A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, June 2, 2017
Why So Much of Flooding and Natural Disasters?
Who is Responsible?
( June 1, 2017, Sydney, Sri Lanka Guardian) Why
so much of flooding and natural disasters? Already one ‘answer’ is
given by Galagoda Atte Gnanasara of the BBS. He has said “disasters
occur in a country when the rulers are unrighteous and wicked,” clearly
aiming at the Yahapalana government (Ceylon Today, 29 May). Even Karu
Jayasuriya said a similar thing in June 2014 during the landslides in
Ratnapura and Matara areas (Ada Derana, 6 June 2014). Gnanasara is
undoubtedly irked by the orders given to the police to arrest him for
anti-Muslim provocations, whether those orders would properly be
implemented or not. He is trying to circumvent the ‘rule of law’ with
his crooked rhetoric, ‘abusing’ Buddhist philosophy; abusing in the
sense of misusing.
Although the government is burdened with responsibility and extra-work,
the actual victims are not the government, but the unfortunate poor
people. Even the funds used for flood relief would be tax-payers’ money,
local donations and foreign aid. Only the JVP Members of Parliament
have sacrificed their monthly salary, while it might be soon followed by
the others in embarrassment. Just one minister’s house was flooded. On
the other hand, nearly 200 people are dead, many still considered
disappeared; houses, businesses, properties of ordinary citizens are
destroyed.
Different Reasoning
Even one can argue (just for the sake of argument) that ‘this is a curse
that is bestowed by the gods or nature, because of anti-Muslim
activities conducted by the BBS in the country.’ Some of the areas
affected are the areas where the Muslims were attacked. This kind of an
argument or counter argument should not have any footing in contemporary
Sri Lanka. These were for the archaic days. No Muslim has done so,
although they could have argued such against Gnanasara.
This reminds me of what some of the conservative nationalist leaders
allegedly claimed that ‘people must be suffering for their Karma’ during
the Malaria epidemic in the 1930s (see ‘Revolt in the Temple’).
The Left movement and the other rationalists those days had to counter
these arguments both in assisting the malaria victims and also
pressurising the government to extend health and other social facilities
in the country. That is how the Welfare-State largely emerged in Sri
Lanka. The welfare-state is nearly destroyed today because of the mad
rush for money, competitive profits and the unmindful or otherwise
so-called ‘liberalization’ of the economy. Sri Lanka after all and still
is a poor country, although it has marginally got a middle-income
status because of lopsided factors. Even the poor people have become
victims or part of this mad rush under unmindful liberalization.
‘Liberalization’ is a good word, but in its actual practice it neglects
not only the ‘labour,’ to here mean primarily the poor people, but also
the Nature and climate change. The neglect of the nature must have been
there in different proportions almost from the beginning of human
civilization, but climate change or its aggravation is a recent
phenomenon. There is a clear correlation between the rapid climate
change and the advent of particularly the neoliberalism. Andrian Parr
calls it the wrath of capital (‘The Wrath of Capital: Neoliberalism and Climate Change Politics,’
Columbia University Press, 2014). It is this wrath that we are seeing
in Sri Lanka today. The old and new advocates of neoliberalism, and
‘unbridled free market’ are usually the climate sceptics.
Deficit in Government Policies
On the surface, the government policies on climate change or its
mitigation do not appear wrong, judging by the international
conventions. In this sense, our leaders are better than Donald Trump. It
must be noted, however, that these international conventions are for
overall mitigation of climate change. For example, the revised version
of the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2011-2016 (NCCAS)
submitted to the Paris Convention in 2015 by Sri Lanka could be
considered sufficient for those purposes. I am not an expert on these
matters, but basing myself on reliable information and other people,
expressing myself as (still) a citizen. Public policies are my concerns
or expertise. There were 5 Thrusts in the Strategy, but none of those
clearly address the increased flooding and earth-slips, to mean the
natural disasters under climate change.
One can of course argue that increased flooding and earth-slips are
matters for disaster management. Yet there should be coordination
between the two and the climate change strategy should take the
initiative. Uncoordinated efforts are one of the debacles in Sri Lanka.
After taking over the climate challenge under the Ministry of Mahaweli
Development and Environment by the President, there has been much
progress in the overall climate change management, indicated in the
Progress Report 2015 and Action Plan 2016. However, while there is much
progress in the areas of conservation (forest and coastal) and
environmental protection (marine and major irrigation projects), there
is no clear planning or implementation in the field of
climate-change-effects.
Among the 11 divisions in the Ministry, Climate Change Division appears
to be the weakest. In terms of future planning and functions, there are
30 areas or functions identified, but no clear mentioning of the
climate-change-effect mitigation or on the increased flooding and
earth-slips. Even among the climate change advocates, the attention is
usually paid on gas emissions (CO 2), rising temperatures and rising
seas. While these are crucial, and Sri Lanka should mitigate them, there
are so much of other nitty-gritties that must be addressed.
Before rising sea levels, there are rising river levels during
torrential monsoon rains because of excessive soil deposits. In
addition, the river basins are clogged due to unauthorized
constructions, land fillings and obstructing natural water flows from
higher lands. This is common sense.
At a personal note, I do remember my young days, looking at the Lunawa
Lake (Moratuwa) during the school lunch time, sitting behind our class
room with friends (at Prince of Wales College), even imagining how it
could be converted to a grand fishery. Because we could see one or two
fishermen on makeshift canoes irking out a living by catching Lula or
Pethiya. Lunawa Lake today is like a big filthy pond; in most places
garbage dumped. Whose responsibility is this? It is the responsibility
of the Municipal Council. The local government system has much to do
with environmental protection.
Closer Reasons
As quoted by Rashmin De Silva (Daily Mirror, 30 November 2015), Margaret
Gardner, an international environmental activist, had expressed an
early warning after the Tsunami experience. As she has stated,
“In
the next 55 years the greatest threat to Sri Lanka will be not from
war, but from climate change. Sri Lanka is particularly vulnerable to
rising sea levels and weather-related disasters have the potential to
set back any gains made in agriculture, fisheries and even services such
as tourism.”
This is plainly true. What the country has experienced today is a
‘weather related disaster.’ This is one reason why all communities and
political parties should unite for a common cause, rather than
quarrelling each other.
This is not only the knowledge from outside. De Silva had interviewed
Buddika Hemashantha, and had asked among other questions: “What are the
current effects of climate change on Sri Lanka? I am quoting this in
appreciation of local knowledge and perception. Hemashantha had been the
CEO of the Sri Lanka Carbon Fund, a private-public partnership company.
That was in 2015 and I don’t know what is he doing now. His reply was
the following.
“The
tourism and agriculture sectors are those that are the most affected
currently. There are also several effects of climate change that all Sri
Lankans are experiencing as of now in terms of floods and heavy rain.
The University of Peradeniya Agricultural Unit has also found in its
research that the temperature of the country is increasing. The
temperature rise will also cause an increase in mosquitos in the colder
parts of the country such as Nuwara Eliya which may lead to the spread
of mosquito borne diseases. With regards to tourism there will also be
negative effects that will have to be faced by the sector since tourists
will be less willing to come to the island when there is more rain and
the temperature is rising. There is also the treat of landslides that
they will take into account.”
Yes, floods and heavy rains. Not only that, the spread of mosquito borne
diseases as the country has experienced in recent times. Also, the
landslides. When it comes to increased flooding, landslides or even in
the case of spreading of diseases, much responsibility is placed on the
local government institutions. The reason is that the control of
buildings (including approvals), drains and water ways are under the
control of local government institutions, unless the building approval
and control directly come under the Urban Development Authority. If you
take the Pradeshiya Sabhas Act (No. 15 of 1987), as an example, it is
very clear. The overall purview to be to “charged with the regulation,
control and administration of all matters relating to public health,
public utility services and public thoroughfares and generally with the
protection and promotion of the comfort, convenience and welfare of the
people and all amenities within such area.”
The above undoubtedly is a broad spectrum. But more concretely, the Act
specifies the powers and functions related to “measures for the relief
of distress caused by rain, floods, gales, fire, earthquake, famine or
epidemics.” This is under Section 19. It is about the cure and not
prevention. One may also ask the question; ‘how can those be undertaken
today as the local governments are dissolved and elections not yet held?
But in terms of prevention, it is mainly the PS officers who are very
clearly assigned the tasks of laying and maintaining “drains,
watercourses, trunks, tunnels, plats, or bridges” (Sec. 45). Of course,
they must do these tasks in coordination with the Divisional
Secretariats. There are other relevant sections in the Act, which are
not quoted here to be brief.
Neglected Responsibilities
Why the responsibilities are neglected? There can be several answers,
both at the local and the national level. My answers also can be partial
or limited. This does not mean that increased flooding or even
landslides can be completely prevented. Because the climate change is a
global calamity not limited to Sri Lanka. Even in Australia there had
been extreme flooding in recent times. However, the death toll is
minimal to one or two. There are no major landslides as the building
constructions and mountainous landscapes are well regulated.
In recent flooding in Queensland, for example, there were advanced early
warnings given by the meteorological authorities. The police, the red
cross and even the army assisted the timely evacuations. It was not left
for the people to evacuate themselves or blame them thereafter as our
ministers do (see The Island report ‘Met Dept. can be closed down,’ 1
May). Of course, the affected populations were sparsely, unlike in Sri
Lanka. Given the thick populations and socio-economic conditions in our
country, there can be an element of unruliness or neglect in
evacuations. This is why the governments are there to assist.
Broadly speaking, at the national level, it appears that the prevention
of climate-change-effects are neglected for more fashionable or trendy
issues of global warming. There is no coordination between the macro
strategies and micro implementation in cooperation with both the
provincial councils and the local government institutions. Why, for
example, the local governments have neglected their responsibilities?
This has much to do with the economic thinking, apart from the local
politicians allowing their families, friends and benefactors to do
whatever they want: haphazard building, garbage dumping, land
encroachment, sand mining, landfilling etc.
There are no major housing projects for the poor, ‘thanks’ to the
unmindful neo-liberalism. Therefore, they have to construct their huts
and dwellings in dangerous places. For the slightest natural calamities,
they collapse and the people often get drowned. Most vulnerable are the
children. In this instance, 44 school children have died in vain.
Of course, unnecessary bureaucracy or regulation can hamper business and
economic development, but the neglect of environmental protection or
people’s welfare in the process of deregulation can cause environmental
disasters and social dislocations. The state-sector responsibilities are
neglected because the engine of growth is declared solely as the
private sector. This is an easy excuse for the politicians to laze, do
their own businesses, gratify family, friends and benefactors, and
preach ‘bana’ to the people, not to speak of corruption. This has
happened before and this is happening even today.
Postscript
I have just received a poem ‘From a Tamil youth in the North to a
Sinhala youth in the South’ on the flood disaster, courtesy of Yahapalanaya (network). It is long. So, I reproduce its first three verses only.
I want to cry for you.
But I have no tears to shed!
But I have no tears to shed!
I could have rushed to save you
But I couldn’t,
But I couldn’t,
I couldn’t come to save you as it is in this month you severed my legs
You may have forgotten.
You may have forgotten.