This guide is for governments, conservationist practitioners and insurers to design and introduce insurance schemes to reduce human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and promote human-wildlife coexistence. Certain
The Government has taken special moves with the assistance of UNDP to mitigate the floods and landslides in various parts of the country including Ratnapura, Nuwara-Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Kalutara, Colombo and Gampaha Districts owing to the rains, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
Arrangements have been made to develop 42 backward villages in Athuraliya, Hakmana and Mulatiyana Divisional Secretariat areas in the Matara district under the Gemi Diriya development project. Funds amounting to Rs. 90 million has been set aside under the project improve infrastructure facilities and to upgrade the livelihood activities and vocational skills in this 42 backward villages in the three Divisional Secretariat areas, according to the Matara District Officer of Gemi Diriya project, K. Jayamuni.
80% of cancer patients in Sri Lanka have got the diseases from smoking. Hence the challenge before doctors and health administrators is to carry out not only curative medicine but preventive medicine as well, said Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday. Addressing a batch of 200 doctors who had completed their medical internships at the Narahenpita National Blood Transfusion Centre, he said that cancer had become one of the major health problems in the country.
Hambanthota: Sri Lankan government yesterday abandoned the proposed project to build the second international airport in the country highlighting certain concerns raised by environmentalists and paddy farmers in the Weeravila area. The government announced that considering an appeal made by the people of the Weeravila area to shift the proposed international airport to another location, the Minister of Ports and Aviation, Chamal Rajapaksa has directed the relevant authorities to divert the intended project to Maththala area in the Hambantota district.
Sri Lanka's Central Environment Authority (CEA) yesterday imposed another financial burden on the public by asking them to pay for the polyethylene sacks supermarkets use for bagging the groceries for free of charge normally. At a media briefing held to announce this decision, the Environment Minister and Ultra Nationalist Party, Jathika Hela Urumaya MP, Patali Champaka Ranawaka stated that the decision has been taken to prevent consumers misusing the bags. He said that all supermarket owners have agreed to this decision.
A coalition of five leading supermarket chains announced the launching of a campaign to completely deter the use of plastic shopping bags by their customers from August 1, 2008 with the support of Central Environmental Authority (CEA). Commenting on the initiative, Udaya Gammanpila, Chairman, CEA said, "One of the objectives of the National Policy on Solid Waste Management in Sri Lanka is to ensure the environmental accountability and social responsibility of all waste generators, waste managers and service providers.'
A development programme to utilise the waters of the Kalu Ganga to the optimum level for the benefit of people living around its banks is to be implemented shortly by the Government. Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka directed irrigation officials to draw up a plan to facilitate this and submit a report before the end of October this year. The Prime Minister issued this directive when the special Ministerial Committee on the development of the Kalu Ganga basin met at his office on July 14.
The Indian Government will file an affidavit in the Supreme Court today asking for work to progress on Sethusamudaram project. The Government is also planning to submit that ASI survey is not important. The government's turnaround will come as a major boost to DMK. DMK has been pushing for the project to go ahead.
The heavy rainfall during the past few days have affected at least 33,222 people from 7,848 families while three persons died in Kegalle, Gampaha and Matale as a result of floods in districts including Rathnapura, Gampaha, Kegalle, Colombo, Matale and Kandy. According to the Director of the National Disaster Relief Services Centre (NDRSC) N.D.Hettiarachchi the Government has already provided sufficient relief assistance including an allocation of Rs.500,000 from the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services.
The places of religious worship have now been relieved of the burden of paying huge electricity bills, as the Ceylon Electricity Board has decided to introduce a flat tariff rate of Rs. 12.50 per unit for these institutions. Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne told Daily Mirror yesterday that this decision was taken at a meeting attended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and religious dignitaries last evening.
