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| Sunday, 15 September 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Urgent measures needed to find alternative energy sources by INDUNIL THENUWARA According to the World Energy Council, the earth will run out of oil, gas and nuclear power 40 to 50 years from now. Developed countries are doing more and more research on the use of solar power and other forms of energy while Sri Lanka is still trying to decide on coal or oil as our energy sources. Sri Lanka should join hands with other countries particularly SAARC countries to conduct research on alternative forms of energy, Chairman of Surath Wickramasinghe Associates, Surath Wickramasinghe told the Sunday Observer. A more severe and a more disastrous problem that Sri Lanka is facing is the water problem: the scarcity of water as well as the damage that could be faced by flood water due to lack of proper drainage facilities. "Inadequate solutions to the flooding problem has caused damage to houses, vehicles and industries throughout the world and brought many other consequences. Immediate action is therefore necessary with regard to this issue, such as large canals, underwater tanks and other water retaining structures. Such water retaining structures during emergencies can be used to supplement the water needs during periods of drought," he said. Wickramasinghe said that urban sprawl is another issue facing the island. "Urban development has been demonstrated both horizontally and vertically in the Western Province. Horizontal sprawl has filled up water bodies and agricultural land and destroyed plantations. Urban sprawl due to lack of proper land use planning and regulatory controls are causing infrastructure and environmental problems. If this trend continues, the City would be difficult to manage," he said. He cited the case of Singapore as an instance where land use was properly planned. "It is a model city, a garden city, a high-tech city, a city for business and commercial activity and a city for leisure and recreation. On the other hand, Asian cities such as Bangkok, Bombay, Calcutta and Karachi are sprawling concrete jungles which will take years to update the infrastructure to be competitive. Such mega cities will live with poverty and pollution, health and hygiene problems and increasing deficits in services and infrastructure. If we are not careful, our Western Province will soon be facing these problems," he said. Wickramasinghe said that urban regeneration should be made mandatory and vertical development integrated with medium to low rise development at high density. Development should be integrated with adequate open spaces to ensure a sustainable environment to meet the rapidly changing technological environment and to promote balanced sustainable diversified growth. "Colombo should have a land use plan similar to that of Singapore. To achieve these objectives, we would require the services of the best planners and urban designers in the world. Furthermore, we should take all possible measures to conserve the environment specially in rural areas," he said. Presenting his viewpoint on the expansion of the Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake, Wickramasinghe said that such measures are imperative if our country is to develop as air travel is crucial to the economy. "We do not have the resources to start another new airport from scratch even with foreign funding. In order to optimise the use of the existing airport, a second runway is a must. True, some people will lose their land and dwellings, but this is easier and far more viable than shifting the airport. "Such projects should be designed with the future in mind, at least for the next 10 years. In Singapore, despite limited land resources, they planned for 20 years when designing the airport. That is how we should plan." He said that Trincomalee would be an ideal spot for a second airport as it also has a harbour and is a good location for tourism. |
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