5W and H Questions for Restore Pinga Oya

Why and Where

Sri Lanka, like the rest of Asia, is organizing rapidly in particular peri-urban (surrounding urban centers) that are changing without overall spatial planning (town planning). Pinga Oya catchment is a prime example of such a peri-urban urbanizing region spanning Katugastota, Akurana, Ambatenne, and Alawatugoda. This led to frequent undue flooding leading to the rapid spread of infectious diseases rise in floods and landslides disasters while leading to less of natural habitats including in the river. There is much information that is available but not accessible and information that is not readily available and there are knowledge gaps. Our work is to address these issues.

ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ආසියානු කලාපයේ සෙසු රටවල මෙන් නාගරික ප්‍රදේශ කේන්ද්‍ර කරගනිමින් විධිමත් නගර සැලසුම් නොමැතිව ශීඝ්‍රයෙන් නාගරීකරණයට ලක්වෙමින් පවතී. පිඟාඔය ජල පෝෂක කලාපය මේ සදහා එක් නිදසුනක් වන අතර කටුගස්තොට, අකුරණ, අඹතැන්න සහ අලවතුගොඩ යන උප නගරවල විහිද පවතී. මේ නිසා ඒ ආශ්‍රිතව ඇතිවන ක්‍ෂණික ගංවතුර තත්ත්වයන් හේතුවෙන් බෝවන රෝග සීඝ්‍රයෙන් ව්‍යාප්ත වීම සහ හදිසි නායයාම් තත්ත්වයන්ට මුහුණ දීම ද සිදුවන අතර පිඟාඔය අවට ස්වභාවික පරිසර පද්ධතිය අඩුවීමට ද හේතු වේ. මේ සම්බන්ධව බොහෝ තොරතුරු ඇති නමුත් පහසුවෙන් පිවිසිය නොහැකි වීම, ඇතැම් කරුණු පිලිබද නිසි අවබොධයක් නොමැති වීම සහ දැනුම් පරතරය පැවතීම යනාදී ගැටළු ඇත. අපගේ කාර්යය වනුයේ මෙම සම්බන්ධයෙන් පවතින ගැටළු පිළිබදව ඔබව දැනුවත් කිරීමයි.


இலங்கை, ஆசியாவின் பிறபகுதிகளைப்போலவே குறிப்பாக புற நகர்ப்புற பகுதிகள் எந்த வித இடம் சார்ந்த திட்டமிடலும் இன்றி மாற்றத்திற்கு உட்பட்டு வருகின்றது. கட்டுகஸ்தோட்டை, அக்குரணை, அம்பத்தென்னை, அலவத்துகொடை போன்ற பிரதேசங்களில் உள்ளடங்கும் பிங்கா ஓயா நீர்ப்பிடிப்பானது இது போன்ற நகரமயமாக்கல் பகுதிக்கு ஓர் பிரதான உதாரணம் ஆகும்.இது அடிக்கடி நிலவும் வெள்ளப்பெருக்கிற்கு வழிவகுப்பதோடு, மற்றும் வெள்ளப்பெருக்கு, நிலச்சரிவு என்பவற்றின் போது பரவும் தொற்று நோய்களையும் அதிகரிக்கின்றது. அதே நேரம் இது ஆற்றில் வாழும் இயற்கை வாழ்விடங்களின் வீழ்ச்சிக்கும் காரணமாய் அமைகின்றது. இருப்பினும் பல தகவல்கள் இது பற்றி இருந்தாலும், அவை அணுக முடியாத முறையிலும் பெற்றுக்கொள்வதில் தாமதம் ஏற்படுத்தும் வகையிலும் உள்ளன. இவ்வாறாக நிலவும் பிரச்சனைகளை தீ்ர்ப்பதே இங்கு எமது நோக்கமாக கருதப்படுகிறது.

Who

This website is intended to aid those affected by environmental mismanagement and disaster, the concerned and the youth to be better informed of the scientific background behind the disasters and to better understand the governance and its shortcomings. This work is being done by persons and organizations who have in-depth knowledge over the last four decades. Our team comprises individuals and organizations concerned with the environment, climate, disasters, and social welfare of women and children. It is supported by a team of younger social and environmental and engineering researchers and ICT technology experts. Individual researchers from several Universities such as Peradeniya, Colombo, Open University of Sri Lanka, Southeastern, and Columbia University of New York are contributing.

මෙම වෙබ් අඩවියේ අරමුණ වනුයේ ස්වාභාවික ආපදා තත්වයන් හේතුවෙන් විපතට පත් වූවන්ට උපකාර කිරීම, ආපදා තත්වයන්ට අදාළ විද්‍යාත්මක පසුබිම පිළිබඳව තරුණ ප්‍රජාව දැනුවත් කිරීම සහ එහි පවතින අඩුපාඩු, පාලනවිධි සම්බන්ධව නිසිලෙස අවබෝධ කර ගැනීමයි. මෙය පසුගිය දශක හතරක කාලය තුළ පුළුල් දැනුමක් සහ අත්දැකිම් ලබා ඇති පුද්ගලයින් සහ සංවිධානවල සහභාගිත්වයෙන් සිදු කරනු ලැබේ. අපගේ කණ්ඩායම පරිසර, දේශගුණ, ආපදා සහ සමාජ සුබසාධන කටයුතු සම්බන්ධ පුද්ගලයින් සහ සංවිධාන වලින් සමන්විත වේ. මේ සදහා තරුණ සමාජ, පාරිසරික සහ ඉංජිනේරු පර්යේෂකයන් සහ තොරතුරු හා සන්නිවේදන තාක්ෂණ විශේෂඥයින්ගෙන් සමන්විත කණ්ඩායමක් සහාය දක්වයි. තවද පේරාදෙණිය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, කොළඹ විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ශ්‍රී ලංකා විවෘත විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, අග්නිදිග විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය සහ නිව්යෝක්හි කොලොම්බියා විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයන් ද දායකත්වය ලබාදෙයි.


இந்த தளமானது பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள், சம்பந்தப்பட்டவர்கள் மற்றும் இளைஞர்கள் என அனைவரும், அனர்ததங்களுக்கு பின்னால் உள்ள அறிவியல் பின்னணியையும், நிர்வாகம் மற்றும் அதன் குறைபாடுகளையும் புரிந்துகொள்ள வேண்டும் என்பதை நோக்கமாக கொண்டுள்ளது. கடந்த நான்கு தசாப்தங்களாக இது தொடர்பான அனுபவம் மற்றும் அறிவை கொண்ட தனிநபர்களாலும் நிறுவனங்களாலும் இந்த பணி தொடர்கிறது. இந்த அமைப்பு முற்றிலும் மதம், கட்சி, அரசியல் சார்ப்பற்றதோடு எந்தவொரு குறிப்பிட்ட அரசுடனோ அல்லது அதிகாரிகளுடனோ இணைக்கப்படவில்லை. மேலும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் மற்றும் பொறியியல் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள், ICT தொழில்நுட்ப வல்லுநர்கள் போன்றோரின் பாரிய பங்களிப்பை கொண்டுள்ளதொடு, பேராதனை, கொழும்பு, இலங்கை திறந்த பல்கலைக்கழகம், தென்கிழக்கு மற்றும் நியூயோர்க்கின் கொலம்பியா பல்கலைக்கழகம் போன்ற பல பல்கலைக்கழகங்களின் தனிப்பட்ட ஆய்வாளர்களும் பங்களிக்கின்றனர்.

What

This website shall be used to provide a portal for information on environmental and social issues in the Pinga Oya basin. We also seek to identify the gaps in knowledge that are holding back an informed citizenry and advocacy. We shall proceed to provide reliable information to aid advocacy efforts and provide educational materials.

පිඟාඔය ආශ්‍රිතව පවතින පාරිසරික හා සමාජීය ගැටලු පිළිබඳ තොරතුරු සැපයිම සඳහා පිවිසුමක් ලෙස මෙම වෙබ් අඩවිය භාවිතා කළ හැකිය. මෙමගින් දැනුම් හිඩැස් හඳුනා ගැනීමට සහ ඒ සම්බන්ධයෙන් මහජනතාව දැනුවත් කිරීම සදහා අප උත්සාහ දරනෙමු. තවද විශ්වාසදායක තොරතුරු සැපයීම මගින් උපදේශන ප්‍රයත්නයන්ට අදාළව සහය වීමට සහ ඊට අදාළ අධ්‍යාපනික තොරතුරු සැපයීමට ද අපි කටයුතු කරමු.

இந்த வளைத்தளமானது பிங்கா ஓயா ஆற்றுப்படுக்கை தொடர்பான சமூகம் மற்றும் சூழல் சார்ந்த பிரச்சனைகள் பற்றிய தகவல்களை வழங்கும் நோக்குடனும் ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மக்களிடையே நிலவும் இது பற்றிய தெளிவற்ற சிந்தனைகளை கண்டறிந்து அவற்றை தெளிவூட்டும் வகையில் செயற்படுவதையும் நோக்கமாக கொண்டுள்ளது. அத்தோடு நம்பகத்தன்மையான தகவல்களை பகிர்தல் மூலம் இது பற்றிய அக்கறை கொண்டவர்களது செயல்களுக்கும் ஆதரவு வழங்கவுள்ளோம்.

How

We are setting up a communication network on these topics as well, and welcome News articles and multimedia content. Associated with social media channels for Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube. We seek your support to build our Followers and Subscriptions as that shall strengthen our hand in terms of accessing resources.

අප විසින් ඔබව දැනුවත් කිරීම සදහා සන්නිවේදන ජාලයක් පිහිටුවා ඇති අතර ඊට පුවත්පත් ලිපි සහ බහුමාධ්‍ය අන්තර්ගතයන් ද අදාළ වේ. එය Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram සහ YouTube යන සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ජාල වලින් සමන්විත වේ. මෙම කර්තව්‍ය සාර්ථකව පවත්වාගෙන යාම සහ දායකත්වයන් ගොඩනගා ගැනීමට අප ඔබගේ නිරන්තර සහය අපේක්ෂා කරමු.


இது பற்றிய கலந்துரையாடல்களை மேற்கொள்வதற்கும், தகவல்களை பகிர்வதற்கும் தற்போது நாம் தொடர்பாடல் வலையமைப்புக்களை நிறுவிக்கொண்டு வருகிறோம். Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram மற்றும் YouTube என்பவற்றை உயிர்ப்போடு, தொடர்ந்து செயற்படுத்துவதற்கு உங்கள் ஆதரவு அவசியமானதாகும்.

Restore Pinga Oya

Restore Pinga Oya

#RestorePingaOya is a multi-platform digital portal to make available reliable information to support evidence-based discussions on the Pinga Oya tributary of the Mahaweli and its catchment, and relevant activity of government and private actors so as to support advocacy to better its governance. Our focus is on highly disturbed portions of the river such as in Akurana.

There were three floods in Akurana in the 2nd half of 2022 in August, September and December 25. The flood level raised upto 9.5 feet above the road level at its deepest at the Dunuwilla road intersection. The spatial extent of the floods was expanded. Initial estimates for the flood damage was 980 million rupees but this shall be an underestimate.

The #RestorePingaOya initiative is an effort to make the water body what is used to be, a helpful resource to everyone in the vicinity.

Air Quality TechCamp in Kathmandu

Sri Lankan Participants in TechCamp, Kathmandu

 

Clean Air for South Asia Techcamp in Kathmandu

The U.S. Embassy in Nepal, in partnership with Kathmandu Living Labs, organized a two-day South Asia Air Quality Tech Camp on July 30-31st.

U.S. Embassy in Nepal, in partnership with Kathmandu Living Labs, organized a two-day South Asia Air Quality TechCamp on July 30-31st, accompanied with world-class trainers and 60 participants from seven South Asian countries: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives and Pakistan.

Sri Lankan Participants in TechCamp, Kathmandu
Sri Lankan Participants in TechCamp, Kathmandu
Photo: US Embassy Kathmandu/Flickr

The aim of the camp was to address political, social, and scientific facets of the problem and improve the ability of civil society, media, and other influencers to engage governments, empower the public and take action to improve air quality in South Asia.


US Ambassador to Nepal, H.E. Randy W. Berry

“Air pollution does not respect national boundaries,” US Ambassador to Nepal, H.E. Randy W. Berry pointed out the regional cooperation required to solve the issue of air pollution.

Photo: US Embassy Kathmandu/Flickr


Participants and trainers from 10+ countries selected topics under, What’s the biggest challenge you face in your work on air quality?

  • Reliable Data/Access to Data
  • Regulations/Enforcement of Existing Regulations
  • Proper Monitoring Systems or Collection of Data
  • Awareness/Targeting the Right Audience
  • Coordination: Among Stakeholders or Across Borders
Proper Monitoring Systems/Collection of Data – Group Discussion
Proper Monitoring Systems/Collection of Data – Group Discussion Facilitators: Neelam Azmat, Santosh Gartaula
Photo: Kathmandu Living Labs

We selected one topic with a challenge we identified in our work and dived into the first round of discussions. In Sri Lanka, we have monitoring systems based on BAM and Low-Cost Sensors. But we need to have a proper monitoring network combining the region.

Speed Geeking

We spent five minutes with each trainer in 14 small groups. The trainers shared their stories of using a particular technology/strategy to address air pollution.

Photos: Piushani Ellegala

Author: Ms Piushani Ellegala

Disasters Forewarned due to Ill-Planned and Badly Executed Landfill in Wilpattu Buffer

Plan of the Proposed Sanitary Landfill

 

Disasters Forewarned due to Ill-Planned and Badly Executed Landfill in Wilpattu Buffer

We visited the vicinity of the Aruwakkalu area which has been a matter of threats, protests and a controversial project by a blacklisted Chinese company which is being rushed through by the Ministry of Megapolis under Minister Champika Ranawaka to transfer Colombo Garbage to Puttalam District (Daily Mirror, 15, 2019).

Aruwakkalu Landfill site

The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development has proposed to develop a landfill in Aruwakkalu (in the Puttalam district), with a waste transfer station in Kelaniya, as a necessary alternative solution for the municipal solid waste disposal problem faced mainly in the Colombo Metro Region and in the Grater Colombo Area largely. The plan is to transfer the garbage using rail transport from Colombo to the proposed landfill site at Aruwakkalu, at a rate of 1200 tons per day, covering a distance of 170 km one way. However, the landfill is open to other local authorities in the Greater Colombo and the local authorities in Puttalam.

Aruwakkalu Landfill, reservation and buffer zones
Aruwakkalu Landfill, reservation and buffer zones

Final report, EIAR For the Proposed Project on Metro Colombo Solid Waste Management, MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, WATER SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE, Central Environmental Authority, August 2015  (pp15-21) – link 

Final report, EIAR For the Proposed Project on Metro Colombo Solid Waste Management, MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, WATER SUPPLY AND DRAINAGE, Central Environmental Authority, August 2015  (pp15-21) – link 


 

Aruwakkalu-Wilpattu Buffer

Mr.-Barr-KumarakulasingheMr. Barr Kumarakulasinghe is a environmental scientist. In the discussions Mr. Kumarakulasinghe highlighted threats to the water ways, ecosystem and wildlife particularly to three adjacent areas as the garbage Processing center is situated in a critical area.

 

  • Puttalam lagoon through leaching from the groundwater – this shall affect the fisheries and ecosystem
  • Kala Oya basin as the garbage processing center is 3km from the Kala Oya – water can be contaminated.
  • Wilpattu Forested Area which is six km away to which there is a threat from aquatic contamination through the groundwater and for the wildlife.

Aquifer-type-map-Sri-Lanka
Different types of aquifers in Sri Lanka (Panabokke and Perera, 2005)

Ground Water: The capping of the sanitary landfill is to be made of cement, it may crack as a result of dynamite blasting in the nearby area by Holcim and INSEE cement companies and if it cracks the effluents will end up in the waterways and groundwater.

Further, he says, the rain in the locality can be intense for brief periods -maybe 2000 mm for one and a half months – it will lead to overflowing of the landfill and we need to address the risk of leaching into the aquifers as well.

Links: https://wilpattuhouse.blogspot.com/2015/10/colombo-garbage-to-wilpattu.html

https://wilpattuhouse.blogspot.com/2015/10/update-colombo-garabge-to-wilpattu.html

 

 

Discussions with Mr. S.M. Mubarack

Mr. S.M. Mubarack

Mr. S.M. Mubarack is an environmentalist and a development planning officer, who has looked in to in-depth in development planning projects in the area over the years. Puttalam has been the butt of past projects with disastrous environmental impacts and he raises the issue of environmental racism in how projects are handled. The project to bring garbage to Aruwakkalu is the latest.

Site with Dangers

Aruwakkalu is the most unsuitable land to have the sanitary landfill or even open dumping, because what they are doing is on top of the limestone quarry which would not bear the load built up of 1200MT per day according to the Megapolis Ministry.

Shady Dealings

Even though the EIA says the loading will be for ten years the minister say eighty years and the funds for this project would be raised from the World bank and AIIB (Chinese bank) and the whole project is said to be estimated to be USD 274 Million, which in his opinion is much more of a building program than a garbage management program and knowing that the contract was given to a company (CHEC) which is a blacklisted company by the World Bank where the World Bank has withdrawn USD 115 million and USD 44 million was to be contributed by the government of Sri Lanka.

He further added, that the conditions that have been laid down by the Central Environmental Authority as part of the EIA are being completely violated and they are supposed to bring the garbage by train but, now they are coming by trucks.

Lack of Community Consultations

One of the integral parts of the EIA is community consultation, but, they have consulted about fifteen people at Kelaniya where the transfer station is and considered only two people from Aruwakkalu area, one of them is a Buddhist priest and the other is a farmer. Not a single local authority from the Puttalam area sends the garbage to Aruwakkalu but the unsorted garbage is sorted and the stinking garbage is brought from Kuliyapitiya urban council area is dumped at the Aruwakkalu site. For the whole project, the people and the Pradeshiya Sabha chairman and the members have objected, but Minister Champika is trying to implement everything in a dictatorial manner, he says.
Apart from that, they have consulted some government servants including Grama Sevakas who have said there is no problem without even knowing the integral parts of the garbage management.

References –

  1. Barr-Kumarakulasinghe, S, Colombo, Meethotumulla Garbage is not to Puttalam but the Wilpattu, October 14, 2015, Blogpost. http://wilpattuhouse.blogspot.com/2015/10/colombo-garbage-to-wilpattu.html
  2. Barr-Kumarakulasinghe, S, Colombo, Update – Colombo Garbage to Wilpattu, October 14, 2015, Blogpost. http://wilpattuhouse.blogspot.com/2015/10/update-colombo-garabge-to-wilpattu.html
  3. Kamanthi Wickramanasinhghe, Aruwakkalu Landfill Project Another White Elephant, Daily Mirror, 14 August 2019. http://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/Sanitary-project-Aruwakkalu-landfill-another-white-elephant/131-172841
  4. Malaka Rodrigo, Environmentalists derail garbage train to Aruwakkalu, Sunday Times, October 4, 2015. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/151004/news/environmentalists-derail-garbage-train-to-aruwakkalu-166659.html
  5. Environmental Impact Assessment Report of the Proposed Project on Metro Colombo Solid Waste Management, Ministry Of Megapolis and Western Development, August 2017. https://ewsdata.rightsindevelopment.org/files/documents/55/AIIB-000055_LdaZhb5.pdf
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