Science and Technology- for what?

Dr.C.S. Weeraratna
csweera@sltnet.lk

The World Science Day falls on 10th Nov. 2020. This article highlights the need to utilize Science and Technology to solve the critical issues the country is facing,

We Sri Lankans face many critical problems. Among these are

* Rapid spread of the virus COVID- 19 in 24 districts.

* Chronic Kidney disease of unknown etiology which is affecting nearly 200,000 people in 10 districts

* Water shortage in many parts of the country.

* Landslides mainly in Badulla, Kandy, Mathale, and Nuwara Eliya districts ,

* High cost of production in the plantation and non-plantation (domestic) sector Poverty

* Effective disposal of solid waste,

* Malnutrition mainly among children and

* Unemployment/under employment

A wide Trade Deficit

We have thousands of scientists specialized in various fields and they have an important role to play in developing Science and Technology (S&T) for the benefit of the people and the country. A primary objective of use of S&T in a developing country such as Sri Lanka must be to conduct appropriate studies on the critical issues and advice the authorities on relevant action to be taken.. It was as far as back as in 1978 that the first policy statement on S&T for the country was developed with the involvement of late Professors Stanley Kalpage and Cyril Ponnamperuma. This was followed by the S&T Development Act passed by the Parliament in 1994. Since then a number of organizations were established to promote S&T in the country, Among these organizations was the National Commission on Science and Technology (NASTEC) established in 1998 with the powers to function as a policy advisory body on S&T. NASTEC developed an integrated action plan in collaboration with the scientific institutions in the country. However, this action plan did not come into fruition due to reasons beyond the control of NASTEC. In 2013, a new organization called the Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) was established to coordinate, monitor the progress and implement the strategy. In addition the National Science Council now called National Science Foundation (NSF), the Council for Agricultural Research Policy (CARP), Agrarian Research and Training Institute (ARTI) etc were established to promote S&T . Thus, we have so many organizations on S&T but there appears to be no effective strategy to use S&T for the social and economic development of the country.

Most of the South and South East Asian countries during the last two decades, developed substantially by effective use of Science and Technology (S&T). They based their development policies, and strategies on science, technology and innovations. In Sri Lanka there are numerous organizations which are expected to conduct/promote research. Among these organizations are the 15 universities, National Science Foundation, the Council for Agricultural Research Policy, Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Institute of Fundamental Studies, National Research Council of Sri Lanka etc. which use a considerable amount of scarce financial resources. However, these organizations appear to have not made any significant contribution to find solutions to the issues indicated above. Research efforts need to be directed more towards those issues, which have a direct/indirect impact on the economy and people of the country.

Conducting research alone will not lead to economic development unless the technologies developed by research are made use or commercialized. The scientific organizations such as Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Dept. of Agriculture, universities etc. hold annual scientific meetings, at which the findings of research are presented. Papers are read, but there appears to be no effective strategy to utilize the recommendations/ research findings presented. . The issue of Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a case in point. Nearly 200,000 people in 10 districts are reported to be affected by CKDu. The direct and indirect effects of CKDu on the socio-economy of the country are substantial. A number of seminars/symposia on CKDu hve been conducted during the last few years. A few years ago, a meeting (an expert consultation) organized by the World Health Organization(WHO) and Presidential Task Force on CKDu was held in Colombo. This meeting was attended by 54 local and international experts. A few millions would have been spent on this activity. The participants had discussions for 3 days and came out with 27 recommendations but there appears to be no outcome of this meeting. The authorities are concerned in conducting more and more seminars/workshops and symposia without any plan to effectively utilize the findings/conclusions. As indicated at the beginning of this article, while our neighboring countries are showing rapid development, we lag behind for lack of systematic use of S&T.

Organizations such as the Industrial Development Board, the Board of Investments etc. need to coordinate with the relevant scientific organizations to attract investments on commercialization of proven technologies. Vidatha Centers have been established in many DS Divisions to commercialize S&T. Perhaps the relevant organizations may look into what extent these Vidatha Centers have been effective in commercializing S&T.

There are ministers who are expected to address these issues. They need to collaborate with the relevant institutions to find practical solutions to the problems affecting the country. Landslides causing death to a large number of people and destruction to property is evident in many parts of the country. Rainfall of high intensity and erosivity, and inappropriate land management practices are the main factors attributable to landslides causing enormous damage to life and property. It is necessary that preventive action is taken . There is an expert committee under the Ministry of Environment to advice the Ministry on issues related to land degradation. But, this ministry has not called a meeting of this committee for the last few years to discuss and decide what actions need to be taken to control landslides.

High costs in the agricultural sector:

One of the main issues in the agriculture sector is high cost of production. This is partly attributed to cost of fertilizers and pesticides on which we spend around Rs. 40 billions annually to import. However, not much attention appears to have been paid on using bio- fertilizers and bio- pesticides which can be manufactured locally and which are less expensive. A number of compounds such as nicotine, pyrethrin and azadirachtin of plant origin have insecticidal properties, and can be effectively used to control some insect pests. These organic compounds are present in locally grown plants. Development of pesticides from those local plants and promoting their use in controlling pests, would reduce costs and also provide employment in the rural areas. But the relevant authorities appear to have not taken action to get the experts involved in implementing appropriate action. Eppawela Apatite (EA), a mineral containing phosphorus, was discovered a few decades ago. Still we grind this mineral and use the ground apatite as a P fertilizer while spending millions to import Single Superphosphate and Triple Super Phosphate, which can be manufactured from EA.

Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science

Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) the premier scientific body in the country has a membership of about 4000 representing various fields such as Medicine, Agriculture and Forestry, Biological, Physical, Social Sciences etc. SLASS can do a very valuable service to the country in relation to S&T by coordinating with the thousands of scientists in the association. However, SLAAS is unable to carry out this service effectively due to short of funds. While the ministers and other politicians spend millions to import luxury cars, the activities of this premier scientific organization in the country is hampered by inadequate funds.