Waste management programme in Gampaha

A programme on plastic waste management will be launched in the Gampaha district soon by the National Post Consumer Plastic Waste Management Project.

Awareness programmes on the collection of waste and the separation of such waste into different segments are now being conducted at Pradeshiya Sabhas and schools in the area. These are being conducted with the objective of cultivating awareness about the project among the people of the area including schoolchildren.

The programme will include implementing a project to sort out waste at domestic level. Instructions have also been provided by the authorities for the establishment of committees to oversee the solid waste collection process, at Pradeshiya Sabha and school level. It has been decided that temples, churches and mosques would be provided with baskets to collect plastic and polythene waste, as an initial step.

The Attangalla Pradeshiya Sabha has already set up a waste management centre at Ranpokunagama and has commenced the manufacture of compost fertiliser. The waste collected in this area on a daily basis is estimated to be around 12,000 kilograms.

Dinosaur had skull like crocodile

British scientists using computer modelling techniques determined an unusual fish-eating dinosaur - the Baryonyx - had a crocodile-like skull.

Emily Rayfield of the University of Bristol said the Baryonyx had a skull that functioned like a fish-eating crocodile, despite looking like a dinosaur. It also possessed two huge hand claws, perhaps used as grappling hooks to lift fish from the water.

Rayfield utilised computer modelling techniques commonly used to discover how a car's hood buckles during a crash to determine that while Baryonyx was eating, its skull bent and stretched in the same way as the skull of the Indian fish-eating gharial - a crocodile with long, narrow jaws.

Baryonyx walkeri is an early Cretaceous dinosaur, approximately 125 million years old, belonging to a family called spinosaurs.

United Press International

Renovations under way at Galle Face Green

Most of you may have visited the Galle Face Green. This beautiful coastal stretch in the heart of Colombo has been a weekend haunt and a leisure site for many.

So many national events such as kite festivals are held on this beachfront which runs across a distance of half a kilometre.

It's the largest open space in Colombo and is a favourite location of children, vendors and other merrymakers. But of late, it had been closed to the public due the renovation work under way. Now, there are plans to re-open it to the public soon and it has been decided that the day would be fixed around March.

Ports and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa, who inspected the facilities being constructed for the benefit of the public at Galle Face Green recently, instructed the authorities to look in to the shortcomings of food stalls located within the area.

Officials have been instructed to make the place more attractive and make arrangements to provide facilities to the people visiting the site.

The Galle Face Green was first laid out in 1859 by then Governor Henry Ward and was also used for horse racing.

Solar power for rural schools

There are many schools as well as houses lacking electricity in Sri Lanka. Although some of us may take such things for granted, these facilities aren't available right throughout the country to the entire population.

There are many such schools in the rural areas of Hambantota without access to electricity.

Although some of them have new computers, the students have been unable to use them due to the lack of electricty. The Southern Provincial Council has now taken steps to provide solar energy to some of these schools. Nine schools have already received electricity through this solar electricity generation system.

The funds for the project have been provided to the Provincial Council by the Indian Government.

Coastal conservation project

A special project to construct protective dams to arrest sea erosion and environment pollution along the coastline of Matara has been launched by the Coast Conservation Department (CCD).

The Department has allocated a sum of Rs. 35 million for the project. The project would see a 260-metre protective dam being constructed on the Weligama beach at a cost of Rs. 6.7 million and a 142-metre dam being built at Kalukanda in Kapparatota at a cost of Rs. 6.5 million.

Construction work on the dam on the beach at Beliwaththa, initiated at an estimated expenditure of Rs. 5.2 million, is nearing completion. Steps have also been taken under the project to build a 476-metre dam at Wellamadama beach at an expense of Rs. 16.3 million.