Wind power and  solar power:  The way forward I read in the  newspapers that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had met President Rajapaksa, and made a complaint regarding the pollution created the coal power plant at Norochchalai, and that it is causing respiratory problems for the people in that area. It is high time that Sri Lanka, [...]

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Wind power and  solar power:  The way forward

I read in the  newspapers that Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had met President Rajapaksa, and made a complaint regarding the pollution created the coal power plant at Norochchalai, and that it is causing respiratory problems for the people in that area.

It is high time that
Sri Lanka, which is surrounded by the sea should follow the way Holland has used wind power to provide electricity by having wind mills all around the country by the sea.  Wind power is always available  and much cheaper. We have hydropower in the country presently but, this too is dependent on the rains and many times we have to turn to generators which is costly.

For the last few years we have had solar power in the country which is expensive when it comes to installation in houses but saves money in the long run. I have personal experience of this for the last six years since I installed solar power in my residence at a cost of about Rs. 1.5 million. My monthly bill which was in the range of Rs. 20,000 has come down to less than Rs.100. So in other words I will be able to recover the money I spent within five or six years.

Solar power is guaranteed for a period of 20 years. It is high time that most of our residences and institutions instal solar power in their premises as it generates enough electricity during the day.

I hope the Government and the private sector will do the needful without delay.

 Prof.Wilfred Perera   Via email


Hear our plea Mr.President, Minister

It was observed that payment of compensation was not done to all those whose lands that were acquired by the RDA for the rehabilitation of the Wadduwa Morontuduwa Road (5 km).

It is now more than one year and some have been paid compensation leaving several unpaid. This is very unfair. It was observed that the reason is due to lack of funds in the RDA.

Now that there is a new government with the new truth-speaking President, our hopes of getting the compensation are high.

Mr. President and the new Minister,  please do not let us down.

B.Goonetilleke   Via email


Dilapidated state of ground near Parliament

The large ground between Japan Friendship Road and Pahalawela Road overlooking the Parliament and Diyawanna lake was once a well maintained ground covered with grass adding to the serenity of the area. This was under the present President Gotabaya Rajapaksa when he was in charge of the UDA functions during the earlier Rajapaksa administration.

Unfortunately the previous regime showed callous disregard for environmental beauty and as a result this has now become a parking lot for buses carrying employees to nearby offices. So the appearance  is now more like a bus stand and a garage for buses  in the very vicinity of the Parliament,   rather than the once scenic ground. It is also now a place for learner drivers with so many vehicles circling round, stirring up dust and disturbing the residents nearby with the added menace of dumped garbage.

I hope this will come to the attention of President  Rajapaksa and he will take action to restore the beauty and serenity of the immediate environs of Parliament.

 S. Seneviratne   Via email


Finding solutions to human-elephant conflict in ancient wisdom

 Referring to the Doublespeak column by Gamini Weerakoon in the Sunday Times of February 2,  one would be inclined to come to the conclusion that, though admitting to be no expert on wildlife, he has magically, in his penultimate column, proverbially “hit the nail on the head.” It is frequently prudent in such problems to peep into the past and discern how our illustrious ancestors solved them. That’s what history and literature are studied for.

To give credit to our previous generations, there is a tree of the “uguressa” family similar to the same in every way except that it has branching thorns almost the size of two-inch nails all over its stem. I have had personal experience of this tree in my ancestral home garden but it was removed to cut a bigger tree right beside it, which had to be removed for a charitable purpose. In fact, a tamed elephant passing in front of the home had to walk avoiding it.

There is also the reference in a Sanskrit classic in my possession with the jawbreaker name of “Vidhagdhamukhamandana” which raises the question of a jungle which elephants don’t tread as a classic riddle. The answer as given beside it is “a jungle full of trees called “madanawathie”.

Intrigued by the name I sought the name in another text which said it is a synonym for the tree called “kukurumuwan” which gives a fruit used to cure haemorrhoids in indigenous medicine!

These are only two of the trees that can be used to prevent elephants from crossing to agricultural lands or places of human habitation. There are other such trees too which I have seen along the Ahungalla coast which have such a tangled stem-cover that it would be impenetrable to elephants.

The basic question, however, is the inability or reluctance of the authorities to delve deeply and exhaustively into the rich literature of our culture in toto when even the literature taught in schools has been artfully and irretrievably abolished.

 Dhanu   Via email


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