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
A programme has been launched to beautify the city of Colombo at a cost of Rs 374 million in time for the forthcoming SAARC Summit, Mayor of Colombo U. M. Imitiyaz said. He said that was the first time the CMC had expended such a huge amount of funds on a city improvement project. The Project included rehabilitation of the Sathutu Uyana and the road network in the city, repairs street lighting system and colour washing of the state building.
The Environment Ministry said that of 1,730 kilogrammes of garbage collected in Anuradhapura during the Poson season, the major components were plastic and polythene. It was the highest garbage collection even though fewer pilgrims participated, Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. There were also 104 kilogrammes of polythene and plastic collected in the Polonnaruwa sacred city.
The Ceylon Electricity Board is planning to convert its thermal power plants from diesel and naphtha to Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) with a view to significantly reducing the operational cost of thermal power plants. This project will review the relevant existing feasibility studies and prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment and engineering designs for the construction of LNG Receiving Facilities i.e. terminal/jetty and pipelines to the power stations located in northern Colombo.
The government is to borrow additional funds from the World Bank for several several development projects, a minister said. Cabinet approved finance agreements with the IDA branch of the World Bank to get additional funding for the North East Housing Reconstruction Project (SDR 26.2 million), for the Road Sector Assistance Project (SDR 59.6 million) and for the Education Sector Development Project (SDR 6.1 million).
Tele-medicine services will become operational between India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka by this year end, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here today. "To start the tele-medicine service by September this year, a Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed between India and Bhutan," he said adding the service would then become operational between Indian and Sri Lanka too by the year-end.
The Government has launched a programme to provide houses to 1,000 families dwelling in shanties and other temporary shelters. Under the programme launched by the Urban and Sacred Area Development Ministry, 70 families in the Badaowita area in Mount. Lavinia were provided housing facilities yesterday. The Government has contributed Rs. 175,000 for the construction of each house, while 40 more houses are to be built shortly. The housing programme is implemented in 10 districts where a large number of people are in need of housing facilities.
More than 30 per cent of cancer deaths can be prevented through effective education and screening saving thousands of lives a year in countries like Sri Lanka, Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. He was speaking at a conference for professionals on caner treatment at the Centre for Cancer Research in Lyon, France yesterday.
Director of Planning and Implementation in Matale District P. Hewapathirana said under the national plan of Gama Neguma programme 204 projects were launched in 204 Grama Niladhari Divisions in Matale district during the year 2007. In the first step 148 projects were started and in the second step 56 projects. In this project, dilapidated roads, public buildings community hall and water supply schemes were repaired. Government has allocated Rs. 158 million for setting up of rural development projects.
The World Bank said yesterday that it approved a credit of US$ 98 million from its concessionary lending arm, International Development Association (IDA) in additional finance to support the Sri Lankan government's efforts to improve its national highways, designed to lower transportation costs and travel times. The additional finance will be mostly used to cover cost-overruns mainly due to the unprecedented oil price increase in the world market that has led to the escalation of prices in oil-based materials, a press release from WB said.
The dearth of wildlife officials has been a major drawback in enforcing wildlife regulations, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. There are only 3,000 odd wildlife officials to serve nearly one million hectares of forest in the country. The elephant population in Sri Lanka did not face any threat of extinction as its density has been increasing in recent times, he said. Steps have been taken to erect electrified fences under the Maga Neguma to ward off marauding elephants in an effort to eradicate the elephant-human conflict, the Minister said.
