Hazard advisories to 25 countries in the Indian Ocean region

Twenty five countries in the Indian Ocean region are now enabled to receive hazard advisories, based on information on seismic waves released from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) in Hawaii, USA and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in Tokyo. Communication centres set up through the region's collective efforts will help distribute this information quickly and successfully.

In March 2005, the Department of Meteorology (DoM) was formally designated as the national focal point to receive and disseminate (spread around) tsunami warnings. The Interim Tsunami Warning Centre at the DoM, which works round the clock, currently receives tsunami information from the PTWC and JMA. The Centre has been provided with improved facilities to warn the public without any delay.

Several communication pathways, including the mass media, police communication system and military communication networks, have been identified to disseminate the warnings to the public quickly. The progress report of the Department of Meteorology detailed their capability of detecting and disseminating the warnings more quickly to the public.

On December 26, 2004, such an alert system existed only in the Pacific Ocean basin. The tsunami killed over 285,000 people and displaced more than one million in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

The PTWC in Hawaii is part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the National Weather Service. Until a few years ago, the PTWC served the Pacific Basin as a regional and long distance tsunami warning centre, and as a local tsunami warning centre for Hawaii.

Today, it serves as an interim tsunami warning centre for the Indian Ocean in cooperation with the JMA, issuing information for hazard related events to the Indian ocean and the Caribbean until such systems are in place for those regions. Today, such a system is coming together in the Indian Ocean.

On a national level, public awareness and safety brochures, and school curricula and other information materials about tsunami and hazard warnings have been designed and distributed to the public.

Dhamma school exams under Buddhist Affairs Dept.

The grade examinations of Dhamma schools will, from now on, be conducted under the Department of Buddhist Affairs. This decision was arrived at, at a discussion between the Executive Committee of the All Island Sasanarakshaka Council and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

The discussion, held recently at the Prime Minister's Office, was over several important issues relating to the Buddha Sasana, including the implementation of various recommendations made by the Buddha Sasana Commission.

Lekhakadhikari of the Sasanarakshaka Council, Gonaduwe Gunananda Thera said that according to this decision, the policy of conducting the Grade 10 examination of the Dhamma schools by the Department of Buddhist Affairs, will, from next year, be extended to cover Grades 5 to 10 of these schools. The next Grade 10 examination is expected to be conducted by the Department on November 26 this year, the Thera said.

Action to reduce outbreak of dengue

Dengue, as you know, is a serious health problem, which keeps recurring throughout the country. Outbreaks of the disease have worsened after the tsunami, due to the increase of mosquito breeding sites occurring in destroyed and abandoned premises, and discarded containers at over-crowded temporary shelters without proper garbage disposal facilities.

Joint efforts are now under way to enhance the action taken to reduce the outbreak of dengue fever. The National Dengue Control Unit of the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition is currently coordinating dengue control activities in the country according to a national plan of action.

A memorandum of understanding was signed recently between the government of Sri Lanka, the Italian Embassy and the World Health Organisation Office in Colombo, to enhance the activities of prevention and control of the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes who transmit dengue.

Under this project, the National Dengue Control Programme will receive a grant of Rs. 10 million, which will mainly facilitate the strengthening of activities leading to active and effective participation of the community, in dengue control.

Accordingly, 5,000 volunteers will be trained to take the message of eliminating dengue breeding grounds, door-to-door.

The project will cover the 12 districts which have reported the highest number of dengue cases during the last five years.

They are Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, Galle, Matara, Kandy, Kegalle, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Ratnapura, Trincomalee and Anuradhapura.

The Italian Embassy in Colombo, through the Italian Corporation Office, has been funding about 40 projects across the island in the post-tsunami reconstruction process. Health and sanitation, as well as psychosocial issues have been among their focuses.

The World Health Organisation facilitated the partnership between the Italian Embassy and Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition for the implementation of this national plan of action for the prevention of dengue.

Importance of religious education

Dhamma schools have a major role to play in developing the character of students for the good of the society. The service provided by Dhamma school teachers is of great value, and the gratitude of all Sri Lankans should be bestowed on them, Kadigamuwe Medhankara Nayaka Thera, Chief Adviser for Dhamma Schools in the Kurunegala district said.

Addressing a conference of Dhamma school teachers of the Kurunegala district, held recently at Bingiriya National School conference hall, the Thera said, some people behave with no respect or regard for their fellow human beings, as the proper religious background hasn't been inculcated in them.

Despite being highly educated and holding top positions in society, some people lack noble qualities such as kindness and compassion. Great effort must be made now to cultivate such noble human qualities in the minds of students, who will grow up to be the future leaders of this country, he said.

The present government has taken steps to improve the quality of Dhamma education. Over Rs. 120 million have been set aside for the development of Dhamma schools in the North Western Province, while Dhamma school teachers have been provided with many incentives to encourage them to provide a better service for the future generation, the Thera said.

Protect children from being abducted

A new stamp has been issued in America to mark the 10th anniversary of a programme dedicated to the rapid recovery of abducted children. The programme came into being after the kidnapping and subsequent murder of a nine-year-old boy named Amber Hagerman in January 1996.

Amber also stands for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response. When law enforcement officials have sufficient information about the circumstances of an abduction, and believe that the child is in imminent danger, they will partner with the local media to broadcast an alert.

The new stamp was issued on May 25, to remind the masses once again, of the urgent need to protect their children from being lost when unattended to, by elders. The particular stamp shown here, bearing the words 'Amber Alert saves missing children' is meant for mass circulation throughout America. What the design shows is a reunited mother and child, entwined in each other's arms.

Artist Vivienne Flesher of San Francisco, California created the illustration used for the stamp. Eighty million Amber Alert stamps have been printed. The stamp continues U. S. Postal Service's tradition of drawing attention to important social problems.

A number of stamps of this variety of social awareness have been issued on earlier occasions too. America has shown that stamps can educate the masses most effectively.

Francis P. Gunasekera.