined systems that convey run-off water with foul sewage in the same pipes can be found. However, many countries have resorted to systems that carry surface run-off and foul sewage separately. Off-site disposal systems are more effective and are in place worldwide. Modern cities in developed countries have established extensive systems for wastewater collection and disposal with centralized treatment facilities.  Like other public infrastructure facilities such as transport, urban parks, water and electricity supply, these wastewater management facilities also play a major role in making these cities more habitable, contributing to high living standards enjoyed by citizens.

However, establishing such off-site disposal facilities are costly operations. They need high capital investments for establishment and large operational budgets for running and maintenance. Users are charged for these services by utility companies that operate on volumetric basis. Large utility companies are usually run as public-private partnerships under close supervision of city administrations. In developing countries, city administrators have limited means to invest in modern wastewater management systems and low-income city dwellers cannot be expected bear the full cost of services they offer. As a result, many developing countries are unable to afford such systems. Hence, modern wastewater treatment facilities are restricted to limited areas of large urban centers in the developing world. When available, these systems are usually located in service opulent neighborhoods and a large majority of the population suffers due to lack of proper wastewater disposal facilities.  These underprivileged areas are usually left with onsite disposal systems in various forms of operational arrangements. Usually such systems are less hygienic, and chaotic situations arise during disasters such as urban floods. Furthermore, poor storm water and drainage systems and ill-designed onsite disposal facilities themselves contribute to hazardous events such as flash floods very often.

Wastewater management in Sri Lanka

The current wastewater management systems in place in Sri Lanka are abysmal.  Being a developing country, Sri Lanka is also plagued with inefficiencies in wastewater management mentioned above. Sewer connections are only available for restricted areas in the Colombo city and for a few other major cities. Inherited from the colonial period, some sections of these systems are dilapidated and are in dire need of renovations and upgrades. Extension work on the pipe system is moving at a snail’s pace and the existing systems do not have centralized treatment facilities. Wastewater collected from the Colombo sewerage system is dumped in to the sea in two locations. Many other fast-developing coastal towns follow this lead, making them leading contributors to marine pollution.

Beyond the limited area covered by pipe connected facilities, outskirts of city areas and surrounding suburbs mostly have to depend on onsite wastewater disposal methods.  The common practices include individual facilities of septic tanks or open-bottom soakage pits for black water and open bottom wastewater pits for grey water. However, very often, grey water is channeled illegally to storm water drains directly or indirectly. In underserved areas of Colombo and other cities, residents often have no choice but to share common toilet pits and dispose kitchen and bath water to storm water drains, creating uninhabitable conditions in the surrounding environments.

Coupled with ill-designed storm water drains and run-off water disposal facilities, non-standard waste water disposal methods are the reason that Colombo and other major cities in the island are plunged into chaos during flash floods.

Overall, poor investment on standard public wastewater disposal facilities has led many residents in urban areas to depend on individual onsite wastewater disposal facilities. The quality of these facilities varies greatly. Moreover, this causes accumulation of wastewater in large quantities in local neighborhoods, affecting the groundwater.  In some suburban areas, residents are still dependent on shallow groundwater wells for domestic water supply and they get affected from groundwater polluted by accumulated wastewater. Considering this situation, some technical standards have been imposed in building approval criteria regarding locating septic tanks and wastewater pits when constructing houses. However, the effectiveness of such measures, monitoring of those standards and level of compliance cannot be guaranteed.

Wastewater challenge

Sri Lanka boasts of the prevalence of sanitation facilities even among poorer communities, when compared with many other developing countries. However, the management of wastewater is an exception, and remains a challenge. It is a public health and environmental hazard that cannot be left for residents to resolve on their own. Serious health and environmental issues demand public solutions where individuals have to play their roles considering their own and community welfare.  Individuals cannot make large public investments required for establishing standard facilities and the government and city administrations need to give due priority to initiate such facilities. However, effective systems need resources for establishment of facilities and efficient operation that cannot be borne by cash strapped city administrations alone.  Beneficiaries of the facilities also have to bear some burden here. This requires innovations in technical as well as management and institutional aspects of wastewater management solutions in the country.

Source -01/04/2017,nation, See more at – http://nation.lk/online/2017/04/01/managing-wastewater.html

Wildlife men responsible for wildcat’s death?

By Risidra Mendis

Environmentalists have criticized Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) officers after they failed to save the life of a fishing cat after it was captured by villagers in Divulapitiya, Gampaha.

An official at the Gampaha DWLC office told Ceylon Today that villagers had captured the adult male fishing cat with a noose on 25 March 2017.

“When the animal got restless and began struggling, the villagers called the DWLC for help. But by the time we got to Divulapitiya, the cat was in a bad condition.Wildlife officers tried to remove the noose from the animal’s neck and release it. But the villagers protested and told us not to release the animal in this area. When we were trying to catch the cat and put it in a cage to be taken away, the noose tightened and the animal died,” the DWLC officer said.

He added that one of the wildlife officers was also bitten by the fishing cat while trying to catch it. The animal’s head was sent to the Medical Research Institute to check for rabies.

Asked why they took orders from the villagers a DWLC officer said they didn’t want to create an unpleasant situation since the media was also present and decided to capture the animal and take it away.

“We cannot find out who caught the fishing cat because the villagers are not giving us any information. However we have told them that catching a fishing cat is against the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO),” the DWLC officer explained.

“The fishing cat is strictly protected under Section 30 sub section 2 of the FFPO and it is an offence to kill, injure or take an animal into captivity,” environment lawyer Jagath Gunewardena said.

Commenting on the inexperienced DWLC officers, Zoologist Dilan Peiris said it is very clear in the video that the DWLC officers were responsible for the death of the fishing cat. “They should have first cleared the crowds that were watching and shouting and traumatizing the animal. They should know how to catch a wild animal in an emergency situation without causing too much stress to the animal. If they had the proper training to capture a wild animal this fishing cat would be alive today. The Wildlife Training Centre in Giritale does not provide the required training for these DWLC officers,” Peiris said.

He added that a veterinary surgeon should have been present to capture this animal. But DWLC officers insist that they don’t have enough vets to be sent in emergency situations. Why is it that vets don’t like to join the Wildlife Department? These are questions that need to be addressed by Wildlife and Sustainable Development Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, because it is the responsibility of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) to help and protect all animals in the country,” Peiris explained.

source – 02/04/2017, Ceylon Today, See more at – http://www.ceylontoday.lk/print20170101CT20170331.php?id=18415

Move to protect forests adjoining Wilpattu triggers diverse reactions

Locals protest moves to declare more than 40,000 hectares as conserved forest area.

Secretary to the President, P. B. Abeykoon on Friday met with some of the stakeholders including the Forest Conservator General, officials from the Wildlife and Mahaweli Development Ministry, the District Secretaries of Mannar and Vauniya as well as representatives of the Muslim community including Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, former Municipal Council member Asath Sally, Colombo District lawmaker Mujibur Rahuman and President of the Muslim Council N.M. Ameen. Members of the Civil Societies Coalition for Internally Displaced Persons, which is opposed to the decision, also joined the discussion.

Abeykoon said their concerns would be brought to the notice of President Maithripala Sirisena who issued the declaration.

Under the notice, 40,0030.525 hectares of forest area belonging to Mavillu, Weppal, Karadikkuli/Marichchakatti, Wilaththikulam and Periyamurippu were declared as the Mavillu Conservation Forest from March 21, 2017.

Muslim Council president N. M. Ameen told the Sunday Times that they requested that the four notifications be revoked and that the lands from Weppal, Marichchikatti and Wilaththikulam be released to the people. He said that before new forest reserves are demarcated, the Government should have discussions with the people.

Mujibur Rahuman said he told the president’s secretary that the Mavillu conservation area had been demarcated without discussing the matter with ministers and the community.

He explained that many of the Muslims living in the area had been displaced due to terrorist activities. He said that privately-owned land had also been included under the gazette notice.

“We requested that the implementation of the gazette notice be put on hold while the boundaries of the Wilpattu National Park are determined,” he said.

Mohamad Ali Khan, a resident of Marichchakatti, who was among a group of protestors, said many families have lived there for over two decades and they should be allowed to continue to do so.

Minister Rishad Bathiudeen in a statement said that the declaration was affecting the internally displaced people. He said the gazette notice must be revoked as it is impacting the resettlement process.

He said he will present a Cabinet paper seeking the revocation of the notice.

Government Agent of Mannar, M Y S D Deshapriya said he was not aware of the notice and declined comment.

Meanwhile, the president’s media secretary, Dharmasiri Ekanayake, said the declaration will stand as it does not affect villages.

He said that the declaration was issued as a matter of urgency because environmental groups and forest and wildlife officials were pushing for it.

“They expressed concerns that there will be further encroachment of forest areas,” he said.

Director of Environment Conservation Trust, Sajeewa Chamikara, said that they called for the protection of the areas adjacent to the Wilpattu National Park.

Source – 02 /04/2017, The Sunday Times, See more at – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170402/news/move-to-protect-forests-adjoining-wilpattu-triggers-diverse-reactions-235019.html

Super pods of sperm whales put on marine spectacle

The eight-strong orca pod get ready to charge towards the sperm whales. Pix courtessy Andrew Sutton.

Sri Lanka is famous for wildlife spectacles such as this along with the largest gathering of Asian elephants, huge pods of blue whales and rare sightings of leopards.

One spectacle in the making is super pods of sperm whales (physeter microcephalus). The sperm while is the largest ‘toothed whale’ which can dive to depths of 3,200 feet in search of its favourite food – the giant squid. Female sperm whales and their calves live in pods of 15-20 members, while males tend to roam alone in cooler waters closer to polar regions. A super pod of whales is formed when such smaller pods gather for feeding, socialising or mating. March to April seems to be the time such super pods form and in 2012 the largest such gathering consisting of over 100 individuals was recorded.

Marine biologist Ranil Nanayakkara who has studied the sperm whale super pods from 2010, left Kalpitiya shores on March 23 to scan the ocean specially for sperm whales. It turned out to be their lucky day when they witnessed the sperm whale super pod about 15 nautical miles from Kalpitiya at 9.15 am after travelling for about one hour. “There were over 150 sperm whales on the ocean of around one kilometre. The super pod we saw consisted of 50 to 60 individuals,’’ Nanayakkara said.

Together with Ranil, British author Philip Hoare and photographer Andrew Sutton were on the boat and it was a show of a life time. The larger sperm whale males had joined the super pod and they witnessed love making on a massive scale. The team witnessed foreplay — rubbing against each other, tail slapping, spy hopping, rolling over. Even researchers could see the animals’ aroused genitals and as they watched, a pair swam belly to belly under the boat.

The sperm whale is also famous for making sounds. It makes the loudest sounds of any animal and also emits morse-like “codas” used to communicate long distances. The sea is full of sound as well and Nanayakkara was listening to these codas using special ear phones.

The ocean was like an opera, said Nanayakkara.

They observed a large male deviate from the super pod and swim rapidly northward. “When a sperm whale swims fast, its large head stays out of the water – so we could clearly say it was in a great hurry. Then several other large males started following the first one. Seeing several large male sperm whales moving northward we thought it could be an aggression related to mating, so we followed them,” Nanayakkara explained.

After travelling two or three kilometres, the team found the large males with a pod of about 10 females with younger whales. The males packed their bodies tightly and it was like several logs stacked tightly. The men in the boat also saw something else. One person in the boat alerted the others to a dolphin but to their surprise it was the unmistakable dorsal fin of an orca. The sperm whales had rushed to protect the pod that came under attack by the orcas.

The black and white orca (orcinus orca), is a mid-sized toothed whale. it is the largest member of the dolphin family and became a popular after being featured in the movie ‘Free Willy’. But the orca is not an innocent animal as it is an agile predator in the ocean also known as the ‘killer whale’.

“It was a pod of about eight orcas attacking a weaker maternity pod. The large males would have heard the distress call and had rushed to protect them. The males packed their bodies side by side tightly guarding the weaker whales from the predatory orcas,” Nanayakkara said. The water around the smaller pod was cloudy with orangish whale poop – a defense mechanism used by the distressed whales to conceal themselves from the predators.

Killer whale attacks on other whales have been reported on a handful of occasions previously. Working as a team, they usually challenge the weaker female or a calf to hunt it down. According to Nanayakkara, the orcas found in our waters is transient and they are born hunters.

“We had also observed an amazing communal defense mechanism used by the sperm whales where the males encircle the weaker females and young putting their bodies in front of the attacking killer whales,” Nanayakkara said. This is a known as the “marguerite formation”, named after the shape of the flower by that name. In this formation, the heavy and powerful tail of an adult whale is pointed outward, readying to deliver lethal blows to any incoming attacker.

The researchers also experienced a somewhat scary experience. Since the marguerite formation was not effective, the whales started using the boat as a cover to avoid the orcas. They moved to the other side of the boat when the orcas charged and a collision could have been dangerous.

This ‘battle of the titans’ dragged on for more than an hour. The sperm whales finally made the orcas give up. Nanayakkara said there were about 20 killer whales at that time and it could also be the largest orca pod seen in Sri Lankan waters.

Nanayakkara said it was one of the amazing moments he had witnessed in his whole life.

Source – 02/04/2017,The Sunday Times, See more at – http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170402/news/super-pods-of-sperm-whales-put-on-marine-spectacle-234975.html

SL animal activists stop elephant flying to New Zealand

A Sri Lankan baby elephant gifted to New Zealand has been prevented from leaving the South Asian island after animal activists said it was cruel to separate her from her family.

Six-year-old Nandi was bequeathed to former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key by President Maithripala Sirisena at a meeting in Colombo in February 2016 to mark ‘excellent bilateral relations’ between the two countries. New Zealand vets had visited Sri Lanka last year to prepare Nandi for the journey to Auckland Zoo.

But animal rights activists have since intervened, arguing against moving the elephant to a foreign country where she will likely find it difficult to be separated from her family and adapt to the new climate.

The group of 18 secured a temporary victory Friday when a Sri Lankan court was assured by the state that Nandi would not be flown out of the country pending a final decision on the case next month.

‘Sri Lankan elephants have very strong family ties and to take away a child is a sin,’ Omalpe Sobitha, a Buddhist monk and one of the activists, told AFP. He added that the animal may not be able to cope with the cold weather in Auckland, where mean annual temperatures of around 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) would come as a shock to a calf used to the tropical 27 degree average in Sri Lanka.

‘We have an assurance from the court yesterday (Friday) that Nandi will not be taken out of the country until the case is concluded’, he said. Born and raised in a 93-strong herd in a coconut grove at an orphanage in central Sri Lanka, Nandi is the second baby elephant to be presented to New Zealand in a year after a female baby ‘Anjalee’ was sent to Auckland Zoo in 2015.

Key told Sirisena at their meeting last February that Anjalee had gained 700 kilos (1,540 pounds) in one year and that it was ‘loving its life in New Zealand and I am sure its friend (Nandi) will have such a good time as well in New Zealand’. Sri Lanka has a long history of giving elephants as presents — China has been gifted three over the years, and two each for Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic and the United States.(AFP)

Source – 02/04/2017, Dailymirror, See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/SL-animal-activists-stop-elephant-flying-to-New-Zealand-126604.html#sthash.AepWVVpG.dpuf

The great escape!

Eleven elephants have been saved from drowning after they were rescued from a flooded bomb crater after being stuck for four days. Environment workers said the elephants were discovered almost fully submerged on a wildlife reserve in Cambodia on Friday.

Word was then passed to wildlife agency WCS whose members arrived the following day to dig a channel up the side of the crater so the animals could climb out. The head of Cambodia’s environmental officer in eastern Mondulkiri province, said the animals had been trapped for three days before they were found.

They said the pack likely wandered into the 10ft deep hole in order to drink, but were then unable to get out again. Rescue workers had to dig out the side of the pit, which was created by a blast during the country’s bloody civil war, by hand. Water was also pumped into the pit to loosen the sludge and allow the huge animals to climb out safely.

Losing 11 elephants, including three calves, would have been a devastating blow to Cambodia’s wildlife. There are only thought to be a few hundred endangered Asian elephants left inside the country as populations fall due to habitat loss. (Daily Mail).

Source – 30/03/2017- , Dailymirror , See more at – http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/The-great-escape–126486.html

Kandy tops list in air pollution

By Niranjala Ariyawansha

The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has said that an official scientific clarification will be given before the forthcoming New Year to claims that Kandy is Sri Lanka’s worst city in terms of air pollution.

Acting Deputy Director General, Environmental Pollution Control of CEA, Dr. Sanjaya Ratnayaka expressed these views to Ceylon Today when we inquired about the problem.

Retired Emeritus Professor, Science Faculty of Peradeniya University O. E. Illeperuma revealed that the people who live in Kandy City should wear masks because the air pollution in the city was four or five fold more when compared to Colombo City.

According to the data of the Road Development Authority (RDA) in 2015, about 417,000 vehicles enter and exit into Kandy on a daily basis.

However, Dr. Ratnayaka expressed a different view. “We have not reported such a thing. But it is good that the professor has highlighted the matter. For the moment, we cannot comment on Prof. Illeperuma’s report. The reason is we are yet to conduct a study on the matter.”

However, he pointed out that the CEA was the official authority of monitoring air pollution and they would take necessary measures within the next two weeks.

“We are having test runs on a Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Station in the CEA premises at this moment. We will check the accuracy of the station first. Then we can create a clear picture. After that we will move to monitor the air pollution level of Kandy City,” Dr. Ratnayaka said.

Prof. Illeperuma warned that the people who live and travel in cities could be affected by respiratory diseases and carcinogens.

Against this backdrop Dr. Ratnayake said that the CEA had already received the equipment to carry out the tests on air pollution.

He added that the air pollution tests in Kandy City will begin with the schools.

Meanwhile Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) Dr. Jagath Munasinghe said that the Kandy City Development Plan had been updated under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) fund to include solutions for the problem of air pollution.

He highlighted that both Prof. Illeperuma’s study and the Transport Study conducted by Prof. Amal Kumarage of the Moratuwa University conducted in 2010, would be considered in developing the Kandy City Development Plan.

He further pointed out that substandard constructions, water supply and traffic congestion would be among the other factors considered when developing the plan.