B.Sc
(Sp), M.Sc (Fisheries Biology and Management), PhD (Inland
Fisheries).
Proposer: M.J.
Wijeyaratne.
Prof. U.S. Amarasinghe joined the University of Kelaniya, in
1992 and promoted as a Professor in 2004. His research
findings have a high positive impact on inland fisheries of
Sri Lanka. Several inland fisheries regulations have been
formulated and implemented, based on his research findings.
He also served as a member of the IPFC working party of
experts on inland fisheries in FAO. He served as an
international consultant to the International Development
Research Centre, Canada and as a consultant to Network of
Aquaculture Centre in the Asia-Pacific to conduct a series
of workshops on culture-based fisheries in Lao PDR, Cambodia
and Indonesia. He was also a consultant to the University of
Stirling, UK to prepare a syllabus for B.Sc. degree
programme in Fisheries Science in the Mzuzu University,
Malawi.
In 1993, Prof.
Amarasinghe won the prize for the best young scientist in
biology, jointly awarded by the Third World Academy of
Sciences (TWAS) and Natural Resources, Energy and Science
Authority (NARESA) and also he received Presidential awards
for the authorship of scientific papers figuring in Science
Citation Index. In 2000, he was awarded a Commonwealth
Postdoctoral Fellowship to work as a visiting academic at
the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine,
University of London. He was also an academic visitor in the
Netherlands Institute of Ecology in 2007 and also the Vice
Chancellor's award for the outstanding scientist in the
Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya in 2007.
PROFESSOR B.S.B. KARUNARATNE
(Scientific discipline:
Physics)
B.Sc (Hon), PhD (Material
Physics).
Proposer: Prof.
V.Kumar.
Professor Karunaratne is a leading researcher in industrial
ceramics whose major achievement has been the development of
rare-earth-doped ά - Sialon Ceramics with Novel Optical
Properties .This new phenomenon in the field of Sialon
ceramics led to applications based on their
optical/electronic properties in combination with mechanical
and thermal properties. For the first time a coloured highly
transparent ά - sialon ceramic was synthesized using rare
earths as stabilizing cations.
Prof. Karunaratne was responsible for the establishment of a
ceramic research laboratory in 1987 at the Department of
Physics, University of Peradeniya. Almost all the equipment
required for the fabrication and investigation of the
properties of ceramic materials worth several million rupees
was designed and constructed by him. .
He has
collaborated in research with Universities and Institutes in
Britain, Italy, Sweden, India, USA and Korea and is a
Visiting Professor at the Graduate School, Shizuoka
University, Japan. He is presently on sabbatical leave as
Brain Pool Visiting Scientist at the Korean Institute of
Material Science.
He supervised a number of Postgraduates students who have
successfully completed their degrees. He has contributed to
solving problems faced by the local wood (Borwood), Ceramic
(Link Engineering and brick (NBRO) and cement (Holcim)
industry through research. He has 30 refereed publications,
70 communications and two books to his credit.
PROFESSOR R.M.G
RAJAPAKSE
(Scientific discipline:
Chemistry)
B.Sc (Hons), PhD, DIC.
Proposer: Prof.V.
Karunaratne.
Prof.
Rajapakse holds a First class (Honours) B.Sc. Special Degree
in Chemistry from University of Peradeniya (1979-1983) and a
Ph.D. and D.I.C. from Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, University of London, UK
(1985-1988), He was a EPSRC Research fellow at Imperial
College (1989-1999) and at the University of Liverpool , UK
(2003 – 2004), the Royal Society Research Fellow at
University of Bath, UK (1999-2000),the Royal Society, Jones
Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, Department
of Instrumentation and Analytical Science, UK (2003),DADD
Fellow at Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research ,Mainze,
Germany. He is a visiting Research Officer at the University
of Texas at Arlington, USA. He has also worked as a
Consultant to Johnson-Matthey, UK and the National Science
Foundation, Sri Lanka and also a Task Force Member in
Nanotechnology. He has reviewed several articles in learned
International Indexed journals such as J. Material
Processing Technology, J.Composite Materials,
Electrochemical Acta, J.Physics, Applied Physics and many
other journals. He has over 70 publications to his credit.
He has delivered more than 10 invited lectures at National
and International Meetings and Scientific Conferences.
He has over
25 Years of Service at the University of Peradeniya,
initially as an Assistant Lecturer (1985) then became a Full
Professor (1999) .During this period he has developed
physical Chemistry Teaching and Research it their current
status. He has also extended his Services to National
Education by writing several Text books at G.C.E. A/L and by
conducting teacher training workshops. He is a member of
National Committee on Syllabus Revision. He is also a member
of the Editorial Board of Ceylon Journal of Chemistry and
several other International Journals.
PROFESSOR S.R.P.
SILVA
(Scientific
discipline: Electronic Engineering/ Solid State Physics)
Prof. Silva has won numerous
International Awards and Prizes including the Albert
Einstein Silver Medal from UNESCO, Paris in 2003 for
contributions to Carbon based electronics and Devices, the
Vernon-Charles-Boys Medal (lOP, London, 2002) and the lEE
Achievement Medal (lEE, London, 2003) for his research. He
has published over 250 archival research papers in very high
impact journals including Nature, Science, Nature Materials,
NanoLetters, Advanced Materials, Applied Physics Letters
(over 50 papers); written 6 books/chapters with
international publishers; edited proceedings of numerous
conferences; invented over 15 international patents; given
over 300 presentations at national and international
meetings, and, helped create four companies to encourage
public-private partnerships.
Prof. Silva is the Director of the
Advanced Technology Institute at the University of Surrey,
Guildford. Since 2005, Professor Silva has been working with
the National Science Foundation on popularising
Nanotechnology in Schools in Sri Lanka. He also helped roll
out the National Nanotechnology Initiative in Sri Lanka from
2005, after presenting to HE The President of Sri Lanka a
summary of the benefits to the country, which was then
approved by the cabinet and parliament in 2006.
At present, Prof. Silva is spending his sabbatical in Sri
Lanka helping to set up two Private-Public-Partnerships
companies to promote Nanotechnology; as an Advisor to the
Hon. Minister of Science and Technology. He has already been
successful in raising Rs. 420 M with 50:50 participation
between the government and the private sector.
Prof.
Weerasooriya is a Research Professor, Institute of
Fundamental Studies, Kandy. The first water quality atlas of
Sri Lanka, commonly called the "Road map of water quality"
was co-authored by him. He joined the IFS, Kandy as a Senior
Research Fellow (1986-1996) where his research studies were
focused on Environmental Geochemistry. During this period he
was also involved in coordinating the JICA Japan grant (USD
5.5 million) for the development of the new laboratory
complex at the IFS. In 1996/97 he was awarded a Fulbright -
Hayes Senior Scholarship at the University of Maryland,
College Park (USA). From 1997-2001 he worked on the Chemical
Modeling Program at the IFS, Kandy, directing the
Environmental Aquatic Chemistry Modeling Program. Prof.
Weerasooriya's research output has been considerable and his
work is reported in sixty six (66) full research papers that
have been published in peer reviewed journals, and in more
than 50 research communications presented at national and
international seminars.
Prof.
Weerasooriya is a member of several national committees,
including the Board of Chemical Sciences, University of
Peradeniya; Board of Governors,
National
Research Council and the National Science Foundation
(Chemical Science Program) of Sri Lanka.
Prof.
Weerasooriya received Sri Lanka Presidential awards for the
years 2000, and 2001/02; held appointments as DAAD
Professor, University of Erlangan, Germany (2001-04);
Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Applied
Geology, University of Erlangan (1998-99); and at
Environmental Science and Research, Auckland New Zealand
(1997-98). He is also a member of the Board of Governors,
Asian Energy Institute (AEI), New Delhi, India (1995- to
date)
Some Policy Options for Groundwater
Management in Sri Lanka
C.M.
Madduma Bandara, Emeritus Professor, University of Peradeniya, Sri
Lanka
There
had been a considerable variety and volume of writings on ground
water in Sri Lanka during the last fifty years ( Henreck and
Sirimanne 1968, Balendran 1970, Fernando, 1973, Madduma Bandara,
1974,1977, 1980, 1982 & 1984), Wijesinghe, 1975, Foster, 1976,
Foster et.al. 1977). The majority of them, particularly those
published recently (Mathavan et.al. 2002; Kikuchi et al, 2003;
Panabokke & Perera, 2005,2007; Ranjan et.al. 2006; Werellagama et.al.
2007) deal with groundwater quality, pollution and environmental
effects. Groundwater behaviour including occurrence, availability,
and water balance forms the next largest category of writings. The
third type covers ground water demand, deficits, consumption and
supply. It is however noteworthy that, the attention received for
groundwater policy and management had been relatively scanty (Hettiarachchi,
2008). In order to bridge this gap in thinking at least in a small
way, an attempt is made in the paper to deal with this vital area
with a few fresh thoughts, focusing attention primarily on some
policy aspects.
2.
Main Aquifer Systems of Sri Lanka
Geologically, nearly 90% of the land
area of Sri Lanka comprises of hard Precambrian crystalline rocks
that do not generally form good aquifers because of their poor
porosity. Only the balance, covering a small area in the north west
of the country (about 10%), where the Miocene limestone formations
dominate, have some relatively rich aquifer systems.
The studies done so far, indicate in
general that, there are at least six main groundwater aquifers
(Fig. 1), that could be identified and characterized in Sri Lanka (Panabokke
& Perera, 2005). They are namely;
Shallow karstic aquifer of Jaffna
Peninsula
Deep confined aquifers
Coastal sand aquifers
Alluvial aquifers
Shallow regolith aquifers of the
Hard Rock areas
South Western lateritic (cabook)
aquifers
In
general, it is obvious that, the amount of available groundwater for
high consumption uses such as for irrigated agriculture is
necessarily limited. The quality of utilizable groundwater
particularly for domestic as well as for industrial purposes,
imposes further limitations.
3. The Need for Groundwater Policy and Improved Management
Since
a large part of the country, particularly the ‘dry zone’ suffers
from inadequate rainfall, and high evapotranspiration, serious water
scarcities for agriculture and human consumption occur frequently,
and the demand for groundwater had been rising rapidly. Thus over
the last two decades there had been a rapid and steady rise in the
number of water pumps as well as agro-wells in the Dry Zone areas
(Kikuchi, et.al (2003)
Fig.
1 : Main Aquifer Systems of Sri Lanka
Fig.
2 : Distribution of Tube Wells in Sri Lanka
Apart
from agro-wells and the traditional shallow domestic dug-wells, a
large number of deep tube wells have been constructed during the
last three decades (Fig. 2). In recent times the rapid development
of agro-wells for irrigation and tube wells for supplying for
domestic needs particularly in the rural country side clearly had
some beneficial impacts on productivity as well as in the well being
of people particularly from the poorer segments of society. However
these developments continue to remain uncoordinated and piecemeal.
Furthermore, the use of tube wells for drinking purposes presumably
has given rise to some health problems including widespread kidney
failure and fluorisis in some areas of the Dry Zone. These
developments need monitoring and appropriate remedial action
urgently.
Despite its growing importance and
emerging issues, groundwater extraction has so far remained
virtually unregulated. Apart from State sponsored programmes, the
rapid increase in the utilization of groundwater is also
attributable to the expansion of private enterprises for
agriculture, industry as well as domestic supplies. Already some
signs of competition for limited resources leading to conflicting
situations are beginning to be observable. The deteriorating ground
water quality primarily due to the heavy use of agro-chemicals is
allegedly affecting the health of many rural communities. This state
of affairs may eventually lead to greater chaos unless some
deliberate efforts are made to systematize groundwater use in order
to achieve a greater degree of efficiency and sustainability.
The impact of recent tsunami in 2004 on
coastal ground water bodies has highlighted the need for groundwater
management in the affected areas. In these some wells continue to
remain contaminated and unusable.
4. Management Institutions and Policy
Development Initiatives
At present there is there is no single
central governmental authority in charge of groundwater development
and management. There are two State organizations, namely, Water
Resources Board and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board
involved in groundwater prospecting and development during the last
three decades. Although the Irrigation Department was involved in
groundwater investigations in the early stages, presently there is
hardly any link between the conjunctive use of surface and ground
waters in the country.
Another layer of governmental
intervention is represented by the Provincial Councils (operational
since 1989), which enjoy some constitutional authority and undertake
in groundwater development at a limited regional scale. The
Provinces also engage themselves in the management of minor
irrigation systems, and smaller stream basins that come within their
respective provincial boundaries.
A
few private companies and donor funded projects such as DANIDA
(Denmark), FINIDA(Finland) and GTZ (Germany) have also been involved
in Investigations and development of deep tube wells as well as
shallow agro-wells in some areas. These initiatives often remain
uncoordinated individual efforts lacking in common policy or
management directions. Some attempts made towards the development of
a National Water Policy covering groundwater as well proved abortive
and futile due to political reasons (Madduma Bandara, 2009).
There is some current interest in
developing groundwater policy guide lines by the two leading
scientific associations namely the Sri Lanka Association for
Advancement of Science and by the National Academy of Sciences of
Sri Lanka.
5. Some
Over-arching Considerations
The
geology, rainfall pattern and the hydrography has resulted in a
variety of hydro-geological settings in the Island despite its small
size. Thus the aquifer systems in the North and West have to be
treated distinctly from a management perspective. On the other hand,
shallow groundwater bodies in the ‘dry zone’ need different policy
and management instruments to optimize their efficiencies. The
hydrographic character of the Island with some 103 distinct stream
basins too deserves more attention in any groundwater management
exercise. The drier areas of the Island are covered with a network
of irrigation structures, both minor and major with small reservoirs
and long canal systems. The recharge from these surface water bodies
is substantial and must have to be taken into account in conjunctive
water use strategy.
In
Sri Lanka over 80% of the total land area falls under the ultimate
ownership of the State. The land grated by the government under long
leases to individual settlers and farmers as well as to
agro-business enterprises is also utilized as de facto private
property for most purposes. The bulk of State land comes under
Forest and Wild Life conservation areas. A similar amount of land is
devoted to agriculture. However, water continues to remain as the
limiting factor than land. It is treated as a common property
resource, except where the springs and wells are located inside
private lands. Such water sources are treated as the private
property of the owners of respective lands. Therefore, there is more
freedom to extract ground water by private parties than in the case
of surface water resources where the state control is greater.
Haphazard individual groundwater extraction that take place in
adjoining lands tend to create unhealthy competitions for limited
resources.
In
semi- urban areas where the size of individual land units is much
smaller, development of sanitary facilities such as toilet septic
tanks and domestic wells without adhering to the prescribed minimum
distances, results in the contamination of drinking water supplies.
6. Towards a Realistic
Policy Framework
6.1. Governing Concepts
The overall objective of groundwater
management is to optimize the use of limited water resources
available with a reasonable level of efficiency and sustainability.
All
attempts at all groundwater development and management must be
rooted in a scientific understanding of its quantity, quality
and behaviour, as well as in a deep understanding of the user
culture, society and the changing economy.
All water
resources must be considered in their natural unity reflected by
the hydrological cycle and must not be treated in a sectoral and
piecemeal manner for convenience.
Water
resources whether it is surface or ground water, must be seen as
belonging to the whole nation, and must be devoted to human
welfare and ecological sustainability.
The
government as trustee of all natural resources is obliged to
erect necessary institutional structures, devote adequate
technical, financial and human resources attain the primary
objective.
6.2. Some Policy Directions
Groundwater
like any other natural resource cannot be optimally managed in a
poor policy environment. Some of the cardinal policy directions may
include:
The ownership
of all water resources must remain with the State as a trustee
and not with individual parties.
Individuals
may be granted ‘user rights’ with adequate safeguards for
encouraging investment.
The unit of
planning and development of groundwater should ideally be an
aquifer system or an individual stream basin depending on site
specific considerations.
A strong
component of research, monitoring and evaluation must be built
into all project planning. Data sharing must be encouraged
subject to adequate controls on greedy commercialization.
The economic,
social and environment value of water must form the corner-stone
of planning for groundwater development.
A
central institution with adequate powers to collect and maintain
data bases, conduct research and investigations, coordinate all
groundwater extractions, monitor developments, use economic
instruments and resolve user conflicts must be established. This may
be achieved through either establishing a new institution of or
expanding powers and mandate of the Water Resources Board.
7. Some Management Options
All ground
water use systems must be inventorized and an updatable register
and a data base be maintained centrally;
Management
plans for individual aquifer systems must be developed at
regional and local levels under set of national guide lines;
No extraction
may be allowed beyond the natural recharge rates leaving out a
safety margin of at least 10% in order ensure safe yields.
A preliminary framework for groundwater
management based on main aquifer systems is given in Table I.
Adopt water saving
technologies (Eg, Drip Irrigation)
Credit control
through Banks
Water Resources
Board
Local government
bodies
Department of
Agriculture
Central
Environmental Authority
Local Schools
Deep confined aquifers
Unharnessed
Development Potential (Mulangavil Basin)
Initiate new
projects
Private
enterprises
Development NGOs
Local planning
authorities
Coastal sand aquifers
Tsunami
Contamination
Locate wells away
from the vulnerable Coastal area
Water Supply and
Drainage Board
Coast Conservation
Department
Alluvial aquifers
Potential for
further Development
Ecological issues
Develop new
projects
Irrigation
Department
Water Resources
Board
Central
Environmental Authority
Shallow regolith aquifers of
the Hard Rock areas
Unplanned
Deployment
Risk of failure
Use cascade as the
unit for planning
Need improved
siting
Identify upper
limits for development
Introduce a Policy
of Well Spacing
Credit control
through Banks
Water Resources
Board
Farmer
Organizations
Department of
Agrarian Services
South Western lateritic (cabook)
aquifers
Water quality
issues
Contamination due
to agrochemicals and Industry
Water quality
monitoring
Central
Environmental Authority
Deep Tube Well
Systems
Water Quality
Issues
Health Impacts
Introduce
monitoring System
Chemical analysis
to determine pathogenic elements
Water Supply and
Drainage Board
Health Ministry
Water Resources
Board
8. Conclusions
Available
information suggests that many emerging issues related ground water
management in the Island remain unattended. Any attempt towards
development of groundwater policy must be rooted in a scientific
knowledge of its quantity, quality and behaviour, as well as in a
deep understanding of the user culture, society and the changing
economy and prevailing national priorities. . The development of
appropriate policy directions and management options is essentially
an interdisciplinary task and not the domain of a single discipline
such as earth sciences or engineering or a single State Agency.
However for effective coordination, there is a need for a Central
Agency with adequate powers and required resources.
9.
Key References
Fernando, A.D.N (1973) Groundwater
Resources of Sri Lanka, Ministry of Irrigation, Power and Highways,
Colombo
Foster, S.S.D. et.al (1977) Groundwater
for Agricultural Development in Sri Lanka, Ministry of Overseas
Development, London, U.K.
Hettiarachchi I. (2008) A Review of
Groundwater Management Issues in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka In
balwois.com/balwois/administration/full_paper/ffp-1049.pdf .
IWMI (2005) Water Policy Briefing, Issue
No.14, Colombo
Kikuchi, M et.al (2003) Agro-well
Diffusion in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, Research Report N.66, IWMI,
Colombo.
Madduma Bandara, C.M. (2009) Challenges
of Water Policy Development – Some Experiences from Sri Lanka, in
“Sustainable Management of Water Resources’ (Eds. Menon, M.G.K. &
Sharma, V.P.) Indian National Science Academy, 216-228 pp.
Madduma Bandara, C.M. (1984) Green
Revolution and Water Demand: Irrigation and Groundwater in Sri Lanka
and Tamil Nadu, India, In ‘Understanding Green Revolutions, Eds.
Bayliss Smith T. & Wanmali, S. Cambridge University Press.
Madduma Bandara, C.M. (1982) Behaviour
of the Groundwater Table in the Vicinity of Selected Major
Irrigation Reservoirs in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. In Beitrage Zur
Hydrologie (Ed. Rainer Keller), Germany 2)
Madduma Bandara, C.M. (1980) A Study of
the Practice of Well Irrigation in the Country Around Vavuniya in
Northern Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences, Vol.2;
No.2.
Madduma Bandara, C.M. (1977)
Hydrological Consequences of Agrarian Change; In ‘Green Revolution?’
Ed. Farmer B.H., Mac Millans, London.
Panabokke, C.R. (2007) Groundwater Conditions in Sri Lanka: A
geomorphic Perspective, National Science Foundation, Colombo.
Traces of civilisation that existed 300 yrs
before Vijaya’s arrival found in A’pura
Evidence of horse
domestication, use of iron,
pottery, ceramic ware surfaces
by Cyril Basanayake,
Anuradhapura corr
The Excavation Pit
Excavations at Atulu Nuvara (Inner City) of Anuradhapura
have yielded evidence of an ancient civilization that had
been engaged in the domestication of horses and cattle and
wetland rice cultivation about 300 years before the arrival
of Prince Vijaya.
Former Director General and present Advisor to the
Department of Archaeology Dr. Siran Deraniyagala,
under whose supervision excavations are being conducted,
said the findings had been dated with the help of absolute
dating techniques including Carbon-14 or radiocarbon dating
system overseas.
Evidence of the ancient civilization had surfaced from a pit
22 feet below the ground level near the old Temple of Tooth
Relic, old Vijayaba Palace and the Gedige Premises at
Salgahawatte area in the Atulu Nuvara. The
one-hundred-meter-long and 75-foot-wide pit had also
produced evidence of the use of iron, earthen and ceramic
ware, Dr Deraniygala told The Island.
Over 45 Carbon 14 tests had been conducted on the items
unearthed from the pit, he said
Dr. Deraniyagala said among the items found were potsherds
bearing Brahmi inscriptions, teeth of horses, pebbles and
fragments of gold jewellry. There was also evidence of brick
walls, underground drains, wattle and daub structures and a
Muragala (Guard Stone).
Dr. Deraniyagala said his research pit, which has layers
producing a vertical outline of several different cultures,
would not be filled but kept as it is as an exhibit after
the conclusion of the on-going research project.
The research team comprises local experts and a group of
research students of Prof. Kay Kohlmeyer from the
Berlin University. Excavations Officer A. A. Wijeratne,
Regional Excavations and Museums officer Gamini Navaratne,
Archaeological Assistant Thusita Agalawatte were engaged in
the excavations conducted under the supervision of Dr.
Deraniyagala.
Dr. Deraniyagala said with the help of newfound evidence it
could be concluded that there had been an advanced culture
which was on par with any foreign culture in the region in
500 BC, 300 years before the arrival of Prince Vijaya,
mentioned in Sri Lankachronicles.
The University of Berlin had assisted in the excavation as
well as conservation of the artifacts found from the site,
Dr Deraniyagala said.
Courtesy of The Island 14/09/2009
World Congress for Freedom of Scientific
Research - The Newsletter
World Congress for Freedom of Scientific
Research the newsletter
Number 5, October 2009
New tools to
regulate
illicit drug market. Aninternational
workshop on the illicit drug market was held last
September 16-17 in
Rome.
It was organized by the
first
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, the
second University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and
the financial support of the
Open
Society Institute. A wide international
audience discussed of methodologies for data
collection and the economic and political influence
of the
illicit drug industry. The organizers were
among the signatories of a
callto
action urging Governments to reform
harmful drug policies, by enacting policies that are
based on scientific and medical research rather than
politics.
Readmore about the workshop.
International support forfreedom of research in
Italy
to be continued. In
concert with professor Elena Cattaneo, Elisabetta
Cerbai and Silvia Garagna, Luca Coscioni Association
launched an appeal to raise funds aimed at covering
part of the legal expenses of the three Italian
scientists appealing against the Italian
government’s decision to arbitrarily exclude
human embryonic stem cells from an 8-million
euro fund for stem-cell biology (read
the chronology of the action). The legal
expenses for the first degree of judgement were of
around 6.000,00 euro. Since the beginning of the
appeal (July 7) 7.604,79 euro (around 11.252 USD)
have been raised. Prof. Cattaneo, Cerbaiand Garagna
have been promptly reimbursed (reimbursement
receipts are available on line). The
spare amount will help covering expenses for the
next step.
American Civil Liberties Union addresses Luca
Coscioni Congress. The president of ACLU,
Susan Herman, sent a message to the
on
line congress of Luca Coscioni Association,
welcoming its advocacy activities and common goals.
“I think you can tell just from a couple of examples
I have given what our two organizations have in
common so I am glad we now have discovered each
other and I hope that we'll be able to collaborate
in the future”.
Listen to her message (also
attached in English and Italian).
Challenging
Religious Fundamentalisms.The
Canadian AWID – Association for Women’s
Rights in Development - has launched the first issue
of “Facing Fundamentalisms”, a quarterly update of
critical news, insights and analysis on the rise of
religious fundamentalism across regions, as
well as key feminist strategies for resistance and
action. In 2008 Luca Coscioni was awarded by AWID a
prize
money to study the effects of religious
fundamentalism in Italy. To subscribe to Facing
Fundamentalisms, send an e-mail to
cf@awid.org
“Best Practices in Advisory Roles and Fellowship
Appointments”
Report on the
InterAcademy workshop on:held in Trieste,
Italy from
12-13 February, 2009
Professor Sunethra Atukorala
President, NationalAcademy of Sciences of Sri Lanka
I attended the above workshop which was organized by the InterAcademy
Panel (IAP) in collaboration with the Council of Canadian Academies, at the
invitation of the IAP and the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS). The
workshop was held at the offices of the IAP secretariat, in Trieste, Italy
and brought together 60 participants from 43 countries. The workshop included
representatives from some of the oldest and most developed Academies, such as
the UK Royal Society and the US National Academies as well as smaller emerging
Academies.I extend my sincere thanks to
IAP & TWAS for financial support.
The programme commenced with welcome addresses by Professor
Mohamed H A Hassan, Executive Director of TWAS and IAP and by Dr. Peter
Nicholson, President, Council of Canadian Academies, with opening remarks by IAP
Co-chair, Professor Howard Alper,.The
first session discussed the evolving role of science academies. It was pointed
out that although academies are institutions of tradition and recognize highest
scientific achievements, a changing world demands an evolving role. Increasingly,
academies are moving into exploring new means of engaging the public and youth
in science and the best mechanisms for providing advice in relation to S &
T policies.
The next session focused on best practices and future
directions in Fellowship appointments.The Senior Vice-President of the IndianNationalAcademy, Professor Gupta
stated that his Academy has six Vice-Presidents and members in charge of
several different aspects, such as, international affairs,
publication/information, science and society, science promotion, resource
management and fellowship election. Much of the subsequent discussion focussed
on engaging youth.Professor Hilgenkamp
described the early years of the YoungAcademy in the Netherlands, which was based on the model of the
GermanYoungAcademy.
In general, new members are within 10 years of completing their Ph.Ds. The young Academy is affiliated to the
classical body, but is free to express different views.The young Academy considered gender balance as
an important component and was actively involved in promoting public engagement
in science. President-elect, of the Council of Canadian Academies highlighted
the importance of objective standards for election to Academies and informed
that contribution to public life is a major factor for consideration in the Canadian
Academies.
In the session on “Academies’ out-reach to society” the need
to encourage public engagement in science was highlighted and it was pointed
out that this may be a key part of the mandate of Academies. Prof. Jorge
Allende, Coordinator of IAP’s science education programme, identified three priority
areas relating to science education, namely, Academies and politicians,
Academies and media, and Academies and science teachers. “Inquiry based science
education” was identified as an important means of encouraging public
engagement in science.Ms. Shelley
Peers, Education and Public Awareness Manager of the AustralianAcademy
of Sciences described a training programme to inspire teachers and children
with the fascination of discovery.
The second day’s sessions commenced with presentations on
“the challenges and opportunities of multilateral initiatives”. It was noted
that such initiatives are likely to broaden awareness and enhance international
cooperation among Fellows. “Global water challenges” and “Infectious diseases”
are some studies to be undertaken by the Inter-Academy Council (IAC). It was also pointed out that multilateral
initiatives in providing advice can have more impact than advice from an
individual Academy.
The preliminary analysis of the survey of online
questionnaire on advisory roles of Academies carried out by the Council of
Canadian Academies was presented. The survey revealed considerable differences
among Academies, but most Academies aim to fulfil similar roles in their
countries, representing the best of science across a range of disciplines,
providing advice on scientific issues, encouraging participation and improving
the quality of science in their country. The survey showed that advisory
functions of most Academies include written reports as a form of advice and
that most Academies share the same aspirations and engage in similar processes.
It was also pointed out that Academies have different mandates and some focus
predominantly on their role as fellowship organizations and have a limited
advisory role, while others have many staff dedicated to the advisory process
and provide advice on numerous issues each year.
The session on: “Engaging decision makers” discussed a
challenge faced by many Academies. Making
decision makers aware of the value of the advice from Academies, creating an
environment where decision makers solicit advice and making understanding the
advice a priority, can be a much greater challenge than developing the advice. It
was pointed out that the impact of advice depends on timeliness and topicality
more than scientific rigour. The need to create a demand for science advice and
to project success stories to convince politicians was highlighted.
Concluding remarks:
Participation at this workshop and interaction with Fellows from other
Academies provided an insight into their activities and an opportunity to establish
links with other Academies. The need for
greater outreach to society, by inquiry based science education and interaction
with media and decision makers was highlighted. Recommendations were also made
to engage more young scientists in activities of Academies and to have greater
interaction among Academies.
Some Research
News Links
NASSL Science Education Project
Science
Education For Rural Children In Sri Lanka Through
Information And Communication Technology (Ict)
Sunethra
Atukorala
National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka
sunethra@eol.lk
Mailing
Address
C/o Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS)
Colombo 07, ,
Sri Lanka
Project information
Title of proposal:
Science education for rural children in Sri Lanka
through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Partners (IAP member organizations):
Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Key
words (8 max): science
education rural children Sri Lanka ICT
Requested budget (US$): 49,996
Project duration: one year
Summary (200 word max.):
Rural children are generally not interested in studying science, due to
lack of exposure to scientific ideas as well as to the limited
availability of science education in rural secondary schools. Science
taught in schools is mainly examination-oriented and not meant to
stimulate interest among children. The National Academy of Sciences of
Sri Lanka proposes to initiate a programme to stimulate interest in
science among secondary school children in rural areas using ICT. The
programme would be based on the theme: “Science behind everyday life”.
Sub-committees of experts in relevant fields would direct the
development of resource materials. As television and computer facilities
have been made available at rural centres, the resource materials to be
developed would include interactive CDs and DVDs in the national
languages to be shown in schools and other community centers. A pilot
study would be carried out to assess their effectiveness. The expected
outcomes would include an increase in the number of students opting to
study science, increases in knowledge and the demand for schools
offering Science subjects.
Supporting materials
Completed application - IAP_Form04 b.doc
Last modified: 06/10/2008
Ocean acidification must
be on the Copenhagen agenda, world’s scientists warn
Ocean acidification,
one of the world’s most important climate change challenges, may be
left off the agenda at the United Nations Copenhagen conference, the
world’s science academies warned today (Monday 1 June 2009). Ocean
acidification is expected to cause massive corrosion of our coral
reefs and dramatic changes in the makeup of the biodiversity of our
oceans and to have significant implications for food production and
the livelihoods of millions of people.
The warning is made in
a joint statement published by the Academy Name here – the
country name here national academy of science – and the
academies of sixty nine other countries around the world through
their membership of the InterAcademy Panel.
Martin Rees, President
of the Royal Society said: “Everybody knows that the increasing
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads to climate
change. But it has another environmental effect – ocean
acidification – which hasn’t received much political attention.
Unless global CO2 emissions can be cut by at least 50% by
2050 and more thereafter, we could confront an underwater
catastrophe, with irreversible changes in the makeup of our marine
biodiversity. The effects will be seen worldwide, threatening food
security, reducing coastal protection and damaging the local
economies that may be least able to tolerate it. Copenhagen must
address this very real and serious threat.”
The
statement calls for world leaders to explicitly recognise the direct
threats posed by increasing atmospheric
CO2
emissions to the oceans and its profound impact on the environment
and society. It emphasises that ocean acidification is irreversible
and, on current emission trajectories, suggests that all coral reefs
and polar ecosystems will be severely affected by 2050 or even
earlier.
The statement has been
issued during the UNFCCC conference in Bonn this week that will
ultimately shape the Copenhagen negotiations, where agreement must
be reached on carbon emission reduction targets needed to avoid
dangerous climate change.
Signatories
of the Inter- Academy Panel Statement
•
TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world
• Albanian
Academy of Sciences
• National
Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural
Sciences,
Argentina
• Australian
Academy of Science
• Bangladesh
Academy of Sciences
• The Royal
Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium
• Brazilian
Academy of Sciences
• Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences
• Cameroon
Academy of Sciences
• RSC: The
Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences
of Canada
• Academia
Chilena de Ciencias
• Chinese
Academy of Sciences
• Colombian
Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural
Sciences
• Croatian
Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Cuban
Academy of Sciences
• Academy of
Sciences of the Czech Republic
• Royal
Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
• Academia de
Ciencias de la República Dominicana
• Academy of
Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt
• The
Delegation of the Finnish Academies of Science
and Letters
• Académie
des Sciences, France
• Georgian
Academy of Sciences
• Union der
Deutschen Akademien der Wissenschaften
• Deutsche
Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina
• The Academy
of Athens
• Academia de
Ciencias Medicas, Fisicas y Naturales
de Guatemala
• Indian
National Science Academy
• Indonesian
Academy of Sciences
• Academy of
Sciences of the Islamic
Republic of
Iran
• Royal Irish
Academy
• Israel
Academy of Sciences and Humanities
• Accademia
Nazionale dei Lincei
• Science
Council of Japan
• Royal
Scientific Society of Jordan
• Islamic
World Academy of Sciences
• African
Academy of Sciences
• Kenya
National Academy of Sciences
• The Korean
Academy of Science and Technology
• Kosovo
Academy of Sciences and Arts
• National
Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic
• Akademi
Sains Malaysia
• Mauritius
Academy of Science and Technology
• Academia
Mexicana de Ciencias
• Montenegrin
Academy of Sciences and Arts
• The Royal
Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Academy
Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand
• Nigerian
Academy of Sciences
• Norwegian
Academy of Sciences and Letters
• Pakistan
Academy of Sciences
• Palestine
Academy for Science and Technology
• Academia
Nacional de Ciencias del Peru
• Academia
das Ciencias de Lisboa
• Académie
des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal
• Serbian
Academy of Sciences and Arts
• Slovak
Academy of Sciences
• Slovenian
Academy of Sciences and Arts
• Academy of
Science of South Africa
• Royal
Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences
of Spain
• National
Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka
• Sudanese
National Academy of Science
• Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Academia
Sinica, Taiwan, China
• Tanzania
Academy of Sciences
• The
Caribbean Academy of Sciences
• Turkish
Academy of Sciences
• The Uganda
National Academy of Sciences
• The Royal
Society, UK
• US National
Academy of Sciences
• Academia de
Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales
de Venezuela
• Zimbabwe
Academy of Sciences
"GROUNDWATER IN
SRI LANKA - A MOST PRECIOUS BUT HIGHLY THREATENED RESOURCE"
Synopsis of a
Workshop Organized by NASSL
A
workshop organized by the National Academy of Sciences, Sri
Lanka (NASSL) in collaboration with the Water Resources Board (WRB)
and the Department of Civil Engineering, University of
Peradeniya was held from 24 - 26 February 2008 in Anuradhapura
to discuss the current situation and issues relating to the
groundwater resources of Sri Lanka. The workshop was attended by
scientists from a wide spectrum of disciplines. A synopsis of
the proceedings is given below.
The
workshop commenced with a field visit to a Small Tank Cascade
system at Tirappane led by Dr. C. R. Panabokke. This was
followed by a visit to the Korakahawewa Centre of the WRB where
a briefing was made by Prof. M. de S. Liyanage, Chairman
of the Water Resources Board about its groundwater-related work
programmes.
The workshop proper comprised 23 papers presented in 6 sessions,
with a lively discussion at the end of each session. In his
opening remarks, Prof. Arjuna Aluvihare mentioned the
multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional nature of the
groundwater issues and drew attention to the fact that the
National Academy of Sciences was well placed to bring together
specialists from such a wide variety of technical backgrounds
and institutions to address the multi-faceted problems that
beset the groundwater subsector. The Chief Guest, Prof. C. B.
Dissanayake set the multi-disciplinary tone for the workshop
in a groundbreaking paper in which he introduced the concept of
Medical Geology. The multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary
aspect was further brought out by the participation of
geologists, soil scientists, agriculturists, plant scientists,
irrigations engineers, groundwater specialists, chemists,
medical and dental specialists, economists, sociologists, gender
specialists, environmentalists and others. Dr. Gemunu Herath
took an overall look at sustainable groundwater management and
policy needs in his paper. He particularly emphasized the lack a
data base and systematic monitoring of groundwater parameters, a
lack which was to be echoed in many of the papers that followed.
The first technical session dealt with Groundwater Quality
and Quantity Issues. The current state of investigations on
groundwater in Sri Lanka was described and five levels of
investigation needed to make informed decisions on groundwater
use were outlined. Another paper presented a similar survey of
the quality issues in groundwater use. A very interesting
problem which frequently faces scientists and technical
specialists dealing with groundwater issues was highlighted by
one presenter. He described, from his own experience, how he had
to make technical judgments and take decisions to act on the
basis of the limited data that were available at that time.
This is a real-life problem that faces many scientists i.e.
making judgments without waiting for all the data to come in.
One speaker highlighted the limited nature of the groundwater
resource in the hard rock regions by comparing it to money in a
bank account, where withdrawals had to be counterbalanced by
deposits from time to time.
The second session was devoted to Groundwater Policy.
Institutional gaps in groundwater policy management were
highlighted. While many attempts had been made to develop a
groundwater policy, none were being implemented. A master plan
for groundwater management and development was mooted by one
speaker. Another speaker mentioned the burning issues of water
policy (!) and dealt with the mistakes made in the past in the
donor-driven policies which spoke of registering all wells and
other measures which were unacceptable to the vast majority of
households and farmers. Challenges that need to be addressed
were spelled out. Prof. Aluvihare proposed a follow-up to
this workshop to draw up a draft national groundwater policy.
The third technical session, which dealt with Groundwater Use,
focused on quality issues, including fluoride in the groundwater
in Anuradhapura district. Groundwater problems in Ruhuna stemmed
mainly from the tsunami and its aftermath. It appeared that just
as the wells were recovering from the salinity and other
impurities brought in by the tsunami, people who had been
provided with emergency pipe borne water supplies were filling
up their wells. Another interesting paper drew attention to the
relation between the water table behaviour in different elements
of the landscape and micro-variability in the occurrence of
salts and fluorides. It threw light on the mystery of the
multiplicity of tanks almost running into each other in the
cascade systems of this semi-arid environment, which indicated
that not all tanks were built for irrigation, but that some
served only as storage tanks to replenish the water table in the
cultivated areas and/or to recharge the tanks in use.
The fourth technical session dealt with Health Issues in
groundwater use. An overview of the health problems caused by
the contamination of groundwater by various agents was given.
The lack of systematic data for diseases originating from the
consumption of groundwater was underscored. Papers specifically
dealing with the health issues in the North Central Province,
viz. dental and skeletal fluorosis and chronic kidney disease
were presented, leading to a general consensus that a
multi-disciplinary task force was required to conduct
investigations on these problems. A number of lines of
investigation involving research into Aluminum interactions and
epidemiological studies of records maintained by MOHs and PHIs
were discussed. Appropriate methods of prevention such as the
distribution of cheap defluoridators and the use of
unconventional additives for purification and clarification such
as “murunga” (Moringaoleifera) seed powder were
suggested.
The workshop ended with a Summing-up/ Plenary Session in
which cross-cutting issues such as the gender dimension in
groundwater access and use, environmental issues and research
needs were discussed. The workshop also discussed the time and
labour spent by women in collecting and transporting water, the
failure and lack of maintenance of tube wells, the need to
regulate the use of ground water when the resource is limited,
the need for training and the need to conduct strategic
environmental assessments when any large scale project is
mooted. A special presentation was made by Mr. A. D. N.
Fernando outlining his studies on the groundwater resources
of Sri Lanka over many years. He emphasized the need for
aligning the administrative boundaries in Sri Lanka with the
watershed boundaries and drew attention to the need for
conjunctive use of water resources in the country’s development
programmes.
The objective of the plenary session was to formulate policy
recommendations to achieve sustainable groundwater utilization
in Sri Lanka. Following a lively discussion in which
participants from all the disciplines and institutions
represented at the workshop participated, it was concluded that:
On account of the fact that the NASSL draws its membership
from all disciplines involved, it would be the most
appropriate body to carry this exercise forward towards
developing a national groundwater policy, within the context
of an overall national water policy for Sri Lanka
The NASSL should organize a follow-up workshop to develop
such a national policy. Some felt that it would be better
to draw up a set of recommendations and guidelines for the
protection and utilization of the groundwater resource
rather than get bogged down in formulating a national
policy.
The proceedings of this workshop should be published by
NASSL
and all authors should submit their full papers to the
editor of the NASSL
Last
living coral reef cleaned up
A coral reef described as the
last remaining living, extensive reef in the country’s south coast, was cleaned
up in an effort where international and local agencies worked together, the
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry said.
The initiative was aimed at
improving the quality and condition of the Kapparathota
coral reef in WeligamaBay, the Ministry said in
a statement.
Most coral reef habitats in the
southern coast, have been seriously degraded, posing a
significant risk to the sustainable continuity of the fisheries industry, it
said.
"High pollution levels and
physical damage to coral reefs have lowered their potential to recover.
"Efforts are underway and
will continue through this clean up programme to save the Kapparathota
Coral Reef, which is the last remaining living, extensive reef in the southern
coast."
The Ministry said the clean up
will contribute to the sustainable management of marine resources in the
country and ensure that many species dependent on the marine habitat are
protected.
Coral reefs including those
affected in 1998 during the widespread coral bleaching event and the 2004
Indian Ocean Tsunami.
"Their recovery has been
slow and variable," the statement said.
"Coral reefs are the
breeding and nursery grounds for a large number of marine species. In addition,
they provide coastal protection, are important for coastal tourism and for the
marine fish industry."
Destructive fishing methods,
coastal development and uncontrolled resource exploitation has had a serious
negative impact on the status of coral reefs and marine life that depends on
them
The Food and Agriculture
Organization, Canada International Development Agency, International Fund for
Agriculture Development, and Sri
Lanka’s National Aquatic Resources Research
and Development Agency were involved in the project.
Courtesy of TheIsland 3/10/2009
Moratuwa
University the world’s best
University of Moratuwa has once
again proved that it is one of the best universities in the world by winning
the highly competitive ‘Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)’ called ‘Google
Summer of Code’, which tests the creativity, talents, proven abilities and
performance of students, the Ministry of Higher Education said yesterday.
The annual competition was inaugurated in 2005. In the
performances during the last four years the University of Moratuwa was ranked first among
1,193 universities, surpassing even the University of
Toronto, Canada.
This was possible due to the outstanding achievements of
undergraduates and post graduate students, the Ministry said.
Courtesy of TheIsland 03/10/2009
Science and technology
spending 0.13 percent of GDP
Govt. needs to spend more on science and technology – Prof. Vitharana
By Devan Daniel
Prof. TissaVitharana
With the war over, a senior Minister said Sri Lanka must spend
more on science and technology, particularly in research and development, if
the country is to achieve higher levels of economic growth and eradicate
poverty.
Investing now...for our future...
"Sadly, governments have not spent as much as they should
have on science and technology and this is most unfortunate," Prof. TissaVitharana, Minister of
Science and technology said.
"We have been asking the government for more funds but
because of the war they have not been able to allocate more funds to the ministry.
Government expenditure on science and technology, research and development
currently amounts to about 0.13 percent of GDP," Prof. Vitharana
said.
"Despite the difficult times the US economy is going through,
President Obama has actually increased government expenditure on science and
technology. It is unfortunate that the government of Sri Lanka does not seem to
realize the importance of investing in science," he said.
A characteristic of many of the country’s economic policies have
been short sighted; a quick fix is often perceived to be favourable rather than
the long term gains because politicians need something tangible to show come
election time. It seems this is why adequate expenditure to boost the country’s
technological capabilities is over looked. True there was a war, but there was
also wasteful, inefficient spending at the same time.
"Investments made to develop a country’s technological
capabilities have a time lag. The benefits of such investments will take a
longer time to be apparent unlike other infrastructure developments, such as
roads," Prof. Vitharana said.
Research and development and improving the country’s technological
capabilities are important and perhaps something that cannot be overlooked.
People will have to be fed. If Sri Lanka is to improve its
agriculture sector, research and development in this area is paramount.
The country will have to earn its foreign exchange. If Sri Lanka’s
exports are to remain competitive in the long term, introducing advanced
technological processes will be crucial. Also, Gaining market access to the EU
and US will require exports to be produced through certified environmental
friendly processes.
Employment opportunities must be created. Even the domestic
industrial sector will have to make vast strides if enough employment is to be
generated.
"We need to develop our SME sector (which contributes over 80
percent to GDP) if our economy is to move forward. For this we need to get
better technologies across. Competitor countries are developing newer
technologies and we must keep pace with them," Prof. Vitharana
said.
"We need greater investments in order to do all this and help
people get out of poverty. The war is over, now we need to be a country making
advances in science and technology," he said.
