Category Archives: environmental degradation

July 9, 2019 · 11:14 am

Profound & ‘Coloured’ Insights into Our Environmental Degradation

Prasad Abu Bakr, in Sunday Observer, 7 July 2019, …. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2019/07/07/art/book-review-slow-cooked-thoughts

This is a ‘must-read’ book for those who lived during that glorious past, which is quietly slipping out of our grasp. It is also one for the next generation, who live in a world of make-believe – thinking that demolition of that glorious past and the pristine environment that was there, in the name of ‘development’ is aimed at making the world a better place to live in.

In her Foreword, Jill Macdonald refers to Slow-cooked Thoughts as a compelling compilation of writings both occasional and various, linked by a common motif of the writer’s passionate and unwavering belief of what constitutes a right relationship with the world around us.

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March 18, 2019 · 7:09 am

Pictorial and Word ‘Recipes’ for Reflection

Rohan de Soysa’s Thoughts and Snaps

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December 31, 2018 · 3:29 am

Galle Fort in Deterioration with ‘Trip-Traps’ and Garbage

Captain Chandra Godakanda Arachchi**, in Island, 31 December 2018, where the title is “I cry for Galle Fort”

The sun rises magnificently above Rumassala. The wind roars during Monsoon with white horses beautifully rolling over. Catamarans are in the bay and children straggle to school. Tourists roam around in Fort. What a beautiful place the Galle Fort used to be when I grew up in the 1960s and first half of 1970s. My days in Galle were very special and precious to me and, therefore, I make it a point to visit Galle regularly even though I have been out of the country, most of my life, since I left Galle in 1975.

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December 17, 2018 · 1:09 pm

Sri Lanka at the Pinnacle of the World in its Water Supplies

Sudath Gunasekara, in The Island, 16 December 2018, were the title is “ Vision and mission on water management in Sri Lanka!”

A recent study on Sri Lanka has identified it as one of the six countries that share one half of the 0.3% drinkable water this planet has. What is even more important and surprising is that ours has been identified as the only country in the world that will have drinking water even if there is going to be a shortage of drinking water in the whole world. This news has made water the biggest asset and the most valuable commodity of Sri Lanka that has put it on the top of the world.

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May 3, 2018 · 10:20 am

When Nature Swallows Settlement: Ross Island in the Indian Ocean

Neelima Vallangi, 18 March 2018, “http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180308-a-ghost-island-in-the-middle-of-the-indian-ocean … where the original title is “A Ghost Island in the Middle of the Indian Ocean”

Situated in the Bay of Bengal, India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an isolated group of 572 tropical islands, of which only 38 are currently inhabited. Nautically located closer to South East Asia than India, they are known for stunning beaches, thriving marine life, rich coral reefs and largely undisturbed primary forests. But beyond the idyllic views lie a dark past. (Credit: Neelima Vallangi)

Eerie remains of a colonial settlement

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February 3, 2018 · 1:45 am

The Disappearing Wetlands of Colombo

Jordana Narin  in Daily News, 2 February  2018, with title as “Colombo’s Wetlands at Risk”

There is a breeze in Diyasuru Park that feels distinctly un-Colombo. The air is more lush, the birds more diverse, the grass more green. The park, located near the Parliament building in Thalawathugoda, is 18 hectares of urban wetland. And it’s one of the few the city has left.

Colombo is drying up—literally. Since the 1980s, the city has lost almost 60 percent of its wetland area. Today, on World Wetlands Day, it’s more crucial than ever to consider why all of this matters—and why the fight to save Colombo’s remaining wetlands is one that should involve each and every one of us.

The Jakana bird lives on floating vegetation in wetlands such as water lilies. Picture by Sanjiv De Silva, IWMI.
The Jakana bird lives on floating vegetation in wetlands such as water lilies. Picture by Sanjiv De Silva, IWMI.

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January 28, 2018 · 10:25 pm

Delhi Today and Yesterday: Entangled Urbanism

Sanjay Srivastava’s Entangled Urbanism

Cover for Entangled Urbanism

Entangled Urbanism: Slum, Gated Community and Shopping Mall in Delhi and Gurgaon

  • A timely study of the urbanization process of Delhi
  • Analyzes a wide range of issues
  • Discusses all aspects of the process of urbanization – from gated communities, to malls, to consumerism

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August 16, 2017 · 6:43 am

Imminent Disasters? Exploiting Sri Lanka’s Mineral Resources

Ashley de Vos, in The Island, 16 August 2017, where the heading runs thus: “The exploitation of minerals of Sri Lanka”

If there is an asset, should it be exploited to the fullest in the shortest period of time? The traditional view would be based on very careful and controlled use. Today, in the global market place an asset is viewed very differently. As most investors in a business are interested in an ever increasing the bottom line question of eventual sustainability raises questions that need answers. Unfortunately, all exploitation has limits and if profit is the only criteria, whatever the pontification, it cannot and is not sustainable in the long term. It will always be a short term solution, to what could be a long term disaster.

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August 1, 2017 · 6:36 pm

The Jaffna Peninsula Plus: Fundamental Water Issues

Jeevan Thiagarajah,  courtesy of Daily News, 31 July 2017, where the essay is entitled “Jaffna: Dead or alive”

Many things can be inferred in the title today! The intent is to say Jaffna can become an arid dessert if it runs out of water. The Jaffna Peninsula is unique in geology and aquifer conditions. The limestone is an important aquifer, and together with thin sand layers form an extensive cover providing a source of drinking water and irrigation across the Jaffna Peninsula. The suitability of water for any use is determined not only by the total amount of salt present in the water but also by the type of salt that is present.

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June 21, 2017 · 1:43 pm

Iranganie Serasinghe: Actress and Environmental Activist

Prasanna Cooray, in Island, 18 June 2017,  with the title “Irangani: Mother figure of Sinhala Cinema and Environmental Activism””

Irangani Serasinghe needs no introduction in this country. She is convinced that as for the destruction of our environment politicians have to take the blame. She says, “The worst ar e the politicians. We have to protect our trees and environment mostly from them”, said Irangani Serasinghe. At 90, yet agile and full of vigour, she has fought man a battle, tooth and nail, on the environment front for decades.

On June 3, she chaired the seminar under the theme, “Destruction of central hills – Death of future of the country” held at Mahaweli Center in Colombo where I was one of the speakers. The seminar brought to light the environmental destruction and misery brought to the lives of the people in Welimada plain by the ongoing Uma Oya multipurpose development project. There she told me she would be 90 in a few days. On June 9 Irangani celebrated her 90th birthday. Continue reading →

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