|
|
|
| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
 |
|
 |
Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Modern library for Central ProvinceA fully-fledged library, offering all modern facilities and equipment is planned to be set up at Getambe, Peradeniya. The project, initiated by the Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake at a cost of about Rs. 90 million, is expected to fulfil a long-standing need in the Central Province.
A new four-storeyed building will be constructed this year to house this library complex. The library as well as the services provided by it will be similar to those of the National Library in Colombo. Some of the different sections earmarked under the project are the communication technology section, cultural section, schools and public services sections, review and research sections, an auditorium with modern facilities and equipment, and special sections for children. Tsunami early warning system by 2007 A year after the tsunami, the countries affected by it are still trying to pick up the pieces. One thing the whole world has realised is that if there had been an early warning system, the devastation would have been very much less. Now there are plans to set up an Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System (IOTWS) by 2007, which would enable Indian Ocean countries including Sri Lanka to receive information about possible tsunamis before they strike the country. Before the December 26, 2004 tsunami, a warning system existed only in the Pacific Ocean basin, thus catching all the affected countries unawares. The international community, which met in Paris after the disaster, decided to develop an early warning system for the Indian Ocean. Until the IOTWS is established, the Meteorological Department has made arrangements to immediately warn Sri Lankans of an impending tsunami, by connecting Sri Lanka with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre and the Japan Meteorological Agency. Information about any major earthquakes, which are likely to affect Sri Lanka, will be relayed to the country within 15 minutes of such an earthquake taking place. The Department will thus be able to warn the public through the media, police and armed forces, within 30 minutes. A tsunami takes about two hours to reach Sri Lanka, while the public would have more than one hour to evacuate from coastal areas. The present seismological network in Sri Lanka will also be upgraded. There are also plans by India, Australia, Malaysia and the USA to install deep-ocean tsunami detection instruments in the Indian Ocean to determine whether an earthquake could cause a tsunami in the region. 2005 - challenging year for aid ROME - The Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), James Morris described 2005 as the most challenging year the humanitarian aid world had faced, since World War II, but also warned that 2006 will undoubtedly bring further emergencies and even greater demands on donors. "The fact is that 2005 was an exceptional year of disaster for millions of people across the world," Morris said, recalling the relentless onslaught of the Indian Ocean tsunami, drought and locusts in Niger, continuing conflict in Darfur, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Stan, and concluding with the devastating earthquake in Kashmir. "None of us know what 2006 will bring. We can hope for a calmer year, with timely rainfall and limited seismic activity. But we have to be prepared for every eventuality. And if that means appealing for even more funding from our donors, that's exactly what we'll be doing." Morris expressed concern that in contrast to the overwhelming response to the tsunami, many WFP operations remained dangerously underfunded. For example, its appeal for US$ 100 million to provide air support for UN relief operations in Pakistan is less than half funded (US$ 42.6 million), while its operation to feed some 10 million people in Southern Africa is more than US$ 100 million short of the US$ 317 million needed by April 2006. "Part of the problem is that we have become inured (familiar) to television pictures of drought, floods, landslides and earthquakes - even to wars. We still feel compassion, but we have lost the sense of urgency. And what we feel as individuals is reflected in action by governments - the donations come in, but often more slowly than needed," Morris said. In the end, however, the response of most donors to crises in 2005 had been terrific, he said. Morris said one of the biggest challenges that WFP currently faces is in overcoming the time lag between a disaster occurring and donations coming in. One way the WFP is achieving this is by drawing on reserve funds in
anticipation of donations coming in. However, the agency is also
experimenting with a scheme to provide famine insurance to vulnerable
populations in regions prone to drought.
|
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
