Illegal sand mining:

Ambatale in danger

Disna MUDALIGE

Illegal sand mining has caused sea water to enter into the Ambatale tank which supplies 80 percent of the water supply of Colombo, Ambatale Water Purification Centre Assistant General Manager K.P.R.S. Samarasinghe said adding that unless prompt precautions are taken by the authorities a grave situation may ensue.

“Usually in January, February and March the sea water is rising and we arrange measures to put barriers to prevent the entrance of sea water into the tank. We always keep an eye and ensure safe water supply to Colombo,” he said.

“Ambatale tank provides 80 percent of the water supply to the Colombo area. Illegal sand mining and rise of the sea level due to the increasing temperature have contributed greatly to this problem. It is time for the authorities to apply prompt measures to stop illegal sand mining before the situation gets worse, since the entire greater Colombo area will be affected,” he said.

Meanwhile, addressing a media awareness program organized by the People’s Secretariat on climate change at the ICTAD auditorium, Energy Forum Executive Director Asoka Abeygunawrdena said the temperature rise also influences the vaporizing of water and creates intense droughts frequently.

Cultivation may destroy and famine may evolve as a result. At the same time, intense rainfalls may be expected creating extreme situations, he said.

“We are experiencing this kind of havoc today in Sri Lanka and in many parts of the world. The insects which can adapt to these extreme situations such as mosquitoes spread fast and create plagues. The possibility for the eruption of storms and tornadoes is high and destruction caused by these will be greater. The temperature rise is also a threat to biodiversity of the world,” he said.

“We are already late in reversing this doom, but at least now we must take measures to minimize greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

If the world average temperature rises from another two centigrades it will create a drastic climate change that surpasses the control of the human being, Abeygunawardena said referring to predictions and statistics of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007. He said the human being cannot adapt to the rapid changes of the world that easily.

“It is found that man is not altered biologically since his evolutiom, even though he has changed culturally. Therefore, there will be a great struggle for the survival of the man in the coming years. But we must also remember that the responsibility for this havoc mainly lies upon ourselves,” he said.

Due to the constant rise of greenhouse gases in the air mainly by human activities, the average world temperature is rising significantly.

This situation is severely felt in the North and South poles. As a result, ice bergs melt with much more rapidity.

It is predicted that all ice bergs in the Arctic Ocean will vanish in several years, Abeygunawardena said.