Everybody loves a butterfly and perhaps Sri Lankans more than most: four years after the Sri Lanka Birdwing was declared the national butterfly each of the nine provinces are to get their own butterfly.

The nine are considered flagship species due to their attractive colour patterns and have been selected because they are endemic to Sri Lanka, charismatic and readily seen. None of the butterflies are a pest at any stage of its life cycle nor a vectoring agent of disease.Researchers have also satisfied themselves that these species have no negative cultural or spiritual beliefs attached to them.

Sri Lanka is home to 245 species of butterflies and 26 of them are endemic to the country.

The chosen butterflies have been evaluated for their suitability for each province by the Butterfly Expert Group operating under the Biodiversity Secretariat of Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy.

“The establishment of provincial identity through declaration of the provincial butterflies will create further regional awareness and ensure conservation of the butterflies and their habitats,” the Biodiversity Secretariat said.

The Butterfly Expert group has set up an action plan for butterfly conservation.

The biggest threat to butterflies is habitat loss and degradation as well as pollution – we hardly see the large swarms of butterflies that could be observed 20 to 30 years ago. The National RedList named 99 species in a “threatened” category, highlighting the kind of trouble these beautiful creatures are in.

published on 09.03.2014 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140309/news/provinces-get-their-own-butterflies-88479.html

Rafters protest hydro project that dams their livelihood 

Kithulgala is Sri Lanka’s premier white-water rafting location but a hydro-power project threatens the future of this tourist attraction. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is building the Broadland Hydropower Project on the Kelani River as a run-of-river (ROR) type power plant.

ROR plants need little or no water storage but under this project the Maskeli Oya and Kehelgamu Oya, the main tributaries providing water to the Kelani, will be blocked by dams to divert water through a 3km tunnel 5.4m in diameter to a plant to run an electricity-generating turbine. Water will then be released back to the river downstream.

Last week, the White Water Rafters’ Association (WWRA) – whose members fear a loss of livelihood if the project goes ahead – staged a protest, parading with rubber dinghies and calling out slogans such as: “Should water be used for power or sports?”, “Does the Broadland Hydropower Project say ‘goodbye’ to white-water rafting?”.WWRA secretary Priyantha Pushpakumara complains that the project will dam water about 5km above the main stretch of white-water rafting activity. “This stretch has 18 rapids that can be used for rafting but this diversion will destroy 13 of the rapids,” wept Priyantha.

White-water rafting at Kithulgala was started in 1995. There were only a few operators in the business initially, but that number has grown with the demand, said Channa Perera, one of the pioneers. For thrill-seekers there used to be just the Kithulgala Resthouse providing accommodation but now there are 38 hotels in Kithulgala serving local and foreign tourists. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 tourists visit Kithulgala annually for white-water rafting.

More than 200 people are directly employed by about 10 rafting operators and the business provides another 400-odd indirect jobs, creating the backbone of a livelihood for the Kithulgala villagers. “Kithulgala village evolved around the white-water rafting industry, and if the main attraction is affected the number of tourists will decrease, leading to a string of economic as well as social problems,” warned Priyantha.

The 35MW Broadland project expects to add 126GWh of electrical energy annually to the national grid. Hydropower is the cheapest energy source for Sri Lanka as thermal-based electricity generation is growing increasingly expensive with rising oil prices. This project is important, a CEB spokesperson said. The CEB also gave assurances that it would continue releasing water during the daytime so that there would be enough water to continue white-water rafting. The board said the WWRA’s fears were baseless.

“We understand that the country needs energy and we are not against using water to generate the energy but we are not clear on how the water can be made available during the daytime for rafting activities as promised by the CEB. Our request to explain the mechanism of how this could be done has not been answered,” the rafters’ association responded.

Construction work on the power plant has already started and construction work is scheduled for completion in four years. The Broadlands Hydropower Project (BHP) is to be implemented with loans borrowed from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China and the Hatton National Bank.

The theme of the World Water Day (22nd of March) this year is ‘Water and Energy’. With the aim of raising awareness on the subject, a 2 day workshop has been organized inline with World Water Day (WWD) official celebrations that is being held in Tokyo, Japan. The following has been captured during this WWD workshop.

On the 2nd day, the official event to commemorate the World Water Day 2014 were held at UN University Conference Hall. The morning session include general speeches about the World Water Day 2014 and its theme “Water and Energy Nexus”. The occasion is also marked with the launch of World Water Development Report 2014 and presenting the ‘Water for Life’ award. The afternoon session has been participated by the Crown Prince Naruhito and lots of high level Japanese officials giving lot of weight for the event. At the end, a wrap-up session for all those who participated the World Water Day workshop has been held. A reception at the night concluded the official World Water Day 2014 event.

Here are few photographs showcasing the day’s activities..!!

 The participants of World Water Day Workshop

On the 3rd day, the Kumamoto City invited some of us to participate the Water Forum they organized to mark the World Water Day. Kumamoto City has won  last year’s ‘Water for Life’ award for sustainable use of its ground water – first time, a city has bagged this prestigious water award. The city is totally depend on ground water sources and the Japanese speakers including the mayor explained how they utilize their ground water resources. The day ended with a reception including traditional Japanese cultural dances.

Kumamoto City council arranged a field visit to see how they utilize the ground water resources. The attractions of the Kumamoto Prefecture including the Kumamoto castle and mount Aso which is one of the largest active volcano of the world has been visited. At the Shirakawa Fountain head; we found cleanest water that was so refreshing. The Sakura trees in Kumamoto started blooming let us know that the city is getting ready for the spring..!!

By Malaka Rodrigo in Tokyo

the United Nations predicting that the world will need 40 per cent more water and 50 per cent more energy some 15 years from now, World Water Day’s theme of “Water and Energy” Friday was right on target, very much so for Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is hoping to increase its reliance on hydro-power but is facing problems with drought and contesting claims on water resources by farmers and others.

Tokyo yesterday hosted the main international events commemorating this year’s World Water Day, centerpiece of which was a flagship UN report, the 2014 World Water Development Report (WWDR).  Considered an authoritative status report on global freshwater resources, it highlights the need of policies and regulatory frameworks that integrate approaches to water and energy priorities.

Water and energy are closely interconnected and highly interdependent, the UN report says. Choices made and actions taken in one domain can greatly affect the other, positively or negatively. Trade-offs need to be managed to limit negative impacts and foster opportunities for synergy. Water and energy have crucial impacts on poverty alleviation.

The UN predicts that by 2030 the world’s population will need 35 per cent more food, 40 per cent more water and half again as much energy as it consumes today. In stark contrast to these projected requirements, already 768 million people lack access to improved water sources, 2.5 billion people lack proper sanitation and 1.3bn people cannot access electricity. These issues need urgent attention, the report released yesterday says.

There is increased stress on the supplies of groundwater, the report says. In many countries, aquifers are reaching their limits. Energy currently accounts for 15 per cent of freshwater withdrawals and this is set to rise by 20-25 per cent by 2035.

Published on SundayTImes – Sri Lankahttp://www.sundaytimes.lk/140323/news/un-warns-water-energy-needs-coming-to-crunch-point-90171.html

Country to experience rice shortage by August, and Water Board asks people to use tap water carefully. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB)’s cost of power generation escalates high as the contribution from hydroelectricity drops around 11%. In this aftermath, the country’s Minister of Power decided to turn to the deities pleading for rain which is long over-due. 

The percentage of expensive thermal power generated by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is rising daily as the Government sticks to its “electricity at any cost” policy despite drought in hydro-catchment areas.

On Friday, a massive 88.4 per cent of the country’s energy requirement was met with thermal power, statistics published by the CEB show. Only 11.3 per cent of hydroelectricity was generated. This is an increase from a week ago when 84 per cent of power was generated by thermal power stations while 15.3 per cent came from hydroelectric power stations.

Despite mounting losses to the CEB, the utility is implementing the Government’s policy of providing uninterrupted power supply. There will be no power cuts, said Senajith Dasanayake, CEB Assistant General Manager.

“In the afternoons, the thermal power stations are on and it’s 90 to 100 per cent thermal,” said Mr. Dasanayake, who is also the CEB’s official spokesman. “During peak hours, between 6 pm and 9 pm, we use all the stations, including the most expensive machines in the system. The water in the reservoirs is being used very sparingly because the priority is for drinking and agriculture.”

He urged the public to save electricity, particularly during peak hours. He also said the CEB does not anticipate an increase in its burden during the National Holidays because shops and industries will be closed, thereby reducing consumption. “The load is less,” he explained

Meanwhile, the second unit of the Lakvijaya Thermal Power Plant at Norochcholai is being tested. On one day this week, both units ran at full load, adding 600 megawatts of power to the grid. There is still no date for its official inauguration as CEB engineers want to ensure all aspects of the complicated unit are tested for weaknesses.

A submerged Buddha Statue that has gone underwater in Maussakele reservoir reappears as water levels recede drastically. Pic By R Kogulan

“There are thousands of systems and our engineers are testing each one,” Mr. Dasanayake said. “While the process is ongoing, the power produced is absorbed to the CEB system.” He added that the existing transmission line from Puttalam to Veyangoda is able to carry the full capacity of the two units.

When the third unit is commissioned, however, the new transmission line to Anuradhapura must be made available. It is currently held up due to environmental and social concerns. The CEB incurred heavy losses in the first three months of this year.

“On the cost side, 85 to 95 per cent goes towards the power we are buying from both CEB stations and independent power producers,” Mr. Dasanayake said. “Costs are higher than revenue.

“We have had dry years and wet years,” he explained. “We nearly made a profit in certain months during 2013 which was a wet year. In January and February 2014, we managed to pay back our arrears to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and independent power producers from money collected the previous year.”

Mr. Dasanayake also said both machines of Laxapana Hydro Power Station have been shut down to carry out repairs on an underground tunnel taking water between reservoirs and the plants. Each generates 50 megawatts of electricity.

“The underground tunnel had not been inspected for the past 40 years,” he explained. “But since the 80s we knew that there was a leak.” Repairs were postponed several times but the CEB decided to implement the project this year because of the availability of funds under the World Bank funded Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project.

Little water for Hydropower, Irrigation and Drinking; CEB pleads deities for rain 

Meanwhile, the minister of Power seek divine intervention to end the drought. Twelve pots of water containing the water from 12 main hydro reservoirs have been brought down to Anuradhapura on a special motercade. After  paying tribute to Ruwanweli Seya, these water was offered to the sacred Bodhi tree Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya seeking devine blessings to bring the rain to the reservoirs.

Minister of Power offer water from reservoirs to deities pleading for rain

CEB still manages to provide uninterrupted power supply to the country, but as SundayTimes’ lead story pointed out this week – they have bear a big cost as thermal power is expensive. Hydro power is the cheapest option Sri Lanka is having at present, but its contribution has dropped to generation of 11% of the total power need. So in this scenario Hydro Electricity generates cheaper electricity; the rains are crucial for Sri Lanka.

In spite of this, the ministry of Agriculture too warned that paddy cultivation too has been severely affected by the prevailing dry conditions. The ministry’s secretary R.M.Meegasmulla told media tat maha season harvest has dropped drastically and the Yala season couldn’t be started as water levels in the resoivors are too low to be released for the cultivation. So the agriculture ministry expects 35% of paddy harvest where country may have to experience a shortage of rice at end August which will increase the price.

Even the Water and Drainage board requested the users not to waste the water as the water stocks are going down drastically.

This highlights the interlinks of usages of water and need of carefully managing the water stocks among stake holders. In Sri Lanka mostly the water from multipurpose reservoirs been released for all these demands which brings the need to manage water wisely to face a drought conditions. This Water-Energy-Food Nexus has been one of the highlights of the recently launched World Water Development Report 2014 titled “Water and Energy”.

The report indicates that there are many synergies and trade-offs between water and energy use and food production. Using water to irrigate crops might promote food production but it can also reduce river flows and hydropower potential. Growing bioenergy crops under irrigated agriculture can increase overall water withdrawals and jeopardize food security. Converting surface irrigation into high efficiency pressurized irrigation may save water but may also result in higher energy use. Recognizing these synergies and balancing these trade-offs is central to jointly ensuring water, energy and food security.

Sri Lanka was in drought in 2012 and at the latter parts, there wasn’t enough water in the reservoirs to be released for farming. It was alleged that then Minister of Power had asked the officers to use the stock of water in the reservoirs to generate Hydroelectricy with aim to record profit for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). The minister managed to bring down the cost of CEB which otherwise had to be generated by thermal power plants; but in the process the water stocks that should have been kept for irrigation in prolonged drought has been exhausted. This has lead to protests by paddy farmers who had to witness their paddy lands getting die without water.

Participating an international conference on Hydropower that was held in Colombo last month, CEB officers reveal that the percentage of the water for different sectors are being allocated periodically at an informal committee. The CEB, Irrigation Department, Water and Drainage Board and Mahaweli authority with other stakeholders of water sits together to allocate the percentage of water for different sectors. This process is managed by the Mahaweli authority, but the need of a formal establishment is very much evident inorder not to repeat 2012 situation.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140406/news/as-drought-continues-ceb-switches-to-88-4-per-cent-thermal-91881.html

“The Sakura flower is extremely beautiful, but its splendour does not last long. A few days after blossoming, the flower starts to disintegrate, reminding us of the uncertainty of life,” said Nobuko, my Japanese colleague explaining how the Japanese view the cherry blossom season.

The Sakura’s bloom marks the arrival of spring, as the trees bloom only when climatic conditions are right. Missing them in Tokyo, I was lucky to see them in Kumamoto city at the heart of Japan’s southernmost island Kyushu.

Kumamoto is roughly about 40 minutes by domestic flight (six hours from Tokyo by train). Signs of Sakura could be seen as soon as we exited the airport.

Literature says cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunusserrulata. As my Japanese colleague explained, there are many varieties of Sakura flowers ranging from pink to white. However, white is the most popular Sakura flower among the Japanese. When over 80% of Sakura flowers open up, it is called a ‘Full Bloom’ and the Japanese go out to picnic in parks to enjoy the dawn of spring. The trees in Kumamoto were a few days prior to a full bloom, but were already infested by a swarm of white butterflies. The Sakura trees line the main roads, making it a beautiful sight. Some of the tree branches are bandaged with medicines to prevent them becoming infected with disease – a reminder of how well the Japanese look after these trees.
Kumamoto though offers more than the Sakura. Tasting the cleanest water directly from the source was another experience, the city being famous for its groundwater springs. There are a few hot water springs too in the vicinity and the tour also took us to visit one of the largest active volcanos in the world.

Passing barren mountains that had traces of crystalized lava, we moved toward Mount Aso located about 30 miles away from the city. Disappointing and scary news reached us while on the way that due to high volcanic activity, the public would not be allowed to go to the crater but things had settled by the time we reached there and we were allowed to climb all the way up.

Though having seen many documentaries about volcanoes, I never thought it would be so scary to look at one up close. The volcano was emitting gushing whitish fumes with fury from the heated volcanic lava, the sound captured by the ears more frightening than what has been seen by the eyes. The scent of sulfur was everywhere and announcements were constantly made that asthma sufferers should not go closer.

A tour to Kumamoto is not complete without visiting its most symbolic historic monument; the Kumamoto castle, incidentally the location for the Tom Cruise movie ‘The Last Samurai’. The movie is based on the historic events of the Satsuma Rebellion that took place in 1877 and the final battle between Samurai warriors and the empire’s troops that took place in Kumamoto. Dating back to the 1600s, the Kumamoto Castle is considered a most impregnable fortress with singular features such as its curved stone walls called mushagaeshi and its wooden overhangs, originally designed as protection against the ninja, together with its black and white main towers according to the guides.

Today, Kumamoto Castle also houses a museum which contains palanquins, samurai armour, Japanese swords and other artefacts from the Kato and Hosokawa clans, as well as detailed information on the castle’s remarkable history. It is also an excellent site for cherry blossom viewing,
The friendly people are the most valuable asset of Kumamoto. If you are lost, most would not hesitate to come along to show you the way. I even found a Sri Lankan restaurant in Kumamoto!

Published on SundayTimes http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140406/plus/off-to-kumamoto-to-see-japans-famed-cherry-blossoms-91446.html Photo credit for Cherry Blossoms in ‘Full Bloom’ Chunli Yang.

Pethiyagoda’s Crestless Lizard – Calotes pethiyagodai (c) Vimukthi Weeratunga

 The The common green garden lizard that belongs to the Agamid lizard family this week gained a new relative that brings to 19 the number of spcies in this group, 16 of them endemic to Sri Lanka. new addition is been a result of strenuous scientific analysis under difficult conditions by young researchers Thasun Amarasinghe and Sameera Suranjan Karunaratne.

This lizard lives in the forests in the Knuckles Range. It had been misidentified as the Crestless Lizard – Calotes liocephalus. Studying the lizard in the Central Highlands and the Knuckles Range, researchers Amarasinghe and Karunaratne spotted some differences in the Crestless Lizards found in Knuckles Range from the same species found in the Peak Wilderness in the Central Highlands. After further study they concluded that the Knuckles lizards were a different species.

Researchers only had nine male specimens from the Knuckles and five males from the central highland to conduct this study but they said the differences were significant enough to classify this species. The specimens in the Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT) and other museums too had been studied.

Males of the new species are different from males of C. liocephalus because of the absence of a gular pouch and by having mid-gular scales smaller in size than those of its counterpart. The scales in different parts of the body too had clear distinctions, helping the researchers to separately identifying the two species.

But this left researchers with another challenge. C. liocephalus was classified by a researcher named Günther in 1872 using a single male specimen. He did not mention the precise location of the type specimen collected. Thus Amarasinghe and Karunaratne had to compare the holotype with museum specimens and live specimens (not collected) from the Knuckles massif and Central Highlands. The type specimen has been secured in the Natural History Museum in London and Mr Amarasingha also visited the museum to carry out further research.

“After identifying the specimens, we saw that the holotype resembled the Central Highlands populations. Hence we describe the population distributed in the Knuckles massif as a distinct species” said Mr Karunaratne. He and his colleague named the new lizard Pethiyagoda’s Crestless Lizard – Calotes pethiyagodai – to honour Rohan Pethiyagoda for his effort to make Sri Lanka a biodiversity hotspot. In Sinhala the lizard’s is name is Pethiyagodagë Nosilu Katussa.

The scientific paper describing this finding was published in the prestigious journal ZooTaxa. Researchers from Germany, Japan, Austria and England where specimens of these species exist helped the local researchers to make the comparison.

“It is not easy to get measurements of this specimen as it involves a physical count of the scales. It takes about a day to study a single specimen so scientists who helped us had to spend days analysing the specimens in their possession. So they too have been included as authors of this paper: they are Jakob Hallerann, Junichi Fujinuma, Heiz Grillitsch and Patrick D. Campbell.

Knuckles is already famous for its Horned Lizard and this new find will add more value to the area declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140406/news/garden-lizard-gains-an-elite-relative-from-knuckles-91795.html

Calotes liocephalus (Gravid Female) Dushantha Kandambi

Calotes liocephalus (Male) Dinal Samarasinghe

Erabudu is the flower of the Avurudu season but you will hardly be able to find erabadu these days. Instead, rosy trumpet (tabebuia) flowers bloom, marking the onset of the New Year season. (photos by Susantha Udagedara) 

This is the famous sakura flower season in Japan with thousands of cherry trees in full bloom. The cherry trees shed their leaves in winter and in spring become fully covered by white or pink blooms, making a spectacular show of nature.

In a similar spectacle, a pink flower started blooming in many parts of Sri Lanka two weeks ago — the blooms of the rosy trumpet, Tabebuia rosea, colloquially known as rabarosia.

Tabebuia usually blooms in February-March; but this time the trees were in full bloom in the last week of March, marking the onset of the Aluth Avurudda. The full bloom is over now, and the trees have fresh greenish tender leaves, but a few flowers can still be seen.
Tabebuia is native to South America and was brought to Sri Lanka as an exotic plant for the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya in the 1800s.

The Japanese plant sakura trees close to one another so that when they bloom they make a spectacular scene. Our urban planners can think about using the 30-foot tall tabebuia trees in a similar manner. Like sakura, the falling tabebuia flowers make a spectacular scene — the ground under the trees becomes pink with fallen flowers, making it a treat for the eyes. Street sweepers might not like it!
The recent sporadic rains brought flowers to ehela trees and some mara trees that start blooming as Avurudda approaches. But sadly, erabudu – the traditional sign of the season – seems to be vanishing.

Erabudu is the Indian coral tree (Erythrina variegate) and its bright red flower (inflorescence) that resembles a tiger claw blooms from February to April, coinciding with the Avurudu season. Erabudu trees have thorns and grow straight, making them a perfect hedge planting. But nowadays such fences have been replaced by parapet walls.

Sri Lanka gets 300 Sakura Plants 

Meanwhile the Japan Sakura Exchange Association donated 300 sakura plants to Sri Lanka at a small ceremony held at the Japanese Embassy recently. Japanese Ambassador Nobuhito Hobo said sakura flowers symbolised peace and the donation would strengthen the long-standing relationship between Japan and Sri Lanka. These sakura plants belong to a special cultivar called Prunus campanulata cultivar “Yoko”, suitable for planting above 1,500m. Some will be set in the grounds of the Hakgala Botanical Gardens.

Mr Wakisaka and the Ambassador Hobo showing a photo of the flowers of the Sakura plants gifted.

Published on SundayTimes on 13.04.2014 http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140413/news/newcomer-unfolds-petals-for-new-year-92563.html

Water for food is a core issue that can no longer be tackled through a narrow sectorial approach, a major international conference held in Colombo last week was told. Nearly 500 experts from 40 countries participated in the three-day Fifth International Conference on Water Resources and Hydropower Development in Asia at the BMICH.

Addressing the summit, senior minister Dr.Sarath Amunugama said native topography meant that Sri Lanka “was made for hydropower”, which is a vital contributor to economic growth.

Dr Avinash Tyagi, Secretary General of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), focused in his keynote address on reservoir operations during drought conditions – an issue of great relevance to Sri Lanka. He began by underlining the need to recognise the “water-energy-food nexus” and outlined concerns about water security, particularly in the light of climate change.

This has been particularly relevant to Sri Lanka as evident in the severe drought Sri Lanka faced in 2012. There was insufficient water in the reservoirs to be released for farming at height of the drought and it was alleged that the then minister of power and energy had asked officials to use reservoir water stocks to generate hydro-electricity to gain revenue for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

In doing so, the minister managed to bring down the CEB’s power-generating costs which otherwise would have soared with having to resort more to thermal power plants, but in the process the water stocks that should have been kept for irrigation in prolonged drought has been exhausted. This has led to protests by paddy farmers who had to witness their paddy lands dying without water.

This highlights the interlinking of different water usage and the need to carefully manage water stocks among stakeholders, especially for energy and food. In Sri Lanka, water from multipurpose reservoirs been released for various demands which brings to a head the need to manage water wisely to face drought conditions.

The water-energy-food nexus was a highlight of the recently-launched World Water Development report, “Water and Energy”, which said that recognising the many synergies and trade-offs between water and energy use and food production and balancing these trade-offs was central to ensuring water, energy and food security.

In Sri Lanka, the allocation of water for different needs is periodically assessed with major stakeholders such as the CEB, the Irrigation Department, Farmers Association, Water Board and the Mahaweli Authority. The process is handled by the Mahaweli Authority and water releases are supposed to be made in accordance with this plan.

Since there are different departments working toward different needs, it was proposed several years ago that an apex body be set up to manage water resources but this has not materialised. Experts also stressed the need of drawing the Meteorological Department too into the planning stage of water sharing as rainfall patterns grow increasingly unreliable.

Today, is the traditional New Year of Sri Lanka (celebrated mainly by Sinhalese and Tamils – hence’ Aluth Avurudu’ as it called in Sinhala). Except for the song of the Koel – all the other Nature’s symbols of Avurudu including the crimson blossoms of Erabadu, ripen Kadju Puhulam, Olinda and Panchi games are now getting a rare sight. Likewise traditions related to water has become another set of customs that has been faded away.

Drawing water from a dug well (c) http://www.iycusa.org

I still recall my childhood where Avurudu was different than today. It was changing times in early ‘80s, yet many of the Avurudu customs were practiced in my village. With few days to Avuduru our houses have been washed those days as a custom. Mopping with wet broom has become the way to clean your floor nowadays, but the whole house has to be washed by water before the Avurudu on a self-imposed Avurudu ritual of our village community. The floors were either not tiled those days, so washing the whole floor infact meant ultimate cleaning to welcome the prince of Avurudu.

The kitchen which was already been heavily used in the making of Avurudu kevili and also a centric piece of upcoming events was the place lots of cleaning required. There were no fancy chemicals available for cleaning that time, so Coconut husks are been used to wipe out the patches and layers of dirt accumulated in the floor over last year. Though it could have been a difficult task for my parents, this ritual of washing the house provided us play time bringing first cycle of avurudu fun. We didn’t have pipe-bourn water on those good old days, so had to use the hand dug water well for all the household water needs. Usually our task was to fetch water from the well and bring them to the house.

The well was located about 30 feet away from the house, so we get soaked when the task is still halfway. Sometimes we make nasty throw splashing water all over at the time we had to take a shout from parents. But parents who shout on other days for playing with water are tolerant on getting ourselves soaked, so we enjoyed this watery custom very much.

‘Ganu-denu’ with water

Washing of the house was only the first direct Avurudu ritual been practiced with water, but there were more to come. Soon after finishing the eating at auspicious time brings the ‘ganu-denu’ tradition of doing the first transaction of the New Year. I can still recall I went to our dug well with my father, throw a coin to the well and fetched a bucket of water to mark the ‘ganu-denu’. Few jasmine flowers too has been thrown into water to mark the occasion. Though mother earth would not expect any payments for the service it rendered, this has symbolized our gratitude to the well which is the most important lifeline that helps to quench all our water needs through. So getting the well too into the Avurudu rituals was a really meaningful tradition.

But then, we had moved to Colombo. There were no water well, but we had the luxury of the pipe-bourn water in the city. Last year when made my Avurudu visits to meet relations, I’ve visited our well that has been a center of Avurudu activities long ago. My heart sank seeing the neglected state of water well which was once a lifeline. There were wild shrubs surround it. The petals of flowers and dried leaves seeped through the mesh that has been put on top covering it. There were dengue inspectors looking for mosquito breeding grounds, so my neighbor has put some ‘guppy’ fish who had multiplied in numbers.

Building a hand dug well (c) http://www.morefoundation.net

Our water well just reminded me a retarded, unshaven old man that has been completely neglected. I remember how much we care about the well those days. We used to completely empty the water well during dry season when water is limited and cleaned it properly. The sand in the top layer of the floor bed that contains particles accumulated over the year too has been removed. A freshly prepared charcoal and few jasmine flowers were put down into the well as we believe those had water purification qualities. After this cleaning, the well looked like very clean like giving its annual shave and haircut.

I had second thoughts last year that we should do this cleanup again. But neighbor stopped us. “Water in our wells is polluted. So these are now not in drinking conditions” he said. It was found some chemicals from a nearby paint factory have been carelessly released to the bare soil contaminating the ground water. Water wells dug by hand draws water from the first layers of ground water which could be the most affected with pollution. So this should be the case in many areas in Sri Lanka too.

Many of us had made the water wells into garbage pits, when pipe-Bourne water reached our houses. It was sort of a marking of the development for and filling-up the well symbolized some sort of a step up of the social hierarchy for many. But there is also some traditional knowledge linked with water wells. Our grandparents knew how to find the best location on their lands to dig the water well. They came to this conclusion by looking at specific plants grown in different areas in the garden. They knew trees like Kumbuk makes the water more purify and keeps water cool. They also knew that charcoal has water purification qualities. And they also had the techniques to dig the ground and make its walls safe. So it is not only the water well that disappears with our change of livelihood. It is whole traditional knowledge too will be lost from next generation.

Avurudu traditions moving away from our traditions with water always make a void. So perhaps, Avurudu season could be the best time to pass this knowledge to the next generation – perhaps that could be the least minimum we could do to preserve these changing traditions..!!

(The New Year dawned few hours ago and this is my ‘First Post’ for the New Year)

Walking into his garden in early January to start watering his collection of orchids, breeder and researcher Ajantha Palihawadana noticed some flowers that looked different amidst the Dendrobiums. He quickly checked the plant tag and referred his hybridisation notes to realise that the flowering plant was a cross between Dendrobiumlineale and Dendrobium.shavinonwhite orchids.

Ajantha has selected the name Dendrobium Ganga rani for the new hybrid after his wife Ganga Rani Palihawadana in appreciation of her work in looking after his plant collection while he is out in the field.

Producing hybrid orchids, by crossing the orchids with pollen of other varieties to bring out new combinations has its own challenges, according to expert orchid breeders. Dendrobium is a huge genus of Orchids (Genus is a classification used to group one or more species that has common characteristics which is the taxonomic rank just above that of the species name) with over 1,600 species.
Ajantha recalls that he cross-pollinated Dendrobiumlineale and Dendrobiumshavionwhite in early 2003. Dendrobiumlineale is a species that grows along the north-eastern coast of New Guinea. Its inflorescences are up to 75 cm (30 in) long with many flowers- sometimes more than 60 flowers, which can bloom throughout the year. Dendrobiumshavionwhite is about six cm tall and 6.5 cm across, and has sepals and lateral petals which are white with light green veins. The column and lip are greenish white with slightly darker green veins.

“I was not sure what to expect; but I knew something valuable would come as the Dendrobiumlineale is a species with many flowers, a

Named after his son and daughter: Dendrobium Ganga rani var Kasun (left) and Dendrobium Ganga rani var Harini (right)

frequent flowering habit and tolerates more sunlight than other Dendrobiums. When the normal Dendrobium crosses flower for the first time they may produce three to four flowers, but the Dendrobium Ganga rani plant produced 24 flowers. I’m happy that what I dreamt of has come true,”Ajantha said Ajantha and his family found some of the other plants mature bringing more varieties of the new hybrid. Ajantha named them as Dendrobium Ganga rani var Kasun and Dendrobium Ganga rani var Harini after his son Anjana Kasun Palihawadana and his daughter Harini Yamani Palihawadana. “These two varieties are also equally promising since one of the parent plants has a prolific flowering habit so we can expect frequent flowering plants which could be a good attraction in the cut flower industry,” Ajantha added.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140427/plus/all-in-the-family-93568.html

Experts fear there could be an outbreak of tuberculosis among captive elephants if quick action is not taken.As elephants in Dehiwala Zoo show signs of TB the zoo authorities have stopped the popular elephant performances.Zoo director Anura de Silva told The Sunday Times that five out of the zoo’s 10 elephants have tested positive in a preliminary TB anti-body test but further tests were needed to confirm a TB diagnosis.“The elephant dance is a public event that is enjoyed by children so we were compelled to stop it as a precautionary measure,” said Mr. De Silva.A group of workers staged a protest on Thursday saying the show should not be stopped. They said the advice of veterinary surgeons had been questionable in the past so the authorities should wait for solid evidence that these elephants were TB positive.

TB is caused by mycobacteria and animals can get infected by the same bacteria that cause TB in humans, so there is a possibility that sick animals or humans could pass the disease to each other through body fluids. TB spreads through the air on infected droplets that are aerosolised when an infected person or animal sneezes, coughs, or in the case of an elephant, sprays. Captive elephants can get TB by inhaling infected droplets from infected humans or other infected elephants.

Elephant-to-elephant transmission may occur when one elephant places its trunk inside another elephant’s mouth – a common practice.Asked if the decision to halt the elephant dance should have been taken earlier, Mr De Silva said, “There is nothing to panic. We have checked all the 12 mahouts who handle the zoo elephants but none of them were positive for TB. Mahouts are the first line of contact with elephants living very close to these captive elephants.”

Elephant activists warn that Sri Lanka’s captive elephants have been at risk of a TB outbreak for some time. The issue became highlighted last year when two elephants from the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage tested positive for TB. Dr. Anoma Siribaddana, Consultant Respiratory Physician, said her unit has been continuously screening mahouts, especially in Pinnawela after reports of a possibility of a TB outbreak.It is suspected that the death in February of the Waweladeniye Raja – a majestic tusker entrusted to carry the casket of the Dalada Maligawa – was caused by TB.

The chief monk of the Weweladeniye Temple did not allow a post-mortem, saying it was cruel to cut up a majestic tusker.“This denied us the chance to prove the exact cause of the tusker’s death,” lamented Dr. Ashoka Dangolla, a senior lecturer attached to the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Peradeniya, who found that the animal could be TB positive based on a blood sample taken a year before its death.

Raja was chained up with other Maligawa elephants during the last Dalada Perahera in Kandy, so there is a high chance that the other elephants could have been infected.The first case of TB in elephants in Sri Lanka was reported by Dr. Dangolla himself about eight years ago, in an elephant named Mata. In humans, the signs of TB include weakness, weight loss, exercise intolerance and coughing. Elephants too can show weight loss and leaking of some nasal fluids but may not show signs until the disease is quite advanced.

There is a need to test all the captive elephants in Sri Lanka but activists fear some elephant owners might hesitate to do so and administer proper medication as the TB treatment for elephants are expensive – the daily drug dose costs Rs. 10,000-15,000. Dr. Dangolla says this is not a situation for panic, and he is trying to organise a meeting with the Association of Captive Elephant Owners to take measures.The Sunday Times recently reported that Sri Lanka is becoming a hub for TB as the number of cases increases.

Trunk wash the surest test
It is not easy to check whether an elephant is TB positive. When infection from TB sets in the body starts creating antibodies to fight the intruder. However, the increase of antibodies can occur due to other factors too, and could also mean the body’s immune system could beat the bacteria and the infection could be defeated.

So vets recommend a test known as Trunk Wash to be 100 per cent sure that an elephant is infected with TB. The trunk of the elephant is filled with saline water, then the trunk is elevated and the elephant is instructed to forcibly exhale into a collection bag. Obtaining an adequate trunk wash sample is not easy according to elephant handlers as some elephants do not permit their trunk to be handled and not all can be trained to forcibly exhale.

The resulting sample may be from the end of the trunk instead of from deeper in the respiratory tract as intended. A research paper published on Journal of Commonwealth Veterinary Association’s 2012 January issue indicate that attempts to collect trunk wash from 60 captive elephants failed.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140427/news/captive-elephants-helpless-against-tb-spread-93921.html

An Acropora coral about 6 inches regrowing on Artificial Concrete Coral Structure (c) Arjan Rajasuriya

Stronger storms, rising seas and flooding are placing hundreds of millions of people at risk around the world – in Sri Lanka and other countries a major part of the solution lies off-shore, according to a new study that finds coral reefs reduce wave energy by 97 per cent.
The study, by scientists in the United States, estimates that 197 million people worldwide would receive risk reduction benefits from coral reefs alone and will have to bear higher costs of disasters if reefs are degraded. Sri Lanka is placed at ninth on a scale of reef-affected countries, with 4m people among the direct beneficiaries.

Sri Lanka experienced the damage caused by sea surges during the tsunami of 2004. Some of the worst devastation was recorded at Peraliya, near Hikkaduwa, where it is alleged that coral-mining left the area wide open and vulnerable to the tsunami wave. In this era of climate change where the intensity of storms are increasing and sea levels are rising there is greater need of protective coral reefs as nature’s defence against such natural disasters.

Sri Lankan coral expert Arjan Rajasuriya says priority should be given to protect our remaining corals reefs and let degraded reefs recover naturally.Severe coral bleaching caused by a warm oceanic current killed most of the coral colonies around Sri Lanka in 1998. Mr Rajasuriya said the recovery of coral in the coastal areas is slower than coral far from the shore, indicating that pollution, illegal fishing methods such as dynamite and other similar factors are slowing recovery.

Artificial reef structures could be used to help the re-growing of coral reefs. As co-ordinator of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s marine and coastal programme Mr. Rajasuriya recently conducted a survey on artificial reef structures in Unawatuna – a pilot project set up by IUCN and Holcim Lanka in 2008.

Under this project, several cone-shaped concrete structures were deployed underwater and left alone to naturally grow corals. IUCN has conducted two surveys so far which reveal encouraging news that new coral colonies have established themselves on the reef cones.
All the concrete reef cones were covered by calcareous material from the accumulated growth of calcareous algae, barnacles and other organisms, according to the last survey report. Growth is slow but with time more species of coral are expected to grow on the cones, says the optimistic coral expert.

Mr. Rajasuriya warns that artificial reef structures should not be set up ad hoc. Corals are made by micro-organisms called coral polyps and they need right conditions and right surface to grow. Artificial reef structures should be placed in right places and be made heavy enough to withhold a strong storm. If the structures are light they can do much harm to existing coral when they are dragged to and fro by ocean currents.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140525/news/lanka-pinpointed-as-winner-if-reefs-conserved-100294.html

Sri Lanka has been selected as the first regional country along with Cambodia to benefit from space technology in early predictions of drought – and political rivals India and China are co-operating with the United Nations to develop the mechanism.

News of the initiative came from a two-day forum on Space Technology Applications for Drought Monitoring and Early Warning this week with the participation of local and international scientists together with professionals in agriculture, water management and meteorology.

If drought warnings can be issued earlier, local authorities could take immediate action such as informing farmers to switch to more drought-resistant crops or implementing water management strategies. But drought warnings usually come too late for farmers – after they have put their efforts in the ground, when seeds and plants are growing.

Ground-level data is currently used to predict droughts, but signs of drought can be observed from space long before they are visible to the human eye, and advances in space technology allow monitoring of indicators such as the condition of crops or the availability of water by analysing satellite images through special computer applications.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) together with the Arthur C. Clarke Centre Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT) organised the forum this week to discuss how to use the space technology to predict droughts in Sri Lankan conditions.

Addressing the forum, the Director of ESCAP’s Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, Dr. Shamika Sirimanne reminded that drought is a ‘silent killer’ that does not get the attention that other natural disasters attract. “Over the past three decades, it is estimated that droughts in the Asia-Pacific region have affected more than 1.3 billion people and caused damage of more than $US53 billion,” she revealed.

Advanced satellite technologies have been used by developed countries but local regions, highly dependent on agriculture and suffering from droughts as the severity of extreme climatic events worsened with climate change, lacked such assistance. To bridge this gap, ESCAP launched its Regional Drought Mechanism Programme last year as a platform to provide timely and free satellite-based data, products and training to regional drought-prone countries with ultimate aim of transferring the technology to developing countries.

The region’s giants, China and India, with their own space programmes, have come forward to assist this effort to provide the pilot countries with satellite imagery, services, expert training and capacity development. Dr. P.G. Diwakar of Indian Space Research Organisation said Indian scientists had already analysed some of the data collected for Sri Lankan droughts and his country was willing to give technological and other support for this venture. Dr. Diwakar said data extracted from three Indian satellites will to be helpful for this region. A Sri Lankan team is already having training sessions with India and another team will fly to India at the end of this month for further training on how to use computer applications to issue early warnings based on satellite imagery.

Arthur C. Clarke Institute research scientist Chandrima Subasinghe said initially vegetation change will be used as the indicator to monitor the onset of drought. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is used to monitor changes in the “greenness” of Earth as viewed from space. NDVI is calculated from the visible and near-infrared light reflected by vegetation. Healthy vegetation absorbs most of the visible light that hits it and reflects a large portion of the near-infrared light. Unhealthy or sparse vegetation reflects more visible light and less near-infrared light, yielding a lower NDVI.

The implementing agencies should develop the best data indices in order to do make effective predictions, ACCIMT Director-General Sanath Panawennage said. Addressing the inaugural session, Minister of Technology and Research, Patali Champika Ranawaka warned, “This year may witness the beginning of another El Niño period affecting Sri Lanka – possibly with serious implications for agriculture.

“We have great hope that ESCAP’s Regional Drought Mechanism will help Sri Lanka address this issue by expanding our options for monitoring and responding to agricultural drought, effectively harnessing the potential of space technology applications towards this end.”

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140706/news/beaming-in-from-space-on-silent-killer-drought-105985.html

A landmark discovery by a Sri Lankan scientist could save thousands of lives lost through snakebite the world over.

A snakebite victim’s life often hangs in the balance in the minutes during which doctors watch for symptoms of poisoning before injecting the person with anti-venom as the remedy itself could cause severe allergic reactions that can cause immediate death. Not every snakebite sends poison into the bloodstream: sometimes the fang fails to inject the venom; sometimes the snake had engaged in a recent attack that depleted its venom sacs and the new bite fails to carry enough venom to harm the victim.

Unfortunately, the wait of a few minutes to ascertain such information could mean life or death. It could also cause permanent damage to organs or nerves as once signs of paralysis and muscle damage begin to appear they cannot be reversed by antivenin.

The good news is that scientists have found a blood test that could be successful in detecting whether venom entered into the bloodstream even before symptoms appear.

This breakthrough was made by Dr. Kalana Maduwage of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Peradeniya, who is currently doing his PhD at Newcastle University, Australia, in snake venom science.

He and a team of researchers tested a common enzyme in snake venom called Phospholipase A2 (PLA2). They had collected blood samples from those who had symptoms of snakebite and measured these against blood from people who were not bitten. This particular enzyme was found in high levels in snakebite victims who had the venom penetrate their blood stream.

Dr. Maduwage says that both Sri Lankan and Australian victims of snakebites were tested for this new method. Bites of four venomous Sri Lankan snakes – cobra, krait, Russell’s viper and hump-nosed viper – were tested successfully. Sri Lanka records one of the highest levels of snakebite in the world. According to the Health Ministry nearly 39,000 snakebites are reported to government hospitals every year, ending in approximately 100-150 hospital deaths.

Dr. Maduwage paid special tribute to the supervisors of his study, Professor Geoff Isbister and Dr Margaret O’Leary at the University of Newcastle. Dr Isbister is a world expert on snakebite research and has published more than 250 scientific papers on snakebites and spider bites. Dr. Maduwage said he was lucky to have Professor Isbister as his supervisor.

The work, previously published in Nature Scientific Reports, was presented last month at the Australian Society for Medical Research Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney. Dr. Maduwage is working hard with the team to develop this concept into a bedside test kit that can be easily available around the world.

Dr. Maduwage has more than 10 years’ experience in the study of snakes, especially the hump-nosed pit viper. In addition, he has also discovered and scientifically described 10 varieties of fish, three new snake species and one lizard species. Dr. Maduwage, who is still in Australia doing his PhD applauds the research-friendly environment in Australia but says he will return to Sri Lanka to serve his country upon completion of his PhD and will keep on developing techniques that can save more lives.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140720/news/young-lankan-scientist-makes-life-saving-snakebite-discovery-107840.html

Hump-nosed Viper

A four-wheel-drive motor rally organised along east coast early next month has raised concerns among environmentalists.
Commando 4×4, the six-day rally planned to start on August 4, is being organised by the Commando Regiment under its “Experience Sri Lanka with Commandos” project.

The rally will start from Point Pedro in Jaffna, ending at the Commando Regiment Training school at Uva Kudaoya in Moneragala, a distance of 775km. The rally’s path lies through the Manalkadu sand dunes, Challai lagoons, Kokkilai Lagoon, Chundikulam Bird Sanctuary, Mullaitivu jungles, Thoppigala jungles and beaches such as Nayaroo, Nilaweli and Arugam Bay. The organisers say the rally will promote adventure sports in Sri Lanka to boost tourism.

Environmentalist Ravindra Kariyawasam of Centre for Environment and Nature Studies (CENS) said the rally will cross some environmentally sensitive areas and cause great harm to the habitat.

“Had the Environment Authority considered the true environment impact of this entire event? How long it will take to re-build the sand dunes naturally after 50 high-powered automobiles run over them? “What will happen to lagoon habitat once a parade of four-wheel-drive vehicles cross them, killing many of its fish and water creatures? What effect will cause by the vehicle gases and noise to the wilderness of Eastern jungles and its livelihood?” asked Mr. Kariyawasam.

“Sri Lanka cannot offer its limited natural assets for the fun and thrill of a very small portion of the population which seeks a thrill in torturing Mother Nature. “Army commandos always stood for the betterment of motherland and must take immediate action to preserve the good name of the regiment by making amendments to the event,” Mr Kariyawasam said.

Army media spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya denied the event would cause harm to the environment, saying the environmentalists’ fears were due to a misunderstanding that vehicles would go off-road along the full distance. “This is not a race but just a rally aimed at providing an opportunity to explore the country. The vehicles will only use the existing roads when completing the first phases of the event and will not go off-road and damage environment. “The off-road event will be held on last day inside Commando Regiment Training Centre at Uva Kudaoya,” he said.

Brig. Wanigasooriya said that due to their training the commandos knew how to blend with nature without destroying it. “For example, we do not allow vehicles to be modified to emit loud engine noise. The rally ends at 4pm every day, not to disturb wildlife at night. The participants have to complete only around 150km daily so drivers would not need stressful high-speed drives that could disturb the wildlife,” he said.

The website designed for the rally states that 50 vehicles will be allowed to participate the expedition with a maximum of four persons per vehicle. It gives rates ranging from Rs. 20,000 for one person for the first stage to Rs. 55,000 for all five stages. For four persons to participate all stages, the cost is Rs.190,000. The website further states that these fund-raised by the rally will be used for Commando Regiment’s infrastructure improvements.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140727/news/commando-four-wheel-rally-upsets-environmentalists-but-army-is-gung-ho-108533.html 

An attempt by villagers and wildlife enthusiasts to save a rare fish from extinction is a rare ray of hope amid the gloom of the gradual loss of biodiversity.

Last week, ignoring blood-sucking leeches, dozens of volunteers got their hands dirty and pants wet on the muddy banks of the Galapitamada stream, known to be the only habitat of the critically endangered Bandula Barb. They cleaned the stream and planted ketala aquatic plants on the edges of the stream to enhance the breeding habitat and give much-needed protection for this small fish.

Bandula Barb (Pethia Bandula) is one of the rarest and most endangered fish in Sri Lanka as it can only be found in a 2.5km stretch of a small stream in the Kegalle district. Their present count is just over 1000, so the threat to their existence is enormous.The habitat rehabilitation work held last Sunday was organised by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with the assistance of the Toyota Environmental Fund. This two-year project began in 2013 in accordance with the Bandula Barb Recovery Plan drafted by the Sri Lanka Biodiversity Secretariat of Ministry of Environment in 2007, looking into empowering the villagers to conserve the fish as the area is totally outside any protected areas. Habitat enrichment and the introduction of the fish into other habitats are part of this Conservation Plan, being implemented under the guidance of Professor Devaka Weerakoon.

The data on the drastic decline of Bandula Barb emerged through research carried out by Hasula Wickremasinghe in 2003 as part of her MSc research. In 1991, the fish “catch rate” – a technique used to measure fish population – as 15-100 but in 2003 it sank to 0–5. This is an 80 per cent decline of the population. Ms. Wickremasinghe and Sampath Goonathilake, prepared the Bandula Barb recovery plan under the guidance of Prof. Weerakoon.

In May 2013, a total of 598 Bandula Barbs were found. This number increased to 1073 in December that year, raising hopes that the species can recover but more work has to be done to get the population stable, according to experts.

The volunteers of the Aquatic group of the Young Zoologists Association (YZA) were the leading force behind last Sunday’s activities. The team planted native trees along the stream bank together with the participation of the villagers. As the climate in the area is expected to be drier with repercussions of climate change, it is hoped these trees could provide a lifeline to the stream, keeping it from going dry.

This stream in which the Bandula Barb lives flows between paddy fields and rubber estates so the agro-chemicals used in the paddy fields have become the main threat to their survival.

“So the IUCN tried to convince the villagers of the importance of turning to organic farming. We linked them with an organization supporting organic paddy cultivation and we are happy that the paddy fields adjacent to the stream areas turned into organic cultivation areas where agro-chemicals are not used,” said Naalin Perera, IUCN Programme officer, Biodiversity, pointing to the lush paddy fields.

The IUCN also organized a workshop on freshwater fish for the village youths. This included a field visit to Kithulgala to observe the freshwater fish and methods of observation as well as techniques of counting.

The village youths became involved in the counting of number of Bandula Pethia in the stream in a survey conducted in December last year. A total of 1073 fish were recorded, an encouraging result for the conservation team. Mr. Perera also commended the enthusiasm shown by the village youth on learning more details about the freshwater fish.

The IUCN team has also reintroduced a population of Bandula Pethia to an isolated area close to Galapitamada. A wall was built under the project to prevent Bandula Barb being washed into the nearby paddy fields during heavy rains. The IUCN hopes the the effort to save the Bandula Barb from extinction will be successful.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/140727/news/how-researchers-co-opted-a-remote-village-to-save-rare-fish-108595.html