Sunday, March 30, 2014

Meet our resident fellow creatures


A synanthrope is a member of a species of wild animals or plants of various kinds that benefit from an association with humans and live in the somewhat artificial habitats that humans create around them, like houses, gardens, farms, roadsides, garbage dumps, and so on.

A common intruder: A Polecat lurks in the ceiling of a home.

One side of my house at Rajagiriya borders the marsh that is on the banks of the main canal that goes across the Nawala – Nugegoda Road towards Parliament. For the past 20 years I have observed the wildlife in and around these marshes and on the land in which our houses are built. These lands were formerly low lying areas later filled by a developer. Many interesting forms of wildlife live in the marshes and in the housing areas.


Having wildlife in urban areas seems a paradoxical situation. Almost all urban wildlife are those that lived in these environments even before development and construction changed the landscape. Some species have been extirpated from these areas, some have moved to more conducive habitats, whilst some have stayed and adapted themselves to the changed environment.

The wildlife in our areas now consists of those species that can live, thrive and breed in urban environments. Some urban wildlife, such as house mice, are ecologically associated with humans. Different types of urban areas support different kinds of wildlife.

There are many animals that are resident within the buildings here. Some rats live in and some come in from outside. The common squirrel, also a rodent, lives in and outside houses. Earlier two shrews used to wander into our house at dusk making a call that sounded like ‘chick chick’. Unfortunately this species is not seen anymore.

Rat snakes come into our garden regularly seeking a cool spot to avoid the heat of the day rather than to catch prey. However, these snakes prey on rats and squirrels and also probably consumed the shrews. Ratsnakes are the most common snake here but Cobras and Russels Vipers (Polonga in Sinhala) are also seen. I have also seen a Haldanda twice.

Polecats (Paradoxurus hermaphoditus) are resident in the ceilings of some houses. In Sinhala they are referred to as Uguduwa or Kalawadda though Kalawadda is the correct name for this species. The Uguduwa is the ring-tailed Civet. Polecats come in at the break of day to roost in dark places and leave at dusk in search of food. They feed on rats and various types of fruit. In the wild they eat the fruit of the Kitul tree (Caryota urens) and spread the seeds with their faeces. They breed in ceilings of houses and in the holes of trees. The urine which they discharge and drips through the ceiling has an offensive smell.
Porcupine on the prowl: An unexpected sight in an urban area

The largest mammal here is the Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). In Sinhala it is known as the Handun Diviya. A medium-sized wildcat, this is the second largest of the four wildcat species in the country. With the rapid urbanisation of marshlands and other wetlands, fishing cats in urban habitats are threatened by habitat loss. The solitary living fishing cats are primarily nocturnal. They are very much at home in the water and can swim even under water. Their forefeet have webbing upto half way between each toe.

Porcupine (Hystrix indica) are seen often at night, mostly in the home gardens or crossing the lanes and roads. They live in holes they dig for themselves in the thickets of unbuilt lands and other vacant areas. Sometimes only a single porcupine is seen but there is also a group of three that wanders around. They are nocturnal and forage even on the banks of the many canals here. They do not like water and so do not inhabit the marshes. They do not breed freely in the urban areas but do so in the wild.

Strangely the wild boar, found in large numbers elsewhere, has not been seen in this area, maybe because wild boar never have, not even in the 1950s when this area was covered in shrub jungle and marshes.

I see the Grey Mongooses very often in the hedges searching for food or scurrying across the road seeking cover. Mongooses are omnivorous, feeding on a varied diet that consists of insects, lizards, worms, snakes, birds and their eggs and any forms of carrion.

Flying Foxes and Bats are seen regularly at twilight and later at night. Since there is not a significant number of fruit trees here, the Flying Fox flies further afield to seek its food. The smaller bats fly around and catch insects on the wing using their inbuilt radar to identify the exact position of the insects. These small bats are reputed to catch 150 mosquitoes each night for their food. If so they are doing a better job than the Kotte Municipal Council to eradicate Dengue.

The usual garden lizards of a number of species are found almost everywhere. The Water Monitor or Kabaragoya is seen in the marshes, in the gardens and swimming in the canals. This reptile feeds on carrion, small mammals, dead fish and garbage. It has a strong whip like tail with firm serrated scales on the upper side and stray dogs that have got too close to it have had their legs broken by the swishing of this tail. They breed freely and grow quite big, some as big as a young adult crocodile.

The land monitor is a milder reptile, preferring to move about looking for its food in the gardens, roadsides and canal banks. It does not get as big as a water monitor nor does it like to swim. One medium sized land monitor climbed up the downpipe leading from our gutter but I do not think that it got any food from our gutter. Land monitors too breed freely.

A dangerous situation that is developing in the urban and rural areas is the packs of stray dogs that get together and walk about at night. They raid garbage bins for anything to eat. They surround and kill any small mammal that they encounter.

Over the years there have been sporadic reports of crocodiles seen in the Wellawatte Canal. In recent times their numbers in the canals, in our area, have increased. Three crocodiles have been seen regularly in the canal that crosses Kirimandala Mawatha. There are many in some of the other canals. The unofficial count is a total of eight crocodiles sighted.

Sri Lanka has two species of crocodiles, the Mugger or Marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and the Saltwater or Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus ). The crocodiles in the Colombo canals are Saltwater crocodiles or geta kimbula in Sinhala. They come along the sea from another river mouth and up rivers and canals. They also migrate across land at night. Some may have come from their original habitat in the Bolgoda Lake. Sometimes they get washed away in strong flood waters.

Many years ago my cousin, who lives in an adjoining lane, was given a baby crocodile. At first it was put into a large basin and when it outgrew the basin it was transferred to a disused bathtub but when the crocodile filled the bathtub it was released into the marshes close by. Maybe now, many years later, it is still lurking in these canals.

This area and the marshes abound with birds like the Black-headed Oriole, Common Babbler (also called the seven sisters) Magpie Robins, Parrots, Scops Owls, Brown Fish Owls, Egrets, Pond Herons, Water Hens. The Herons both grey and purple are often seen sticking out their long necks. Flights of teal are often seen flying around making their unmistakable whistling sound. A family of Scops Owls used to perch just outside our front door on the telephone wire. After a time their visits stopped.

The Stork-billed, Common, White Breasted and Pied Kingfishers are close to the waters in the area. It is a beautiful sight when the Pied Kingfisher hovers over the waters of the canal and moves up and down slowly looking for the slightest movement of fish in the water. When it spies a fish the Pied Kingfisher dives straight into the water and emerges, most times, with a fish in its beak. It then flies to a convenient branch or log and swallows the fish head first. The Pied Kingfisher is the only one among the kingfishers that flies for long periods over water, the other three species sit on a log or branch and wait for a fish to come into their sight. They then swoop down and catch it. The White-breasted kingfisher also perches on electric and telephone wires waiting for its prey. This kingfisher has degenerated in its feeding habits and is quite happy eating frogs, garden lizards etc.

The Red-vented Bul Buls are plentiful and seem to be always in search of suitable sites in which to build their nests. When the nests they start building in houses are broken, they come back undeterred and start building again. The security that a house gives them is the reason why these birds seek houses as nest sites.

The House Sparrow, Spotted Munia and the Common Mynah were seen in the area in significant numbers up to some years ago, but now all we have is a rare sighting of a Mynah. One reason for the absence of the Munia and House Sparrow is that all the Guinea Grass that the vacant housing blocks nearby had and the seeds of which these birds fed on, have now been cleared.

Pelicans are seen perched on the tall street lights on the centre of the road to Parliament from Borella. The Spot-billed Pelican is threatened with extirpation in Sri Lanka, with recent surveys showing that there are less than 1000 breeding pairs. Earlier too the local pelican population declined but with certain conservation measures recovered. However, now a decline in numbers is noticed again.
The Common Babblers are seen in flocks feeding on the ground and in the hedges from early morning. Generally the flock consists of around seven birds giving rise to their popular name of Seven Sisters. They are noisy birds and keep constant communication with the rest of the flock. The magpie also comes down to the ground to feed occasionally. The Crow Pheasant confines itself mostly to the hedges and undergrowth to find its food.

As recreational development in the urban areas with the construction of walking paths, jogging tracks, parks etc continues for people, with a little more planning and effort, refuge for birds, butterflies and garden lizards etc. could be set up creating a green environment that is able to host many harmless species of wildlife that can live easily and in compatibility with humans. This will make the cities less sterile and sustain clear air and water. These areas will also give the younger generation an opportunity to acquaint themselves with nature first hand.

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140330/plus/meet-our-resident-fellow-creatures-90472.html

Act fast to protect vanishing urban wetlands

Urban wetlands in the Western Province are one of the important eco-systems in our country but they are in danger of vanishing within our lifetime.
Throughout generations, these wetlands have played a significant role in contributing eco-system services towards fisheries,
agriculture, wildlife, nutrient retention, wastewater treatment and flood-control. The urban wetlands such as Muthurajawela also inspired many famous musicians during 1940s through 1960s to compose beautiful songs which are still pleasing to our ears even after many generations.
As the population and development pressures increased exponentially during the last few decades, the urban wetlands have been rapidly shrinking to a point that most of them — such as the Bellanvila-Attidiya Wetland — are just a tiny fraction of their former range. Being reduced to such a remnant and continued to be filled and destroyed for various reasons, these remaining wetlands may well disappear within our lifetime.
Many studies and publications have been done by scientists highlighting the importance of protecting these urban wetlands for the economic value provided through eco-services. One such publication “Assessment of the Economic Value of Muthurajawela Wetland” by Lucy Emerton and L.D.C.B Kekulandala published in January 2003, available online and at the IUCN Sri Lanka library in Colombo, which provides a comprehensive economic analysis of the eco-system services and an action plan for Muthurajawela wetland.
It is unfortunate that such comprehensive studies and recommendations are not heeded by decision makers and relevant authorities.
With just a third of Muthurajawela wetland officially protected by law, the rest of the wetland is filled and destroyed on a daily basis. Therefore, we urge the authorities to take immediate steps to declare the entire Muthurajawela wetland as a Protected Sanctuary and follow the recommendations made by the afore-mentioned publication. Subsequently, submit Muthurajawela to be listed as a “National Man and Biosphere Reserve ” (MAB) under the “UNESCO World Heritage Programme” to ensure long term sustainability for this vital eco-system.
- Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka
http://www.RainforestProtectors.org

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Crocodile gecko racket busted in undercover operation

Who would think that a crocodile gecko, of about seven inches in length, could be in such high demand that it could fetch an exorbitant price of Rs 2.5 million in the foreign market?
 



But, in a rare turn of events, an attempt was made by two persons, on 2 February 2014, to sell a crocodile gecko, believed to have been caught from a protected forest, in close proximity to Matara and Kamburupitiya, for Rs 2.5 million.

The crocodile gecko (Hemidactylusdepressus) an endemic species is also known as the Kandyan gecko and Ali Huna. It is listed as endangered and a very rare species in the 2012'Red List of Threatened Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka.
 

It is however believed that there is a high demand for these geckos in the foreign market for their genes and for medicinal purposes.

The two persons who attempted to sell the crocodile gecko were arrested by the Walana police and produced in the Matara Magistrate's court on 3 February 2014.
 

The incident came to light when a team, comprising Neth FM officials, went in the guise of a buyer and a dealer and with the help of the Walana police apprehended the suspects.
"This illegal racket, of selling geckos at exorbitant prices, has been going on for some time. On inquiry we found that in Matara there were some geckos for sale," says Neth FM Balumgala team leader, Producer and Director Suresh Rangana.
He went on to say that they were told by those engaged in this illegal r
 

"We were told to come to Matara by 9:00 a.m. Once we got to Matara we were told to go 2 km past the Kamburupitiya town and wait for them. However, we stopped our vehicle 2 km before the Kamburupitiya town. But we didn't realise that one of the suspects was already waiting for us at the Kamburupitiya town," Rangana noted.
 

He added that the suspect had been observing their movements and their mannerism to see if they were genuine buyers or had come in disguise to expose their racket.
 

"We were kept waiting from 10a.m. to 5p.m. At 5p.m. the suspects showed us the gecko that was brought in a toffee bottle. The reptile was around seven inches long, had reddish eyes and seven black lines on the tail," Rangana explained.
The suspects had told Rangana and the rest of the team that the selling price of the reptile was Rs 2.5 million and that the gecko was very expensive because it is a highly poisonous reptile species.
 

"They told us that if a lunch sheet was put over the crocodile gecko's body, the sheet would melt due to the strong poison. The suspects also said that if a person touches the body of the reptile they would die within an hour due to the poisonous substances," Rangana said.

Scientist Pradeep Samarawickrama identified this species as the Kandyan gecko and said all gecko species so far discovered in Sri Lanka are not poisonous.
 

Rangana bargained with them and brought down the price to Rs 1.2 million. When he told the suspects that he was interested in buying more geckos another gecko, of 250 grams in weight and 14 inches in length, was offered for Rs 10 million.
"But they never showed us that gecko. The suspects told us that their collectors had gone to collect wallapatta and that if we could wait till around 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. they could supply us with another four geckos. They said they catch the geckos from a protected forest and it takes about four days to catch one reptile," Rangana noted.
Environment lawyer Jagath Gunewardene said according to Section 30 of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) all species of gecko in the country are protected.
 

"A person who attempts to capture, sell and has in possession these gecko species can be taken into custody according to the law and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 can be imposed as a penalty depending on the offences committed.
Rangana meanwhile added that the normal procedure is to delay the buyers in the hope that if they are undercover people they will get fed up and leave before the deal is complete.
 

"We were then told to come past the Walana police station and 200 meters towards Matara and wait for them near the welyaya. The two persons brought the gecko and even offered to sell us some wallapatta.
One suspect was about 35 years old and from the Horana area, while the other was a 35-year-old school teacher from Matara.
When the money transaction was about to take place the Walana police apprehended the two suspects. The Matara Magistrate's Court allowed personal bail in Rs 500,000 each on the two suspects. The gecko was handed over to the National Zoological Gardens Dehiwela on the orders of the Magistrate.
 

The police team, led by OIC Duminda Balasuriya, comprised SI Karunaratne, PC Prabuddha and PC Jayalal. The operation was conducted on the instructions of Neth FM Current Affairs Senior Manager Nilupa Sanjaya and Assistant Manager Charith Suddarachchi.

"The social activism by the media of going beyond their usual role of exposing these culprits is truly praise worthy on their part," Gunewardene said.

Source:http://www.ceylontoday.lk/51-55498-news-detail-crocodile-gecko-racket-busted-in-undercover-operation.html

කිඹුල් හූනෝ උත්තර දීපිය මෙපමණ මිල වැඩි ඇයිද කියාපිය!

කිඹුල් හූනෙක්‌ රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ 12 ක්‌ පමණ වටිනාකමින් යුක්‌ත යෑයි පැවසුවහොත් හේ මොළයේ අමාරුවක්‌ ඇති අයෙක්‌ ලෙස කෙනෙකු පැවසීමට පිළිවන. නමුත් ඊයේ (19 වැනිදා) අප පුවත්පතේ පළ වූ ප්‍රවෘත්තියකින් කියෑවුණේ කිඹුල් හූනන් දෙදෙනකු (Bark Gecko) රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ 12 ක්‌ බැගින් රුපියල් ලක්‍ෂ 24 කට අලෙවි කිරීමට උත්සාහ කළ පුද්ගලයන් දෙදෙනකු වනජීවී දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව විසින් අත්අඩංගුවට ගත් පුවතකි.

මෙම හූනු වර්ගය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආවේණික බවත් එනිසා ඔවුන් පිටරට යෑවීම තහනම් බවත් වනජීවී දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව මෙම වැටලීම සිදු කිරීමට හේතු ලෙස පැවසීය.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ දැනට හඳුනාගෙන ඇති හූනු වර්ග 42 අතරින් (බටුවිට හා පෙතියාගොඩ 2007 සමීක්‍ෂණයට අනුව) මෙම කිඹුල් හූනා මේ තරම් වටින්නේ ඇයි දැයි කියා අප කාටත් ඇති ගැටලුවකි.

කිඹුල් හූනා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආවේණික නිසා ඔවුන් පිටරට පටවා ජාන සොරාගෙන දියුණු තත්ත්වයේ හූනු වර්ගයක්‌ බිහිකිරීමට බටහිර රටවල් උත්සාහ ගත හැකිය.

හූනා කටුස්‌සාගේ (saurian) ප්‍රාථමික අවධිය ලෙස සලකයි. හූනාගේ දියුණු අවධිය කිඹුලා (crocadial) ලෙස හඳුන්වයි. එනිසා කිඹුල් හූනා යනු කිඹුලකුගේ සෘජු මූලික අවධිය විය හැකිය. එසේ වුවහොත් මෙම කිඹුල් හූනාගේ ජාන ලබාගෙන දියුණු තත්ත්වයේ කිඹුල් වර්ග බෝකළ හැකිය. එසේත් නැත්නම් කිඹුල් හූනාගේ ජාන ලබාගෙන දියුණු තත්ත්වයේ නව හූනන් වර්ගයක්‌ ලොවට බිහි කළ හැකිය. එවිට එම හූනා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ආවේණික සතකු නොවනු ඇත.

හූනන් දෙදෙනා අලෙවි කිරීමට උත්සාහ ගත් තරුණයන් දෙදෙනා මේ කිසිවක්‌ නොදන්නවා ඇත. ඔවුනට අවශ්‍ය මුදල් ය. මිලි මීටර් 200 ක්‌ පමණ තරම් කුඩා හූනකු ලක්‍ෂ 12 ක්‌ වටිනවා යනු එම තැනැත්තාට මැණික්‌ ලැබුණා හා සමානය. එසේත් නැත්නම් ලොතරැයියකින් ලක්‍ෂපති දිනුමක්‌ ලද වාසනාවන්තයකු වැනිය. නමුත් එම වාසනාව උදා කර ගන්නේ අපට ආවේණික සතකු පිටරටට අලෙවි කරමිනි එය නීති විරෝධීය.

කිඹුල් හූනන් මිලදී ගැනීමේ රහස තවම අභිරහසකි. එය හූනු ශාස්‌ත්‍රය දන්නා අයටත් විසඳිය නොහැකි වනු ඇත.

කෙසේ වෙතත් (Gekkonidae) පවුලට අයත් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජීවත්වන හූනු වර්ග 42 අතරින් 35 වැනි වර්ගයට හිමිකම් කියන කිඹුල් හූනා මේ තරම් වටින්නේ ඇයි දැයි කියා තවම නිවැරැදිව තොරතුරු හෙළි වී නැත. කෙසේ වෙතත් මේ තරම් වටිනා මෙම හූනු වර්ගය රැක ගැනීම අප කාගේත් යුතුකමකි.

අන්තර්ජාලය ඇසුරිනි
උපාලි ද සේරම්

Source:http://www.divaina.com/2014/03/20/news14.html

සුදු මොණර ජෝඩුවක්

ඉතා දුර්ලභ සුදු මොණරුන් ජෝඩුවක් හා සුදු ඉත්තෑවකු වැලිගම්පිටියේ ගුරුගේ සොබා දහම් උයනේදී දැකිය හැකිය.
මෙම සතුන් ජානමය වෙනස්කම් හේතුවෙන් බිහි වුවද ඔවුන් බිහි කරන පැටවුන් සුදු පැහැ වීමේ සම්භාවිතාව ඉතා අල්පය.
මෙම සුදු මොණරුන්ගේ හා ඉත්තෑවාගේ හිමිකාරිත්වය දරණ ආචාර්ය මර්වින් ධනවර්ධන ගුරුගේ මහතා පවසා සිටියේ ශ‍්‍රී ලංකාවේ එකම ස්ථානයකදී මෙම සතුන් දැක ගත හැකි වන්නේ තම සොබා දහම් උයනේදී යන්න විශ්වාස කරන බවයි.

Source:http://lankacnews.com/sinhala/other-news/112206/

ලොව වැඩිම කෘෂි රසායන ඒකක භාවිතය ලංකාවෙන්

අද වන විට ලෝකයේ වැඩිම කෘෂි රසායනික භාවිතා කරන්නේ අපේ රටට යයි දේශීය වෛද්‍ය අමාත්‍ය ශාලින්ද දිසානායක පවසයි.
හම්බන්තොට ප‍්‍රදේශයේ පැවති උත්සව සභාවක් අමතමින් ඔහු මෙසේද කීය.
‘මියන්මාරයේ පොහොර ගහන්නේ ඒකක එකොළහයි. අපේ රටේ ඒකක දෙසිය හැත්තෑ හයක් තෙල් පොහෙර ගහනවා. ලෝකේ වැඩිම තෙල් පොහොර ගහන අය අපි. ඒ නිසා වැඩිම පිළිකා, වැඩිම වකුගඩු රෝග, වැඩිම නිල් දරු උපත්, වැඩිම ආතරයිටිස් ආදී බෝ නොවන සියලූ රෝග අපි දැන් උරුම කරගෙන තියෙනවා.
මේකෙන් මිදෙන්නට අපි දැනටත් ප‍්‍රමාද වැඩියි. එතකොට බොහෝ අය කියන දේ තමයි අස්වැන්න නෑ කියන එක. නමුත් දැන් වසර විස්සක් පමණ පර්යේෂණ කළා. ඒ පර්යේෂණ වලින් අපි හොයා ගෙන තියෙනවා විශ්මිත අස්වැන්නක් ගන්න ක‍්‍රම. අපේ පාරම්පරික ඥානයට තාක්ෂණය එකතු කරලා තියෙන්නේ.
පසුගිය දවසක මම දඹානේ වැදි නායකයාගේ ගමට ගියාම එදා දඹානේ වන්නිල ඇත්තෝ කැලයේ මැද තියෙන මණ්ඩියක කිරි කොරහ නැටුවා. අපට එදා ? කන්න දුන්නේ අඟුරුවල පිච්චූ මඤ්ඤොක්කා සහ බඩ ඉරිඟුයි. රසකාරක මොනවත් ඒ අය දැම්මේ නෑ. ඒ අය කුරහන් රොටියි පැණියි දුන්නා. මම ආදිවාසී නායක ඇත්තන්ගෙන් ඇහුවා ඔබේ සමාජයේ දියවැඩියා රෝගීන් කොච්චර ඉන්නවද කියලා. ඔහු කීවේ අපේ සමාජයේ දියවැඩියා රෝගීන් නෑ කියලා’

Source:http://lankacnews.com/sinhala/news/112296/

Saturday, March 15, 2014

යාල වනයේ ගංජා වගාව පිටුපස අදිසි දේශපාලන හස්‌තයක්‌

යාල ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය තුළ මහා පරිමාණ ගංජා ජාවාරම පවත්වාගෙන යැම පිටුපස අදිසි දේශපාලන හස්‌තයක්‌ ක්‍රියාත්මක වන බවට ඉතා විශ්වාස කටයුතු ආරංචි මාර්ග ඔස්‌සේ 'දිවයින ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහය'ට වාර්තා වේ.

මෙම දේශපාලන හස්‌තය හඳුනා ගැනීම සඳහා ආණ්‌ඩුවේ ඉහළ අංශවල දැඩි අවධානය යොමු වී තිබේ.

වනජීවී වැටලීම් කණ්‌ඩායමක්‌ මගින් මේ වසරේ ගෙවී ගිය මාස දෙකහමාර තුළ උද්‍යානය තුළින් ගංජා අක්‌කර 20 ක්‌ සොයාගෙන ඇති අතර වසරක්‌ තුළ වටලා ඇති ප්‍රමාණය අක්‌කර 35 කි.

යාල ජාතික උද්‍යානය දැඩි ලෙසම ගංජාකරුවන්ගේ තිප්පලක්‌ බවට පත්ව ඇති බව ද, මේ නිසා උද්‍යානය තුළ වන සතුන්ගේ සංරක්‍ෂණ කටයුතුවලට අතිවිශාල තර්ජනයක්‌ වී ඇති බව ද මේ පිළිබඳව 'දිවයින ඉරිදා සංග්‍රහය' කළ විමසීමේදී ඌව කලාපය භාර සහකාර වනජීවී අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ සිසිර කුමාර මහතා පැවසීය.

මේ තත්ත්වය පිළිබඳව නොපමාව සොයා බලා යාල උද්‍යානය සුරක්‍ෂිත කිරීමට කටයුතු කරන ලෙස පරිසරවේදීහු ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ මහතාගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිති.

Source:http://www.divaina.com/2014/03/16/news02.html

"දිනූදා" අලි පැංචාටත් අංචිය අදින්න හැදූ දේශප්‍රේමී මහත්හොරු

රජයේ හමුදාව තිස්‌ වසරක බෙදුම්වාදී යුද්ධය පරදවා ලැබූ යුද ජයග්‍රහණයේ ජීවමාන සංකේතය බවට නම්කර තිබුණේ එදින පින්නවල අලි සංරක්‍ෂණාගාරයේදී උපන් "දිනූදා"ය. අහෝ! විශ්මයකි. ෙ€දවාචකයකි. එකල මාධ්‍ය මගින් මෙයට පුළුල් ප්‍රචාරයක්‌ ලබා දුන්නේ නමුදු යුද ජයග්‍රහණයේ සංකේතය වශයෙන් "දිනූදා" නම් කර සිටි බව මෙම අලි පැටවා රට පටවන්නට කටයුතු කළ බලමුළුවේ කිසිවකුත් නොදත්හ. පින්නවල අලි සංරක්‍ෂණාගාරයේ කාර්ය මණ්‌ඩලය සහ භාරකරුවන්, අලියා රැගෙන කොරියාවට යැමට සිටි පශු වෛද්‍යවරයන්, සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයා ඇතුළු අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ පිරිවර, සත්වෝද්‍යාන හා පොදු විනෝදාත්මක කටයුතු පිළිබඳ අමාත්‍යවරයා සහ ඔහුගේ ලේකම්වරයා ඇතුළු සහචරයන් මේ කිසිවකුත් යුද ජයග්‍රහණයේ ජීවමාන ජාතික සංකේතය "දිනූදා" බව නොදත්හ. මේ සියල්ලෝම "බබාලා"ය. හය හතර නොතේරෙන කිරි සප්පයන්ය. ජාතියක ප්‍රෙෘඩත්වය අකාමකා දමා "හොරගෙඩියන්" සේ එය මුදලට රට පටවන්නට ක්‍රියාකළ මුන්ට පින්නවල අලි බබාලාට කිරි දෙන බෝතල් සූප්පුම කටේ ඔබා කිරි පෙවිය යුතුය.

"දිනූදා"ගේ කොරියා ගමන දැක්‌කොත් "බුවා" නොදැක්‌කොත් "එබුවා" වර්ගයේ මහා සොරකමකි. අද සත්වෝද්‍යාන විෂය භාර අමාත්‍ය ජයරත්න හේරත්ගේ කතාබහෙන්ද අපට තේරෙන්නේ ඒ බවය. කොරියාවට යවන්නට සිටි මෙම අලි පැටවා යුද ජයග්‍රහණයේ සංකේතය වශයෙන් නම්කළ යුද්ධය නිමාකළ දින ඉපදුණු පැටියා බව තමා නොදැන සිටි බවත්, මෙම පැටවුන් දෙදෙනා වයස අවුරුදු පහට අඩු, නීතියෙන් රට යෑවිය නොහැකි වයසේ සතුන් දෙදෙනකු වශයෙන් සිටි බව තමන් නොදන්නා බවත් හේ කියයි. සත්වෝද්‍යාන නිලධාරීන් මේ බව තමාට සඟවා ඇතැයිද, මෙහි වගකීම භාරගත යුත්තේ සත්වෝද්‍යාන බලධාරීන් බවද ජයරත්න හේරත් ඇමැතිවරයා වගකීම නිලධාරීන්ට "පටවමින්" කියයි. නමුත් අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනකු රට යවන්නට කටයුතු කළ බව තමන් නොදන්නා බවත් යවන්නේ කිනම් තැනකටද බව නොදන්නා බවත් එම වගකීමද සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයා ඇතුළු නිලධාරීන් භාරගත යුතු බවත් ඔහු නොකියයි. අලින් රට පටවන බව ඔහු දනී. නමුත් උන්ගේ තරාතිරම ඔහු නොදනී. හොඳ මටය, නරක උන්ටය. මෙය "පුහුල් හොරා කරෙන් දැනේ" කියන්නා සේ කතාවකි.

ජාතික සංකේතය රට පැටවීම පමණක්‌ නොව, දකුණු කොරියාවේ "සැම්සුන්" නමැති බිලියන ගනුදෙනු සමාගමේ "එවර් ලෑන්ඩ්" නමැති පෞද්ගලික සµdරි උද්‍යානයට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවෙන් අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනකු ලබාදීමත් විශාල ගනුදෙනුවක්‌ බව දැන් පවතින රාවයයි. එය "අතයට ගනුදෙනුවක්‌" බවටද ඇතැම්හු හඳුන්වති. 

අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනා හරියටම දිනයට කොරියාවට ගෙන යාගත නොහැකිව අවස්‌ථා දෙකක්‌ බලාපොරොත්තු කඩකරගත් අදාළ සමාගමට සම්බන්ධ කොරියානුවෝ දෙහිවල සත්වෝද්‍යාන ප්‍රධාන කාර්යාලයට පැමිණ ඇතිකළ කලබැගෑනියේදී තමන් විශාල මුදලක්‌ මේ සඳහා වියදම් කර ඇති බවට පවසා ඇතැයිද සත්වෝද්‍යාන ආරංචි මාර්ග මේ අතර කියා සිටී. (මෙම වියදම් පිළිබඳව ඉදිරියේදී මාධ්‍ය සොයාබලනු ඇත.)

පසුගිය 12 වැනි බදාදා රාත්‍රී කොරියාව බලා පිටත්ව යැමට සිටි "උදාර" සහ "දිනූදා" නමැති අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනා රාජ්‍ය තාන්ත්‍රික ප්‍රදානයක්‌ සඳහා කොරියානු රජයට භාර දීමට ගිය සතුන් දෙදෙනකු නොවන බව දැන් විශ්වාසය. මෙය පැහැදිලිsවම "ගනුදෙනු" පදනම යටතේ එහි රැගෙන යැමට සිටි සතුන් බව දැන් අනාවරණය වී අවසන්ය.

කොරියාවේ ලෝ ප්‍රකට "සැම්සුන්" සමාගමට අනුබද්ධිත "එවර් ලෑන්ඩ්" සµdරි උද්‍යානය සඳහා අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනකු ශ්‍රී ලංකාවෙන් ලබාගන්නට උත්සාහ දරන්නේ මීට කලකට ඉහත පටන්ය. එම ඉල්ලීම සත්වෝද්‍යාන බලධාරීන් ඇතුළු ඉහළ පෙළේ රාජ්‍ය අවධානයට යොමුකරන්නේ පූජ්‍ය කිරම විමලජෝති හාමුදුරුවන් වහන්සේ හරහාය. එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාව වෙනුවෙන් පොදු ප්‍රදානයක්‌ ලෙස බෞද්ධ සංස්‌කෘතික මධ්‍යස්‌ථානයක්‌ සහ වෘත්තීය පුහුණු අභ්‍යාස ආයතනයක්‌ ලබාදීමට එකඟ වී යෑයි "දිනූදා" ගේ ඇත්ත කතාව අනාවරණය වී ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ මහතාගේ නියෝගයකින් අලි පැටවුන්ගේ ගමන නතර වී ඇති මෙවන් මොහොතක කිරම හිමියෝ තම හඬ මාධ්‍ය හමුවේ අවදි කරති. උන්වහන්සේ විසින් එකල සත්වෝද්‍යාන බලධාරීන් වෙත යොමුකරන ලද ලිත ඉල්ලීම අදත් එහි ලිපි ගොනුවේ ඇත. එහෙත් කාලයාගේ ඇවෑමෙන් එකල ආර්ථික සංවර්ධන අමාත්‍යාංශයේ සෘජු අධීක්‍ෂණය යටතේ තිබූ සත්වෝද්‍යාන දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සඳහා වෙනමම අමාත්‍යාංශයක්‌ හා අමාත්‍යවරයකු පත්වීමත්, එවක සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයා මාරු වී යැමත් නිසා කිරම විමලජෝති හිමියන්ගේ උත්සාහය සඵල වන්නේ නැත. එහිදී ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලැබීමට නියමිතව තිබූ කෝටි ගණනක්‌ වටිනා පොදු දේපළක්‌ අහිමි වූ බව අප විශ්වාස කරන්නෙමු.

වත්මන් සත්වෝද්‍යාන භාර අමාත්‍යවරයාගේ සහ සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයා ඇතුළු නිලධාරීන්ගේ හිස මත කඩා වැටෙන්නේ මේ "පරණ පිනය" "සැම්සුන්" වැනි බිලියන් කම්පැණිකරුවගේ ඉල්ලීම ඉවත දමන්නට නොහැකි නිසාදොa මේ "පරණ පින" දොaතින්ම බදාගන්නා සත්වෝද්‍යාන බලධාරීහු මෙම "ගනුදෙනුව" කරන අයුරු කතාකරගන්නට කොරියාවේ දින ගණන් ගතකර තිබේ. ඒ අතර ජයරත්න හේරත් ඇමැතිවරයා, සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ අනුරද සිල්වා, නියෝජ්‍ය අධ්‍යක්‍ෂිකා ධම්මිකා මල්සිංහ, පින්නවල අලි සංරක්‍ෂණාගාරයේ ප්‍රධාන පශු වෛද්‍ය නිලධාරි චන්දන රාජපක්‍ෂ ඇතුළු පිරිස්‌ වරින් වර එකතු වූ බව සත්වෝද්‍යාන අමාත්‍යාංශ ආරංචි මාර්ග කියා සිටී. කොරියානුවන්ද මේ සඳහා කිහිපවිටක්‌ම ලංකාවේ සංචාරය කර තිබේ.

මෙම සංචාර සිදුවූයේ සත්ව හුවමාරු පදනම යටතේ "කුමන සතුන්ද මෙම අලි පැටවුන්ට හුවමාරු කරන්නේ" යන්න සොයා බැලීම සඳහා මිස මුදල් ගනුදෙනුවක්‌ සඳහා නොවන බවද අප විශ්වාස කරමු.

කෙසේ හෝ සැම්සුන් සමාගමෙන් ලංකාවට ලැබීමට නියමිත වූ වෘත්තීය පුහුණු මධ්‍යස්‌ථානය හෝ බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යස්‌ථානය වෙනුවට මෙම ගනුදෙනුවේදී අලි පැටවුන් යෑවීමට නියමිත දිනට දිනකට කළින් සිංහයන් ජෝඩුවක්‌ ලංකාවට ලැබුණු අතර, මුල් ගනුදෙනුවේ කිරම විමලජෝති හිමියන්ගේ නමද මෙම සම්බන්ධීකරණයෙන් කපා දමා තිබිණි.

අවසානයේදී පසුගිය 2013 වසරේ නොවැම්බර් මාසයේ දිනෙක "දිනූදා" නමැති මෙම ජාතික සංකේතය සහ "උදාර" රට පැටවීමට දින නියමකර ගෙන තිබිණ. එහෙත් කුමන හෝ බාධකයක්‌ අනුව එදින පැටවුන් යෑවීමට නොහැකි විය. එය 2014 මාර්තු මස 12 වැනිදා දක්‌වා මාස 4 කින් කල් ගියේ රටේ වාසනාවකට යෑයි අපට කල්පනා කළ හැකිය. එහෙත් මෙම කාලය තුළදී ද කිහිපවරක්‌ ලංකාවට පැමිණි අදාළ සමාගමේ කොරියානුවෝ අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනා රැගෙන යැමේ උත්සාහය අතහැරියේ නැත. "අප මේ සඳහා හුඟාක්‌ වියදම් කරල තියෙනවා" යෑයි ඔවුන් සත්වෝද්‍යානය තුළදීම ප්‍රකාශ කළ බව ආරංචි මාර්ග කියා සිටී. ඒ වියදමේ ප්‍රතිඵල ලබන්නට කොරියානුවෝ ඉකුත් 12 දා රාත්‍රිය එළැඹෙන තෙක්‌ "දත මැදගෙන" බලා සිටියහ. ගුවන් යානාවක්‌ මේ සඳහා වෙන්කරගත් මෙම ව්‍යාපෘතියේ අතරමැදියන් පින්නවලින් අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනා රැගෙන විත් ගුවන් යානයට පටවන තෙක්‌ ගුවන් තොටේද රැඳී සිටියහ. එහෙත් මේ රහසිගත ගනුදෙනුව පරිසරවේදීන් අතට පත්විය. යුද ජයග්‍රහණයේ ජාතික සංකේතය පිටරටට විකුණා ඇති බවට මෙන්ම එය රට පටවන බව මාධ්‍ය මගින් අනාවරණය කරන ලද්දේ ඒ අනුවය. එපමණක්‌ නොව "දිනූදා" විශේෂයෙන්ද "උදාර" ද බේරාගැනීමේ නොනවතින අරගලයට 11 වැනිදා රාත්‍රිය පුරා පරිසරවේදීන්ද, පාරිසරික ජන මාධ්‍යවේදීන්ද දායක වූහ. රජයේ ප්‍රබල අමාත්‍යවරු එම ලේකම්වරු, ආරක්‍ෂක අමාත්‍යාංශයේ ප්‍රබලයන් පමණක්‌ නොව ජනමාධ්‍යවේදීහු සෘජුවම ජනාධිපතිවරයාටද මේ සහගහන ජාතික අපරාධය පිළිබඳව කතාකර කියා සිටියහ. මෙහි සැබෑ තත්ත්වය ජනාධිපති මහින්ද රාජපක්‍ෂ මහතා දැන සිටියේ මේ කරුණු දැන්වීමත් මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රචාරයත් සමගය. "දිනූදා" උපන්නේ යුද්ධය "දිනපු දා" නොහොත් මිනීමරු ප්‍රභාකරන්ගේ මළගම සිදුවූ දා බවත් එතුමන් දැන ගත්තේ මෙම සිදුවීමේදීය. එතුමා වහාම තීරණයක්‌ ගෙන "දිනූදා" පමණක්‌ නොව "උදාර" ද රට යෑවීම තහනමට ලක්‌ කළේය. නිලධාරීන්ට වහාම මේ ගැන සොයාබලා තමන්ට වාර්තා කරන්නට නියෝග ලබා දුන්නේය. මේ අනුව "දිනූදා" ද "උදාර" ද 12 දා ඔවුන් වෙනුවෙන් වෙන්කර තිබූ ගුවන් යානයේ කොරියාවට ගියේ නැත. ඒ වෙනුවට "ගලේ පහරපු" බළලුන්ට සිදුවූ දේ සත්වෝද්‍යාන භාර අමාත්‍යවරයා ඇතුළු නිලධාරීන්ට අද සිදුව තිබේ. කරගන්නට දෙයක්‌ නැතිව අරයාට මෙයාට ඇඟිල්ල දිගු කරගන්නා අතරේ උන්ගේ ඇඳුම් ගැලවී නිරුවත ලෝකයටම පෙනෙන බව උන් තාමත් නොදන්නා සේ හැසිරෙනු පෙනේ. අවසානයේදී ඇමැති ජයරත්න හේරත් කියන පරිදි වරද සත්වෝද්‍යාන බලධාරීන්ගේය. ඔවුන් ඔහුට කරුණු වසන්කර ඇත. පැටවුන්ගේ වයස අවුරුදු 5 ට වඩා අඩු බව හා "දිනූදා" ජාතික සංකේතයක්‌ යෑයි ඔහුට පවසා නැත. ඇමැතිවරයාගේ බෝලය සත්වෝද්‍යාන අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයාට "පාස්‌කර" තිබේ. අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයා දැන් එය කවුරුත් ඉදිරියේ පින්නවල අලි අනාථාගාරය සහ අලින්ගේ කටයුතු භාර නියෝජ්‍ය අධ්‍යක්‍ෂිකාව වෙත "පාස්‌ කර" ඇඟ බේරා ගැනීමේ උත්සාහයක නිරත වේ. දැන් කවුරුත් බබාලාය. මුන්ට අලි සූප්පුවෙන් කිරි දෙන්නට අප යෝජනා කරන්නේ ඒ නිසාය. 

මේ පින්බර අලි පැටවා "දිනූදා" උපන්නේ 2009 මැයි මස 18 වැනිදාය. ඒ ඊළාම් යුද්ධය අවසන් වී ජාතික ධජය මෙරටේ හතර කොණම ළෙලදෙන්නට පටන්ගත් මොහොතේදීය. 1991 දී දෙහිවල ජාතික සත්වෝද්‍යානයේදී ඉපදී 1995 දී පින්නවලට ගිය "ජයතු" නම් පියාට හා 1995 දී පින්නවලදී උපන් "සඳලි" නම් මවට දාව උපන් මේ පින්බර අලි පැටවාට තවමත් වයස අවුරුදු 5 සම්පූර්ණ වී නැත. "උදාර" නම් අලි පැටවාද තවමත් වයස අවුරුදු 4 යි මාස 9 ක්‌ වන කිරිබොන වයසේ පැටියෙකි. මෙසේ වයස අවුරුදු 5 ට අඩු (එසේම අවුරුදු 15 ට වැඩි) අලි පැටවුන් රට පැටවීම ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණ තීන්දුවකින් තහනමට ලක්‌කර ඇත්තේ 2009 වසරේදී මෙවැනිම අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනකු ආමේනියාවට යෑවීමට පිරිසක්‌ උත්සාහ දැරූ අවස්‌ථාවේය. එවන් තීන්දුවක්‌ තිබියදී මෙසේ ලාබාල අලි පැටවුන් දෙදෙනකු රට යෑවීමට උත්සාහ දැරීම බරපතළ වරදක්‌ මෙන්ම ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණයද හෑල්ලුවට ලක්‌කිරීමකි. නීතිය නොසලකා හැරීමකි. එයින්ද බේරීමට කරුණු කීමට කිසිවකුටත් නොහැකිය.

ජගත් කණහැරආරච්චි
Source:http://www.divaina.com/2014/03/16/feature19.html

Riverstan pass





Source:http://www.divaina.com/2014/03/16/feature04.html

War for water in Kithulgala

Kithulgala is Sri Lanka’s premier white-water rafting location but a hydro-power project threatens the future of this tourist attraction.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is building the Broadland Hydropower Project on the Kelani River as a run-of-river (ROR) type power plant.

ROR plants need little or no water storage but under this project the Maskeli Oya and Kehelgamu Oya, the main tributaries providing water to the Kelani, will be blocked by dams to divert water through a 3km tunnel 5.4m in diameter to a plant to run an electricity-generating turbine. Water will then be released back to the river downstream.
Last week, the White Water Rafters’ Association (WWRA) – whose members fear a loss of livelihood if the project goes ahead – staged a protest, parading with rubber dinghies and calling out slogans such as: “Should water be used for power or sports?”, “Does the Broadland Hydropower Project say ‘goodbye’ to white-water rafting?”.
WWRA secretary Priyantha Pushpakumara complains that the project will dam water about 5km above the main stretch of white-water rafting activity. “This stretch has 18 rapids that can be used for rafting but this diversion will destroy 13 of the rapids,” wept Priyantha.
White-water rafting at Kithulgala was started in 1995. There were only a few operators in the business initially, but that number has grown with the demand, said Channa Perera, one of the pioneers.
For thrill-seekers there used to be just the Kithulgala Resthouse providing accommodation but now there are 38 hotels in Kithulgala serving local and foreign tourists. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 tourists visit Kithulgala annually for white-water rafting.
More than 200 people are directly employed by about 10 rafting operators and the business provides another 400-odd indirect jobs, creating the backbone of a livelihood for the Kithulgala villagers.
“Kithulgala village evolved around the white-water rafting industry, and if the main attraction is affected the number of tourists will decrease, leading to a string of economic as well as social problems,” warned Priyantha.
The 35MW Broadland project expects to add 126GWh of electrical energy annually to the national grid. Hydropower is the cheapest energy source for Sri Lanka as thermal-based electricity generation is growing increasingly expensive with rising oil prices. This project is important, a CEB spokesperson said.
The CEB also gave assurances that it would continue releasing water during the daytime so that there would be enough water to continue white-water rafting. The board said the WWRA’s fears were baseless.
“We understand that the country needs energy and we are not against using water to generate the energy but we are not clear on how the water can be made available during the daytime for rafting activities as promised by the CEB. Our request to explain the mechanism of how this could be done has not been answered,” the rafters’ association responded.
Construction work on the power plant has already started and construction work is scheduled for completion in four years. The Broadlands Hydropower Project (BHP) is to be implemented with loans borrowed from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and the Hatton National Bank.
Clean energy vs biodiversityHydro electricity is tagged as one of the cleanest energy sources, and the cheapest. But Sri Lanka has now tapped all the major rivers blocking them to generate energy. So now the country is turning to small hydro-power plants or mini hydro-power.
The small hydro industry is typically characterized by hydro power projects with capacities less than 10MW.
The Director-General of the Sustainable Development Authority (SDA), Dr. Thusitha Sugathapala, said there were more than 100 mini hydro projects in operation in Sri Lanka, generating about 250MW at present, and a recent study suggested the country has potential of about 800MW from mini-hydros.
Due to environmental factors and other limitations, however, the potential from mini-hydro projects was only about 550MW. Dr. Sugathapala said there was an approval process to make certain mini-hydro projects do not damage the environment; if a project area is within a protected area the authorities did not hesitate to reject the project at once.
Environmentalists oppose most of the small-scale and mini-hydro projects. These locations might not be in a designated protected area but their environmental impact is significant, environmentalists say. Recent examples include the Warathenna plant that is in one of the last remaining habitats of the critically endangered species, Labeo fisheri (Gadaya). There were also recent attempts to build a hydro power plant blocking the Aberdeen waterfall and the scenic Eli Hatha waterfalls near the Peak Wilderness.
“Freshwater fish will be the worst affected due to these mini-hydro projects. Their impact can be worse than that of the large hydro projects as mini-hydro projects block smaller streams that are rich habitats for many endemic freshwater fish,” pointed out Madura de Silva, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle which conducts an island-wide fish survey.
Blocking a river can change the speed of flow of water and its depth, and this will change the micro habitats that these fish need for survival. Furthermore some fish such as gobis and eels migrate up and down rivers or migrate to the sea for breeding. Any dams will block their movements and their population will be affected.
“It is true that mini-hydro projects can have local environmental effects but compared with coal it is still a better option both economically and environmentally as coal emits a lot of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming,” said Asoka Abeygunawardana, Executive Director of Sri Lanka Energy Forum.
“But,” he added, “often there are opportunities to reduce environmental damage when establishing mini-hydro plants, and this is an area where Sri Lanka needs to improve.”
Mr. Abeygunawardana, a former adviser to the Power and Energy Ministry, said he did not view the Broadland Hydropower Plant in Kithulgala as having a large adverse impact

Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140316/news/war-for-water-in-kithulgala-89392.html

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Sri Lanka's Biodiversity Secretariat to declare a butterfly to each province

 The Biodiversity Secretariat of Sri Lanka's Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry will declare a butterfly for each of the nine provinces in the country.

A butterfly expert group operating under the Biodiversity Secretariat will evaluate the suitability of the chosen butterflies to each province.

According to reports, Sri Lanka is home to 245 species of butterflies and 26 of them are endemic to the country.

Sri Lanka Birdwing, the largest Sri Lankan butterfly, was declared as the national butterfly in 2010.

The nine butterflies that are being looked at for the provinces are reportedly considered flagship species due to their attractive color patterns and have been selected because they are endemic to Sri Lanka, charismatic and readily seen.

Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14A/Mar09_1394350266JR.php

Severe environmental damage in Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sri Pada mountain range

Colombo: Environmentalists in Sri Lanka warn of severe environmental degradation in the island's main catchment area of Sri Pada mountain.

They say that the pilgrims who visit the sacred mountain are damaging the environment in the sensitive ecosystem from which the country's four major rivers, Mahaweli, Kalu, Kalani and Walawe start and flow downwards.

Sri Pada is one of the major eco-tourism destinations in the Sri Lanka hill country and is covered by the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary, which is known to be rich in biodiversity.
Central Environmental Authority says the pilgrims leave behind one ton of waste every day in the area during the pilgrimage season which lasts six months.

Visitors to Sri Pada said that all the wash rooms were closed recently during the drought due to lack of water. Thousands of pilgrims were stranded without washroom facilities and sources say many had used the forest reserve for elimination needs.

Reportedly sanitary workers of Udamaluwa were seen recklessly dumping garbage into a steep mountain side.

Central Environmental Authority has set up a garbage collection center at Nallathanniya. However pilgrims say that large mounds of garbage are seen in the area.

Source:http://www.colombopage.com/archive_14A/Mar09_1394348869CH.php

Govt MPs backing illegal mining in Sinharaja Seven forest officials assaulted, two hospitalized

Several United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Parliamentarians from the Ratnapura District are alleged to be actively backing illegal gem miners operating within Sinharaja Forest Reserve. The allegations surfaced after officers from the Department of Forest Conservation (DFC) who raided a site in the area, were waylaid and viciously assaulted last week.
Environmentalists allege at least two UPFA MPs, who don’t hold ministerial portfolios, were backing the miners. Two DFC officers had to be admitted to hospital for treatment after seven of them were attacked by a mob of around 45-50 individuals on March 6 (Thursday) after they raided the location where the illegal mining was taking place, allegedly under political patronage.
The illegal mining activities, which are taking place in the Imbulkanda area, had caused enormous damage to the environment within Sri Lanka’s only rainforest, according to DFC officials.
Speaking to The Nation on grounds of anonymity, a DFC officer said the seven officers from the department’s Kalawana office who raided the site on Thursday managed to apprehend one suspect. Two others who fled the scene were identified. The team also found a large amount of equipment that was used in the illegal gem mining.
The area contained two gem mines, one of which was one of the largest they had ever seen, the officer said. The miners had set up camp at the location and it seemed they had been continuing the operation for a considerable time period, he further explained.
“However, as the team was returning with the suspect and the seized equipment, they were waylaid at the end of the Imbulkanda village by a mob of around 50 villagers, who proceeded to assault the officers.
They forced the officers to release the suspect, along with the equipment,” a DFC official said.
Two DFC officers who were injured in the incident were later admitted to hospital for treatment. A complaint was also lodged with the Potuvil police post regarding the incident, while a ‘B’ report was submitted to the Pelmadulla Magistrate’s Court, according to the DFC. The equipment that was forcibly taken away by the villagers had also been recovered by yesterday, and will be submitted to Court, it was further stated.
DFC officers had identified seven of the alleged attackers. When contacted, Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said investigations into the incident were underway, but no suspects had been arrested. However, the illegal gem mining operations in the area have stopped, at least for now. A DFC official said they would visit the area again tomorrow to ensure that the activities are stopped permanently
- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-online/item/26769-govt-mps-backing-illegal-mining-in-sinharaja-seven-forest-officials-assaulted-two-hospitalized.html#sthash.0yg8Wnsp.dpuf

No killer piranhas in Diyawanna

Reports that killer piranhas were found in Diyawanna Oya were unfounded experts and environmentalists said yesterday, stressing that they had not come across a single one in thelocal  water bodies. There may be different species like Paccu or Dollar Fish, they added

One expert stressed that piranhas could not survive in the Diyawanna Oya as it was polluted.

Naturalist/Researcher Kelum Manamendra-arachchi said that he had neither heard nor come across piranha in local water bodies.

He said that species of piranha such as the red bellied piranha (Serrasalmus nattereri), the spotted piranha (Serrasalmus spilopleura) and the white piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus) could adapt to water found anywhere.

Among those species, the spotted piranha and the abominable red bellied piranha would breed progressively in most types of fresh waters. Of the three species, the red bellied piranha and the white piranha pose a threat to humans, but mostly they were an invasive threat, he said.


Source:http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=99448

White water rafters protest building of dam

The White Water Rafting Association of Sri Lanka (WWRASL) yesterday staged a protest at Kitulgala town against the Broadlands Hydro Power Project claiming that it would sound the death knell for their business as there wouldn’t be enough water for sports in the event of the river being dammed.

Hundreds of people engaged in the business and their dependents who participated in the protest sought President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s immediate intervention to solve their problem. Foreign tourists, too, took part in the demonstration as water rafting was not conducted yesterday.

Buddhist monks joined the protest march which commenced from Kalubotenna, three kilometres away from the Kitulgala town. Protesters carried placards with slogans: ‘Don’t kill the river’, ‘Should it be used for power or sports?’, "Dear Mr. President Please protect the white water rafting and communities that depend on it’, ‘No one has a right to destroy the legacy of white water rafting’ and ‘Save the wild and scenic Kelani river.’




Assistant Secretary of the WWRASL I. M. P. Duminda told The Island that they had held several rounds of discussions with the officials of the Ministry of Power and Energy regarding their problem but in vain.

Tourism in the Kithulgala area was based on water rafting and all tourism related businesses were in danger due to the project, he said, adding that sufficient water for rafting could not be maintained the whole day if a dam was build across the river.

"We are not against the project," Duminda said, adding that they could not ask tourists to come during particular hours for the sport as any time of the day was available for them at present.

Spokesman of the Power and Energy Ministry Sisira Wijesinghe, contacted for comment, said that last discussion in this regard had been held last week at the ministry and ministry agreed to look into their grievances.

Wijesinghe said that WWRASL had also agreed to sign an agreement promising sufficient water for their business at the final discussion.

"Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and subject Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi inaugurated the project on July 15 last year," Wijesinghe said, noting that there had been no opposition during the last seven months, but there was something behind the sudden protest.

The estimated cost of the 35MW hydro power plant, which would generate 126 million units of power annually, is USD 82 million, of which 85 per cent will be financed by the Chinese Government and the balance by the Sri Lankan government.

The government is to raise 85 per cent of the USD 82 million required for the project from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the remaining 15 per cent from the People’s Bank.

The construction of the hydro power plant has been assigned to the China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC), which has presented the lowest bid for the project.

Broadlands will be the last plant in the Laxapana complex on the Kelani River. The Project is to be completed by 2017.

Source:http://island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=99453

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Another little jumbo cruelly snatched and tied up

With only a month since the SundayTimes reported an attempt to snatch a baby elephant from jungles of Galgamuwa, a raid by Wildlife Department officers turned up a little elephant kept illegally on a Mirigama estate, showing elephant poaching is a deep-seated racket.
The baby elephant, suspected to have been caught in the wild, was found on Friday (February 28).
It is illegal to keep any elephant captive without a permit from Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the mahouts failed to submit a credible permit for this baby elephant. Wildlife officers said they had produced a photocopy of a permit given for a six-and-a-half-year-old captive elephant. But this baby elephant is only about two or three years old. In absence of a credible permit the officers took the elephant into their custody.
The young elephant had cut wounds in its leg due to being tightly roped – a sure sign that it was not born to a captive female elephant.
Elephant specialists point out that if this elephant had been born in captivity it would have been accustomed to humans. Such an elephant would easily be tamed and there would be no need for being tightly roped. Cut wounds are caused when the baby elephant that is not used to being restricted is trying to get free.
The raid team was led Assistant Director of Western Wildlife Region W. Indrajith. The baby elephant has been transferred to the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe. The officials say they are determined to find and arrest the real culprits behind this crime. Only a month ago an attempt to snatch a baby elephant from jungles of Galgamuwa was thwarted by the vigilance of villagers. The existence of a racket of snatching baby elephants to be raised in captivity has been known since late 1990s but due to involvement of powerful forces the real culprits continually escape being put behind bars.
It is believed as many as 60 elephants illegally caught from the wild are in hands of private owners.
At Mirigama the raising team found another grown elephant aged over 10 years for which the owners could not produce a permit. They stationed a guard at the estate asking the owners to submit the permit for this elephant. If the owner does not give a satisfactory response the DWC will this elephant also into safekeeping. The head of the DWC, H.D. Ratnayake, said his department would not hesitate to make any arrest if proper evidence is submitted.
Source:http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140302/news/another-little-jumbo-cruelly-snatched-and-tied-up-87554.html