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| Thursday, 17 June 2004 |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments. Depression in climate studies A recent article (DN May 7) shows that in Sri Lanka, the science of climatology is in a poorly developed state, and the knowledge on local climatic events and literacy on climate are low. Another article (DN May 5) fears whether the real trouble with the weather in Sri Lanka lies in not understanding it properly. So far there has been no comment: from relevant institutions or professionals on these assessments. As a citizen and on behalf of the farmers, I wish to make the following comments. I agree with the ideas expressed in the two articles. But in fairness to the ancient Sri Lankans, it is important to acknowledge the fact that they had a system of increasing infiltration and regulating the disposal of storm water. It consisted of a sequence of runoff impediments to detain and regulate runoff. Prolonged detention time allowed for greater infiltration of water to the soil. This conservation system got subverted since around 1890 when the rural tanks began to be viewed and treated as irrigation tanks, and sluices were fitted on to them to regularly tap their water for irrigation. After this transformation the main function of rural tanks changed from habitat/hydrology stabilisers to irrigation sources. That of the land above the tank changed from being a medium to take in rainwater and store it within the soil body to 'catch' rainfall and generate runoff for filling the tank below. Generating runoff implies reducing infiltration, and some officials even went to the extent of considering the possibility of polythene lining the catchment slope to totally arrest infiltration for increasing runoff. Increasing adverse impacts from droughts and floods due to poor preparedness for addressing them shows that the policy on study of climate in Sri Lanka needs improvement. The general expectation is for the Department of Meteorology to provide data, information and knowledge on climate, but it must be remembered that meteorology is an atmospheric science for observing atmospheric phenomena and predicting climate, while climatology being a more earthly science is distinct from meteorology. The limited climatological studies that have been reported have been largely based on the volume of rainfall with little attention to the intensity of rainfall which is a key parameter which determines the effectiveness rainfall as a water resource, and sheds light on how best to manage rainwater which is the basic source of water in Sri Lanka. Consistent monitoring of rainfall to see what is in store for a given season or year is hardly attempted in Sri Lanka. To illustrate this point, let us recall the recent experience with the past Maha season, which brought very little rain and adversely affected the farmers. On October 17, 2003, early in the season, the Trincomalee Daily News correspondent reported that the local farmers were concerned about the Maha rains not coming on time. There was no institutional or professional response to it. With a view to stimulating the authorities into action and also to highlight the virtual absence media coverage of climate issues I raised the question 'what news of the Maha season' (DN 11.11.2003). Since then weeks and months had passed by with no news on the Maha season rainfall though farmer concerns on lack of water were growing. It was only when (in February 2004), the Colombo city water supply was under threat out came a swathe of media coverage on rains having failed. Perhaps the first-ever Government action/reaction on the drought was to plead from international agencies for drought relief assistance. It is not surprising why the international agencies do not question whether the droughts in Sri Lanka are as spontaneous as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, as until February there was no formal mention of drought at all. From the above observation it becomes clear that we lack a system of monitoring climate and letting the people who do not have access to modern global weather pictures. If at all, they are told anything, it is a post-mortem pronouncement that the season has been drought affected, flood ravaged or has produced a good crop (often saddling the farmers with a crop they are little able to sell). What we need is for the study of climatology to develop to a level that makes it possible for the farmers to be informed of what a Maha season is going to be like at least before October 15, not what it has been at the end of the season. Dr. J. Handawela, Rajagiriya Where is the international community? The past few weeks have seen the devastation of residential area in Gaza as Israeli occupying forces have demolished hundreds of homes, cut water and electricity lines and left over 2000 Palestinian refugees homeless. In a chilling development Israeli forces have demolished houses in which the residents were not being given any warning and destruction work carried out while they were still inside. Scores of Palestinians have been killed during the past few weeks including of those who took part in a peaceful demonstration on May 19. The killing was indiscriminate, the victims included old men and women and innocent children. All these in the pretext of a non existent tunnel alleged to have been used by the Palestinians for smuggling arms. Easily, this could be compared to Saddam's WMD which is yet to be found or will never be found! The atrocities in Gaza even moved, a usually hard hearted Likud minister. The incident was related to an old woman, an inhabitant of the Rafha refugee camp whose house was demolished by the Israeli army, and was immortalized by the camera while rummaging through the ruins of her home in a desperate search for her medicines. Two days later, journalists found her at the same place still looking for her medicines under the debris. It is then, the Israeli Minister of Justice Yosef (Tommy) Lapid remarked 'This old woman reminds me of my grandmother'. His grandmother perished in the Holocaust and this remark kicked up a storm among the Likud party hard line politicians including their hawkish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Despite the unquestionable illegality of all these atrocities, the international community has taken no action to bring Israeli violations to a halt. How long could such inaction continue? Super powers are abdicating their responsibility to ensure the respect of international human rights and humanitarian laws and the dictates of the public conscience, for which Palestinians are daily paying the price. A just and durable solution to the conflict cannot be found, if the international community turns a blind eye to Israel's on-going brutality on the Palestinian nation. S. H. MOULANA, Riyadh Disappointing service at SLT On June 9 at 12.15 p.m. I telephoned 133 and booked for a phonogram. After two reminders my message was taken at 2.15 p.m. I requested the officer to send the telegram to reach the destination Panadura that day itself as urgent or any form that the officer may deem suitable as my message was for my friend to meet me on Thursday the 10th. I expected the message to be delivered as I was not informed on the negative. My friend did not meet me as he had not received the telegram on Wednesday the 9th and he had gone somewhere else on Thursday the 10th. So I waited the whole day and was disappointed. Later I found that the telegram had been delivered on Thursday as urgent for no useful purpose. If the Sri Lanka Telecom informed me I could have gone to Panadura or sent someone to deliver the message. Upto now I have not received an official apology from the SLT but I have to pay the price for an urgent telegram and few telephone calls. This is modernization of Sri Lanka Telecom at its very best. M. N. De Zoysa, Mount Lavinia Absorbing ticket rate at cinema Last week I went with my family to see a popular Hindi film at a cinema hall in Colombo 6. I was shocked at the ticket counter for the price of the tickets - Balcony Rs. 200, ODC Rs. 150 and Box Seat Rs. 250. Thousand rupees are gone for tickets and also in the interval for refreshment another three hundred is spent! How can an average middle class family spend this much of money? It is better to purchase a VCD or DVD and watch the same movie at home. Also to my surprise this cinema screened recently a Sinhala movie (which ran for 100 days) and at that time it was for Balcony Rs. 160, ODC Rs. 140 and Box Seat Rs. 200. How did they increase the price of tickets suddenly? Have they obtained the prior approval from the relevant authorities? I have my doubts because the theatre owner has not done anything to improve the existing facilities and they have just increased the ticket rates, as they like. Other air-conditioned main cinemas currently screening English, Tamil and Sinhala films in Colombo ticket rates are 50 per cent less than this cinema. I request from CMC and NFC not to remain silent. Please take necessary action to control these illegal price increases. If the authorities are going to keep their eyes closed on these matters, then this 'family cinema' centre will no sooner be the one and only cinema for VIPs, VVIPs Casino and Karoake guys and gals. ROSHAN GUNAPALA, Dehiwela |
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