Features
Jogging track projects and hidden features
By Engr. Mahinda Panapitiya
M.S, Department of Agriculture & Biological Engineering, Utah State
University, Utah, USA,
B.Sc (Civil Engineering), University of Peradeniya,
A technical paper on the Gampaha Jogging Track, published in 2012 in an Annual Session hold by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka had won the first prize in a competition on water-related interventions of its members. This is an Interview held by Udula Oushdahami, a Former Chairman of ICTAD, with the author Engr. Mahinda Panapitiya, about the background behind the paper.
Q: Jogging Track Projects in Gampaha District is becoming very popular. The paper you had presented to the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) had been selected as the best out of other publications related to the water sector. What is the difference between this project and other conventional engineering projects?
A: In this project, a jogging track is highlighted as the main benefit. However, it is only a side benefit of a multidisciplinary project, targeting the total urban environment. For example, if you go through the Master Plan, the Gampaha Jogging Track Project, you will notice that while addressing recreational needs, it was also planned as a Bio Corridor, connecting the isolated Catchment Forest Areas of Uruwal Oya around Plikuutuwa with the Muthurajawela Wetland.
I also perceive this project as a multidisciplinary combined effort of Engineers, Ecologists and Sociologists. Engineering solutions proposed in this project addresses flood mitigation, along riverine environments, while making an effort to address other needs of communities. For example, lack of recreational areas for urban communities is one such need. Forming a narrow jogging track, along the stream banks and around local water bodies in parallel to dredging operation for flood mitigation projects in urban areas, is one such effort. It addresses health aspects of urban communities who are suffering from various illnesses, such as hyper tension, diabetes, due to lack of open areas such as playgrounds for recreational purposes. We also introduced a track around ancient irrigation tanks located in Udugampola, near Gamapha town, for the same purpose without disturbing its engineering and archeological Features. Following website launched, backed with a song about five years ago demonstrate various features of both tracks. Now those tracks are being gradually transformed to some kind of ecological garden, available free of charge for local communities including school children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZCOOdBuFdU
Q: Being a multi-disciplinary project, how did you manage the project to materialise.
A: In fact, the same question was asked by one of the delegates in an Urban Biodiversity conference in India I attended in 2016 to present the same paper. This was my answer. Unless political leaderships realises the importance of preserving natural environment, nothing will materialise on ground. The role played by the Provincial Road Development Authority (WP) in coordinating various agencies responsible for water resource and identifying required local experts also played an important role in making it a success.
Q: Is it happening in India?
A: Not 100%. Indians, while attending the above mentioned seminar said that the project in Sri Lanka is a good lesson for them too because cities like Mumbai is facing a big threat as a result of unauthoriesd land filling along flood plains associated with streams for so called development work initiatd by some politicians who are insensitive to the its impact on the environment. According to them this type of project mentally converts urban communities themselves to become ‘watch dogs’ of their local environment which is deteriorating due to urban pollution.
Q: What are the special engineering features of this project?
A: In our approach, we adopted, there was a net loss in flood retention area as result of track formation because the required earth for the tracks was borrowed only from the stream itself while dredging to mitigate floods. Earth was secured from outside, only when it was necessary, to improve the surface of the track in jogging areas. Track surface was carpeted with interlocks only in a small stretch of the track because jogging on hard surfaces are unhealthy. In the case of the Udugampola tank site, we introduced the track on the side of its catchment area at its spill contour level without disturbing its engineering features. Jogging track around the tank was connected to the Udugampola town via a track laid along its spill tail race canal.
Dredging of stream is the conventional way of flood mitigation. In addition to dredging, we strengthened stream banks against erosion by planting trees because otherwise eroded soil gets deposited in downstream areas and the flood migratory effect gets gradually diminished with time. Riparian tree varieties such as Kumbuk, Karanda, etc., were used for stabilising the river banks. On the other hand Riparian Tree Belts also control the flash flood peaks during rainy periods while cleansing polluted urban water using their root system. Instead of high cost conventional Gabions to strengthen stream bank, we used Coir Gabions as Temporary support until the roots of the newly planted trees take over the function of lining against erosion
Q: Usually trees are being planted along road sides. In this case, it is streams. Is this the first time it’s being tried in Sri Lanka?
A: No. The same concept was introduced by me in System B of the Mahaweli Project in 1995. However, the main objective of that project was to prevent farmers doing cultivation within reservations of natural streams causing soil erosion of banks. Under that project, trees such as Kumbuk, Karanda, etc. were introduced towards waters’ edge of the streams and fruit trees were grown at the edge of reservations bordering paddy fields. Communities adjacent to streams enjoyed the user right of trees planted bordering their boundary. These Riparian belts were also designed to play a role of bio corridors connecting isolated forest patches within agriculture landscapes.
Q: What are the social and environmental benefits of the project?
A: Creation community awareness about the beauty of maintaining clean riverine environment and about the role of Bio Diversity [being played in urban environment is another long-term social benefits expected from this intervention. It is also expected that community members who regularly visit the tracks would become guardians against culprits who pollute natural water bodies by dumping urban wastes and also against people who do illicit land fillings of wetlands bordering the flood plains of streams.
River Banks represent the Aquatic Terrestrial Interface of our nature with high ecological diversity having capability of supporting the growth of climatically sensitive tree species having Ayurvedic Values. Framers along stream banks were also encouraged to grow those trees as a source of additional income.
Q: Could you further explain what you mean by bio-corridor?
A: Bio corridors are in fact “Highways” for wild habitats connecting their isolated forest patches which are their resting places in urban areas. In this particular project, the Bio Corridor connects the Catchment Forest Area of Uruwal Oya around Plikuutuwa with the Muthurajawela Wetland. When those corridors traverse close to humanly populated areas, in this case the Gampaha Town, corridors were sophisticated as a Jogging Track by landscaping. Basically, those corridors are elongated forest belts planted with indigenous trees. Therefore, such belts can also fight against invasive plants which are gradually occupying our uncultivated paddy lands, especially in urban Areas. These tracks also expose those invaded locations to the public. This project is basically an environmental project delivering benefits to the whole district addressing other ecological while creating recreational areas for urban communities.
Q: How about maintaining the project beyond the implementation phase?
A: The implementation phase usually takes two to three years until the newly-planted Riparian trees fully grow to be able to strengthen the river banks. Jogging part covers only a short stretch of the river bank. The rest is a Riparian bio corridor. The maintenance of the jogging path sections is the responsibility of local authorities. There is no need to maintain a balance section after three years because Nature will take care of it with the passage of time. However, if the jogging section is not maintained, it also will eventually transform into a bio corridor and the community would miss the chance of reaping its health benefits. Therefore, the community also has the responsibility for maintaining it by organising themselves or through local government authorities. We also formed a club called Eco-Friendly Sport Club for regulate maintenance of the track before handing it over to the Gampaha Urban Council.
Q: Do you think local authorities such as the Urban Council of Gampaha is capable of doing maintenance?
A: Of course. That is their responsibility. This is a new challenge for them especially because the jogging path is becoming very popular among the Tax Payers who finance the salaries of those councils. For example, the average number of visitors per day, for Gamapaha is more than 100. Recreation is a need of urban community. May be, councils could get lessons from other countries to address the new challenge. In my view the political leaderships of our local bodies, such as Urban Councils, should be creative enough to raise funds for such community-oriented projects by involving private sector institutes, companies, banks, etc. within their command area, because those institutes also have a social responsibility of supporting local institutes such as Urban Councils.
Q: What is the next phase of this project?
A: I perceive this project as an initial awareness creation project among local communities and politicians for a macro level water resource programme focusing on fresh water needs of the future generation of Gampaha District. Fresh water availability is becoming gradually diminishing globally. Though Gampaha is located in a wet zone, global issues such as climate change affects this region too. The present approaches adapted for such as mitigation focus only on issues related to floods. It should be revised to address the issues during drought situations too. For that, there is a need to have a joint effort by the Urban Development Authority, Water Board, Agrarian Development Board, Environment Authority, Irrigation Department, etc. because there is no single authority in Sri Lanka responsible for the water sector. In fact, this project provided ideal stage for them to deliver their services in broader prospective addressing the community needs in a holistic way. What community need is a service addressing whole cross section of them in a multidisciplinary way rather than restricting to objectives relevant to different departments. For example, wetlands along flood plains can be transformed temporary into water storages rather than totally dumping locally fallen rain water into the sea without using at least part of that for human consumption. For example, recently people in Gampaha District had to buy water for drinking purposes during a recent drought just after facing a severe flood in the previous year. In my view, the statement of King Parakranabahu “Not to send a drop of water to sea without using” is applicable to Gampaha, too though it is thought to apply only to the dry zone.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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