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Power and water running short again
The Ceylon Electricity Board yesterday made a fresh appeal to the public to conserve electricity in the face of another severe drought period.

CEB Acting Chairman M. M. Zubair told The Sunday Times they had no plan to impose power cuts again at this stage but energy conservation was essential.

"The storage position is satisfactory but at the same time, we need more rain. The CEB will keep a close watch on wastage. We have no plans for power cuts, but we call on the public to be more careful," Mr. Zubair said.

While the CEB called for conservation, the Colombo Municipality is encouraging people to light up the city as part of its Colombo-by-night programme.

However, Colombo Mayor Prasanna Gunawardena who advocated the lighting up the programme defended his decision, saying it was intended largely to create employment opportunities.

"I don't think there has been a tremendous light up due to that," he said adding that he had asked that such illumination be done through generators and that he never asked people to waste electricity.

Meanwhile, the Water Board has also called on consumers to use water sparingly as the levels in several reservoirs are dwindling.

A Water Board official appealed to the people to desist from using tap water for the watering of plants or washing of vehicles.

Minister takes environment message to schools
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has launched an environment awareness programme among 4000 schools in the country to control pollution, Minister Rukman Senan-ayake said during the International Ozone Day Celebrations.
The celebration at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute was organised by the Montreal Protocol Unit of the ministry in collaboration the with UNDP.

Minister Senanayake addressing the students participating in the celebration, stressed the importance of the Ozone Layer to human existence and said Sri Lanka would be phasing out CFC emissions by 2005.

He said his ministry had given serious attention to the use of polythene bags and he felt something should be done immediately to solve the polythene problem.

The minister also said it was really important to use students and youth to bring some form of compulsion to the elders to protect the environment.

"There is a greater danger looming around us that is unseen but highly dangerous. That is the destruction of the Ozone Layer. The Ozone Layer that is so vital to us for our survival is being continuously destroyed by man made gases," he said.

Tamil alliance waits for Balasingham
The TNA is awaiting a meeting with LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham who is due in the Wanni next month.

The TNA is expected to meet LTTE Chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and Dr. Balasingham and discuss the outcome of the first round of peace talks and the setting up of the task force for the development of the North and East.

TULF Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham told The Sunday Times that Dr. Balasingham is expected by the first week of October.

"This will be a very important meeting since we will be able to discuss several key issues relating to resettlement and development. We will also discuss the work of the task force which will be handled by the LTTE. If we are called to assist we will do so" he said.

TNA Parliamentarian R Sampanthan said a meeting will be called by the LTTE to discuss the development work in the North.

"It is the LTTE which will draw up the composition for the Task Force but we will assist in any way" he said.

Peace moves pose new dangers for children in N-E
By Faraza Farook
Parents in the North and East are raising renewed concerns for their children who, while enjoying their new found freedom with the peace initiatives, also remain vulnerable to new problems and are likely to go astray, Save the Children Norway Representative in Sri Lanka, Markus Aksland, said.

"In conflict areas, children are brought up in a rigid way - to be back home before six; not to go out, etc. But now suddenly they are free. Therefore, there's increased potential for new problems, like getting addicted to drugs," Mr. Aksland warned at a press conference on Wednesday.

Based on experience in other countries such as Mozambique, Mr. Aksland said children were likely to be faced with new problems when peace was achieved.

Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Jareg, who is an advisor to the Save the Children, said the renewed problems that came with the peace process should be addressed urgently.

"Social and cultural vacuums come when peace comes and this is filled with undesirable activity," Dr. Jareg said. The fact that children were no more in the battlefield and were not in a restricted environment can persuade them to find new activities to keep themselves occupied. Often, she said, the case has been that people start gruesome video shows etc., that draw youth and keep them entertained during their free time.

Dr. Jareg said it was also important to anticipate vulnerable situations children are faced with and take precautionary steps. If a girl was alone, it must be anticipated that she's vulnerable to abuse and needs to be protected, she said.

Meanwhile, Save the Children is organising an international conference in Sri Lanka aimed at highlighting the impact of armed conflict. On a request by some participants, Save the Children Norway will facilitate a trip to the war-torn North and East to see the work being done to protect children. Sixty-eight participants from 11 different countries, all affected by the conflict will sit through ten sessions across three days, starting from October 1.

"Though there will be no resolutions or recommendations that will be made at the end of the three-day session, we will be sending an important message to the peace process not to forget children in post conflict," Dr. Jareg said.

About 200,000 children are reported to be displaced while 40% of children in welfare centres were malnourished and another 40% were reported as school dropouts. However, it was difficult to estimate the number of children psychologically affected by the conflict, Dr. Jareg said adding, "all children, in some way are affected by conflict".

In addition to child soldiers, the North and East also have children as home guards, Mr. Aksland said.

Answering a question about the rehabilitation of children in conflict areas, Dr. Jareg said that it was impossible to get involved in rehabilitation projects without a clear commitment to disarm. Children have to be completely in civilian hands if they are to benefit, she said.

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