Premier to meet Bush

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to meet US President George W. Bush in September. The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the US on an official visit.

During the visit he is expected to meet President Bush and Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and will also attend the UN General Assembly sessions in New York.

Government concerned over
wetland exploitation

By Risidra Mendis

Exploitation of wetlands and marshy lands by the public has caused grave concern to the government.

But despite the government becoming a signatory to the Ramsar, Iran 1971 Convention on June 22 1990, which makes it obligatory to undertake certain activities regarding wetland management in the country The Sunday Leader learns the government has done little to preserve these lands.

While Municipal Councils (MC) and private parties use wetlands as garbage dumping grounds, the public resorts to illegal methods of filing up such land for commercial purposes, government sources said.

Meanwhile in order to address this growing concern, the government and top environment officials met on Friday, June 21, at the National Symposium on Wetland Management and Conservation in Sri Lanka  (NSWMC) to discuss how best these wetlands should be preserved.

According to a report prepared by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), among the most seriously threatened wetlands in Sri Lanka are the Thandamannar lagoon, Chundikkulam lagoon, Chalai lagoon, Periyakarachchi and Sinnakarachchi lagoons, the Mahaweli Ganga Floodplain system, Maha Lewaya and Karagan Lewaya, Lunama and Kalametiya kalapuwa and the Bellanwilla Attidiya marshes. However since 1989 no update of their status has been carried out.      

Meanwhile The Sunday Leader learns that a letter sent by Environment Minister Rukman Senanayake to be addressed at the meeting raised issues on the conservation of wetlands in Sri Lanka.

According to the message by the Minister the Asian Wetland Directory has identified nearly 40 wetland sites of international importance in Sri Lanka of which the total extent is nearly 274,000 hectares.

According to the Minister's information, many wetland eco systems in the country are being indiscriminately exploited at an alarming rate due to commercial, agricultural, residential and industrial development purposes and dumping grounds for domestic waste.

However according to the Minister's statement, due to the overlapping and conflicting mandates in government agencies and also lack of cooperation among these institutions, has made wetland management a difficult task. However the government has taken measures to establish the first RAMSAR site, namely the Bundala National Park.

At the conclusion of the NSWMC steps were taken to update the National Wetlands Directory and management plans made in an integrated manner with the participation of all important stake holders.