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| Sunday, 13 June 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Stop abusing rivers by Shanika Sriyananda
Piyasoma and his wife earned their living mining the sand of the Maha-Oya. They were unaware of the dangerous repercussions their action was causing. They were ignorant about environmental concerns or even health hazards for that matter. Sand mining was simply a means to an income, something that put food on the table, clothed their two children... Put simply, the Maha Oya helped them survive. But the salination of Colombo's drinking water due to the intrusion of sea water into the rivers and the resultant 'dry taps' has made them and hundreds of others invloved in river sand mining re-think their employment options. Sand mining is strickly prohibited in the Maha Oya and Kelani river. Those previously engaged in mining are only permitted to enter these rivers for bathing. Accoring to Dr. R. A. D. B. Samaranayake, Director Coast Conservation Department (CCD), prohibition of sand mining is essential to prevent coastal erosion as well as damage to rivers. "But it is equally important to have some kind of social welfare programme at provincial levels for the poor villagers who solely depend on sand mining", he said. He warned that if the sand mining continues unabated, the rivers in the country would run short of sand, and Sri Lanka would not be in a position to meet the increasing sand demand. "Environmentally, as well as economically, the country needs a National Policy to promote alternatives to river sand", he added. While environmentalists happily welcome the move, saying that it prevents sea erosion, poor villagers, who have been affected badly, are still grieving about the lack of a solution to their problem. The annual sand requirement of the country is nearly eight million cubic metres and it is growing at an annual rate of 10 per cent. Of the total, over 77 per cent of sand is consumed by the four provinces - Western, Southern, Central and North Western. " According to our projections, the rate of sand consumed by these four provinces will increase considerably", Dr. Samaranayake said. The major environmental impact of river mining is coastal erosion and due to this, supply of sediments to the shore from the rivers are drastically reduced. Sand mining in a river also lowers its bottom. The restriction of sediment flows increase flooding from the sea and changes the water quality to the detriment of the aquatic fauna and habitats. Apart from land destruction due to coastal and river bank erosion, drinking water resources are also under severe threat. Impacts on irrigation water will cause losses to agriculture and also damage the infrastructure. " These losses have been estimated to be in excess of Rs. 600 for every cube of sand mined from the rivers. The Western province losses over Rs. 600 million annually from damages caused by coastal erosion", Dr. Samaranayake said. Over the years, river sand deposits have been abused and over-exploited on a massive scale. These rivers identified by the CCD are Kelani ganga, Kalu ganga, Deduru Oya, Maha oya, Gin ganga and Nilwala ganga. " Our studies have found that the quantities mined from these rivers during the period 1984 to 1998 is around 4 million cubic meters. In early years, sand mining in the rivers was a manual operation and the main methods used was underwater mining using barges, buckets and baskets. Surface mining using tractors is another method used where sand is available at dry spots in the river beds, where the river banks are not steep", he explained. However, extensive sand mining in rivers has now made a severe impact on environment and according to Dr. Samaranayake, abusing of rivers commenced with the usage of sophisticated machinery such as excavators. " The Maha Oya and Deduru Oya are the two main rivers that are abused extensively, by using traditional and modern equipment, over the past years especially to cater to the sand demand in the Western province", he added. According to Dr. Samaranayake, the CCD scientific investigations predict the Western province will suffer a severe shortage of river sand due to over mining of sand in the Kelani River. " It has reached to a very crucial stage and the river beds have been deepened. The limited sediment transport from its upper reaches has resulted in heavy coastal erosion along the Northwest coast and the intrusion of saltwater to the main intake of drinking water at Ambatale", he said. Meanwhile the CCD, which spends a massive amount of money annually to protect highways, railways, land, houses and other sea fronted properties, has now come up with a proposal to implement a programme to promote offshore sand to replace river sand to save the rivers in the country. The most important thing is to come up with an alternative to river sand. According to a study the alternatives to river sand are sand dunes, sand deposits in lagoons, canals and catchment upstreams of reservoirs, quarry dust and manufacture sand. But, according to CCD findings, these alternatives would not be a long-term solution and is not enough to meet the increasing demand for sand. " The study identified offshore sand as the only feasible alternative, which use in many Western and Asian countries for construction purposes", he said adding that another study conducted by the University of Moratuwe, which did a series of tests on offshore sand, proved that offshore sand is upto the standards set for construction purposes and also come under the internationally recognised codes of practice. According to Dr. Samaranayake, the proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet approval soon. ########### Eco personality : Re-generating the bond "He loved and cared for her. She was a divine gift to him and he knew she wasn't just his, but belonged to future generations as well. But tales from the West made him greedy and he abused her. Finally they divorced. Even being apart, he continued to abuse her. She is innocent. But, when she is angry she also takes revenge, making him suffer badly. But, it is now time for them to marry again", the country's only Professor of Forest and Environmental Science is counting the days to witness a 'special wedding'.
"This couple saying 'I do'are the man and the environment", she smiles. "Really, it is time to re-generate the bondage between man and the environment", says Professor Hemanthi Ranasinghe, Head of the Department of Forest and Environmental Science at the Sri Jayawardenapura University. She took a special interest in the country's forest cover when she was appointed Assistant Lecturer of Forestry Science of the University of SJ in 1983 and enhanced her knowledge of forestry by doing a Masters degree in Forestry at the University. Later she obtained a Ph.D in Forestry from the University of Wales, Bangor in the United Kingdom. Prof. Ranasinghe returned to Sri Lanka in 1989 and pioneered the conversion of the 'Forestry Project' into the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science. In recognition of her contribution to the field of forestry and environment, she was given a Fullbright Fellowship by the US government and was offered the post of Assistant Professor at the University of Yale. "My main interest is silvi culture and agro forestry. But I also work a lot on biodiversity, sustainable use of natural resources...", she elaborates on her interests. " Sustainable use of natural resources is the most essential need of the hour", says the Professor, who was adjudged the 'Professional Woman of the Year' by the Women Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka, in 2000. Prof. Ranasinghe, is a down to earth and hard working academic who has helped a vast variety of people ranging from the general public to school children to public and private sector authorities to international community, on the value of sustainable use of natural resources. She has published over 40 local and international research papers on forestry. She was also the team leader on United Nations Millennium Goals Development No. 7, which ensure environmental sustainability. "Environmental education" she says " should start from the school". Currently she is the Environmental Consultant to the Ministry of Human Resources, Education and Cultural Affairs on the novel project - School Environmental Modernisation Project- which aims to integrate environmental education into the secondary education curricular. "Despite the efforts of the conservation authorities - government, the eco-groups and private sector organisations - the country's forest cover is dwindling", Prof. Ranasinghe laments adding that this could be conserved only through an attitudinal change. She says the government alone cannot conserve the forest. " We need strong public interest and also tough monitoring mechanisms", she suggests commending the efforts taken by some of the private sector companies to re-plant the dwindling forest. "The Country has ratified many international conventions on environmental related issues and there are also many laws to protect the environment. But still, the abuse of nature is going on. The main problem is selfishness of the public, which is 'suffering' from the 'Not in My Back Yard' (NIMB) syndrome", she claims. "We cannot say 'No' to development. But, it should be done in a sustainable manner. Our ancestors lived with nature and they reaped the benefits while caring and protecting it for future generations. Today, we think only about development. And nature is the most forgotten aspect", she bemoans. - SSL ########### Guide to National Parks - Wilpattu Wilpattu National Park, is one of the oldest protected areas in the country. The park was closed for visitors for the past 16 years due to security reasons, but was re-opened last year. With its glorious bio-diversity and harmonious surroundings, this park has once again became one of the 'popular tourist destinations' in the country. First declared as a sanctuary in 1905, this land with historical sites and rich bio-diversity became a national park in 1938. The Dutch and Portugal Bays have also been proposed as marine sites to the park. Spanning 131,693 hectares, the Wilpattu National Park is popular for its lakes (villus) like flat basins containing rain water. Above 152 metres from the sea level, one of its striking speciality is its copper red soil. Over 73 per cent of the Park has a thick forest cover and thorny bushes and the rest is open habitat. Flora: The park flora are littoral vegetation - salt grass and low scrub near beach and inland monsoon forest with tall emergent such as palu, satin, milla, weera, ebony and wewarana. Fauna: The interfaces between forest, scrub and grasslands in the Western part of the park and the 'villus' and drainage systems in the cental of the park gives it a high mammalian diversity and ecological densities. This unique land is home to over 31 species of mammals including Rodentia and Chiroptera. The threatened mammals are elephants, sloth bear, leopard and water buffalo. The elephant population is dwindling and the spotted deer has become the most numerically abundant species living in the park. 'Dugong Dugong' were found in the Dutch and Portugal Bays near the park. Wilpattu National Park is a haven for - migratory as well as local bird species. Especially the 'villus' are ideal breeding sites for variety of resident and migratory water fowl including painted stork fowl and open billed stork. Wilpattu National Park is a haven for wetland species like Garganey Pintail Whistling Teal, Spoonbill White Ibis Large White Egret, Cattle Egret and Purple Heron. With the abundance of fish in 'villus', the Indian Darter can be seen in large numbers. Whiteshafted Little Tern, Gull Billed Tern, Whiskered Tern, Great Stone-Curlew, Black Winged Stilt and Red Wattled Lapwing are the most common feathered friends around the villus. Situated in the northwest coast, the Park is also home to scrub birds such as Greater Racquet-Tailed Drongo, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Crimson Breasted Barbet, Brown Headed Barbet, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Little Green Bee Eater, Kingfisher, Nightjar, Fish Owl and Sri Lankan Jungle Fowl. The common raptors include Crested Serpent Eagle, White-Bellied Sea Eagle and Crested Hawk Eagle. Common monitor, mugger crocodile, common cobra, rat snake and Indian python are also permanent residents of the Park, while Pond Turtle, Soft-Shelled Turtle are the common turtle species in the large permanent villus. The star tortoise can be seen creeping on grasslands. Nearly 30 kilometres west of Anuradhapura, the Wilpattu National Park lies between the NorthWestern and North Central Provinces. The Moderagam Aru is in the South, Kala Oya in the North and Dutch and Portugal and Dutch bays and the sea in the West part of the Park. Apart from experiencing the natural wonders, visitors can witness the ancient historical heritages. Prince Vijaya who married Kuveni, the jungle princess in 543 BC is said to have landed in Kudrimalai. The ruins of her palace are still at Kali Villu. The 2000 years old archaeological evidences of Maradanmaduwe at Wirandangoda and Galbendi Niyara are the ruins of a palace where Prince Saliya lived with his low caste bride Asoka Mala. The burials of Pre-Vijayan times can also be seen at the Park. Engraved stone boundary posts at Konwetiya and elsewhere, the remains of an old harbour between Palagaturai and Kollankanatte and an ancient Hindu temple at Kudrimalai Point are some notable ancient sites. The easiest route from Colombo to the Park is via Negombo, Chilaw and Puttalam. The turn off at Thimbiriwewa, a small village is at the 28th mile post along the Puttalam - Anuradhapura road. Tickets to enter the park can be obtained from the park office and guides are available at Hunuwilagama, just eight kilometres from the turn off at Thimbiriwewa. The circuit bungalow at Kokmottai can accomodate a group of ten visitors. (Source: Department of Wildlife Conservation) ########### Diyawanna fish face death Indigenous fresh water fish varieties in the Diyawanna Oya and northern parts of the Bolgoda lake are on the brink of extinction due to the rapid increase of the invasive ornamental fish - Indian Knifefish, popularly known as 'Mannaya' among local fish lovers and 'Chitala Chitala'.
The Indian Knifefish is a large predator from Southeast Asia, and is called so because its body takes the shape of a blade. Chitala Chitala is a silver colour fish and has nearly 10 large black spots on the body, all ringed in white. First sighted at the Diyawanna Lake around the Parliament and the adjoining lake in 1994, sightings were also reported from the Bolgoda Lake from 1995 and again from the Kalu Ganga in 1986. The Indian Knifefish has also become a threat to the indigenous fish species in water ways in Colombo city, Kolonnawa, Nugegoda, Kaduwela, Dehiwala, Ratmalana, Moratuwa, Kesbewa and Maharagama in the Colombo District and Panadura, Bandaragama, Horana, Kalutara, Matugama and Dodangoda in Kalutara district. According to SEE sources, due to the increase of the Indian Knifefish population in Diyawanna Oya and Bolgoda Lake, the indigenous fish species such as 'uda handaya' (Aplocheilus dayi) 'bandi thiththaya' (Aplocheilus parvus), 'igili kadaya' (Puntitus vittatus), 'dankola pethiya' (puntius bimaculatius), 'wawu salaya' (puntius Sinhala) and 'dandiya' (Amblypheryngodon melittinus) are on the brink of extinction. "Large green frogs, which were common a few years back has, completely disappeared from these vicinities", they said. Several varieties of the knifefish were imported to the country as ornamental fish. The Clown Knifefish needs a large space and should be kept alone as they are voracious predators capable of overpowering fishes of the same size and eating anything smaller. "Being carnivores, Clown Knifefish eats beef heart, prawns, live fish or fish meat", said the sources. According to SEE sources, though the Indian Knifefish are very popular as food fish in their native land and throughout Asia, it is not popular in Sri Lanka. - SSL |
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This fish species, popularly known as Nine Hearts in Sri Lanka was
first discovered in the natural water habitats in the country in 1994 and
can be seen in two districts - Colombo and Kalutara. According to sources
at the Society for Environmental Education (SEE), no extensive study on
this invasive fish species had been done, despite the species gradually
becoming a threat to indigenous fish species.
