By Tharumalee Silva
Global warming is a trending topic of conversation among younger generations, especially in efforts to save their future which has been compromised in the name of industrialisation.
Warnings of extreme heat waves, issued several times within the past four months in Sri Lanka, and the ongoing drought in eight provinces make a deadly combination.
According to the Climate Change Communication organisation, extreme heat waves are responsible for more deaths annually than any other natural phenomenon.
Sri Lanka’s dry weather commenced in January 2019 in the Northern Province and then gradually developed and spread across eight of the nine provinces in Sri Lanka.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), over 300,000 people remain affected by the drought.
Below-average showers
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Department of Meteorology Sri Lanka Deputy Director – Forecast Dr. Meryl Mendis stated that Sri Lanka had received below average levels of rainfall since December last year.
“We received less rainfall than expected from the northeast monsoon season. From December till March, we did not receive sufficient rainfall. We are expecting the southwest monsoon season next, near the southwest coastline of Sri Lanka, which is to commence by the end of this month. The west coast of Sri Lanka is to receive light showers. However, these showers will extend to the East, thus the situation might worsen,” he said.
Mendis further stated that the concept of global warming and climate change had been analysed over eons. “Weather patterns are changing now. We collectively receive the amount of rainfall we are supposed to receive within the duration of five to six months, during the first few weeks of the season. So theoretically, we received the predicted amount of rain. However, we are to endure a long period of drought,” he explained.
A total number of 89,250 families and 306,107 people have been affected.
Emergency Operations Centre Director Athula Ariyarathna, in affiliation with the DMC, said the scarcity of water was a major issue in the country.
“62,809 families are provided water by the Ministry of Disaster Management and the National Disaster Relief Service. We are currently distributing water to 44 divisional secretariat areas. Funds are being provided by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Public Administration. These have already been allocated to district secretaries for the requirement of the divisions,” he explained.
Addressing the issue of Sri Lanka ranking second among countries most affected by global warming on the Global Climate Risk Index 2019 by Germanwatch, Ariyarathna stated that global indexes can often be manipulated to benefit political agendas.
A report published by the Sri Lanka Foundation mentioned that 37 deaths were caused as a result of natural disasters this year. However, Ariyarathna stated that no such deaths had been reported.
He then stated that global warming and climate change had definitely influenced drastic changes in weather patterns in Sri Lanka.
“If we have no rain, the weather conditions will worsen. We are expecting the southwest monsoon season, and if rains fall as predicted, we may be able to exit this drastic situation,” Ariyarathna stated.
Despite having the coldest and the wettest climate in the island, consisting of many rivers and waterfalls, the Central Province remains one of the areas worst affected by the drought with 4,974 families and 19,230 individuals.
Central Province Governor Maithri Gunaratne stated that water was being distributed through bowsers to suburban areas.
“During the last few weeks, we had some showers, which gave us some relief. But if the drought continues, we will be facing serious issues,” he said.
In the long run, the growth of pine trees in the Central Province proved to be a deadly annihilator of surrounding biodiversity with the absorption of soil water by the tree.
“We are in the process of removing pine plantations from the mountainous expanse to benefit us in the long run,” Gunaratne said.
The pine plantations were introduced in the late 1960s. Reports suggest that the pine tree was never meant to be used in long-term cultivation, but instead was meant to be destroyed at the end of five years. After this, the pulp was meant to be used in the local paper industry.
“Further, we have started introducing water schemes to distribute water to the villages. We are currently looking into obtaining funds for this project. For the time being, we have managed to locate a well in Teldeniya, which is now being used for water consumption,” he said.
Development Assistant Violet Nicholas, in affiliation with the Disaster Management Centre in Jaffna, stated: “We are providing water to eight divisions in Jaffna, using Rs. 7 million we were provided to distribute drinking water to the population."
Not SL’s fault
In light of this situation, many environmentalists claimed that Sri Lanka’s situation may not be the result of actions taken by countries suffering from extreme heat waves at the moment.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, environmentalist Jagath Gunawardena stated that “these are things that human folly has caused”.
Gunawardena stated that the countries facing natural disasters as a result of climate change were the countries with the lowest carbon footprint.
Highly-developed nations, such as the US, compromised the future of other countries by building its economy through industrialisation.
According to a report issued by “the balance”, on climate change and the effects of the economy, in 2008, the US contributed eight billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; Canada and China followed suit. These high emissions of carbon dioxide resulted in drastic patterns causing changes in the weather.
Developing countries have produced considerably lower amounts in carbon emissions, and in turn, have also had to carry the brunt of the effects of careless development by these developed nations.
Addressing this, Gunawardena recalled cyclone Nargis in 2008 that affected Myanmar – a country with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.
Further addressing the issue, Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Vithanage stated: “At one point, Sri Lanka experienced massive drought and floods simultaneously, in two different parts of the country. Over 400,000 civilians endure these issues annually,” he said.
“The fact that we don’t receive sufficient rainfall within the allocated time is evidence of climate change, and the consistent heat waves experienced in the country are evidence of global warming.”
Mozambique experienced two cyclones consecutively, and the Philippines too similarly experienced consecutive typhoons.
“The cyclone which was supposed to affect Sri Lanka travelled to Bangladesh. We were supposed to receive that rainfall,” he said.
“In my personal opinion, this adverse climate is the result of the direct impact of climate change and global warming. There had been many initiatives to reforest Sri Lanka; in Anuradhapura, in particular, projects were initiated to build new water tanks,” Vithanage stated.
However, he stated that several projects, such as the “Yan Oya”project, had resulted in massive deforestation.
“Firstly, we need to renew our traditional tank system by reducing the establishment of concrete tanks that harm the natural groundwater system. Secondly, we must reconstruct the Mahaweli Development System since it has failed. Thirdly, before constructing, we must consult the villagers in the surrounding areas,” he advised.
Former Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera stated that according to his knowledge and sources, the drought had not affected the agriculture industry yet.
Global warming is a trending topic of conversation among younger generations, especially in efforts to save their future which has been compromised in the name of industrialisation.
Warnings of extreme heat waves, issued several times within the past four months in Sri Lanka, and the ongoing drought in eight provinces make a deadly combination.
According to the Climate Change Communication organisation, extreme heat waves are responsible for more deaths annually than any other natural phenomenon.
Sri Lanka’s dry weather commenced in January 2019 in the Northern Province and then gradually developed and spread across eight of the nine provinces in Sri Lanka.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), over 300,000 people remain affected by the drought.
Below-average showers
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Department of Meteorology Sri Lanka Deputy Director – Forecast Dr. Meryl Mendis stated that Sri Lanka had received below average levels of rainfall since December last year.
“We received less rainfall than expected from the northeast monsoon season. From December till March, we did not receive sufficient rainfall. We are expecting the southwest monsoon season next, near the southwest coastline of Sri Lanka, which is to commence by the end of this month. The west coast of Sri Lanka is to receive light showers. However, these showers will extend to the East, thus the situation might worsen,” he said.
Mendis further stated that the concept of global warming and climate change had been analysed over eons. “Weather patterns are changing now. We collectively receive the amount of rainfall we are supposed to receive within the duration of five to six months, during the first few weeks of the season. So theoretically, we received the predicted amount of rain. However, we are to endure a long period of drought,” he explained.
A total number of 89,250 families and 306,107 people have been affected.
Emergency Operations Centre Director Athula Ariyarathna, in affiliation with the DMC, said the scarcity of water was a major issue in the country.
“62,809 families are provided water by the Ministry of Disaster Management and the National Disaster Relief Service. We are currently distributing water to 44 divisional secretariat areas. Funds are being provided by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Public Administration. These have already been allocated to district secretaries for the requirement of the divisions,” he explained.
Addressing the issue of Sri Lanka ranking second among countries most affected by global warming on the Global Climate Risk Index 2019 by Germanwatch, Ariyarathna stated that global indexes can often be manipulated to benefit political agendas.
A report published by the Sri Lanka Foundation mentioned that 37 deaths were caused as a result of natural disasters this year. However, Ariyarathna stated that no such deaths had been reported.
He then stated that global warming and climate change had definitely influenced drastic changes in weather patterns in Sri Lanka.
“If we have no rain, the weather conditions will worsen. We are expecting the southwest monsoon season, and if rains fall as predicted, we may be able to exit this drastic situation,” Ariyarathna stated.
Despite having the coldest and the wettest climate in the island, consisting of many rivers and waterfalls, the Central Province remains one of the areas worst affected by the drought with 4,974 families and 19,230 individuals.
Central Province Governor Maithri Gunaratne stated that water was being distributed through bowsers to suburban areas.
“During the last few weeks, we had some showers, which gave us some relief. But if the drought continues, we will be facing serious issues,” he said.
In the long run, the growth of pine trees in the Central Province proved to be a deadly annihilator of surrounding biodiversity with the absorption of soil water by the tree.
“We are in the process of removing pine plantations from the mountainous expanse to benefit us in the long run,” Gunaratne said.
The pine plantations were introduced in the late 1960s. Reports suggest that the pine tree was never meant to be used in long-term cultivation, but instead was meant to be destroyed at the end of five years. After this, the pulp was meant to be used in the local paper industry.
“Further, we have started introducing water schemes to distribute water to the villages. We are currently looking into obtaining funds for this project. For the time being, we have managed to locate a well in Teldeniya, which is now being used for water consumption,” he said.
Development Assistant Violet Nicholas, in affiliation with the Disaster Management Centre in Jaffna, stated: “We are providing water to eight divisions in Jaffna, using Rs. 7 million we were provided to distribute drinking water to the population."
Not SL’s fault
In light of this situation, many environmentalists claimed that Sri Lanka’s situation may not be the result of actions taken by countries suffering from extreme heat waves at the moment.
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, environmentalist Jagath Gunawardena stated that “these are things that human folly has caused”.
Gunawardena stated that the countries facing natural disasters as a result of climate change were the countries with the lowest carbon footprint.
Highly-developed nations, such as the US, compromised the future of other countries by building its economy through industrialisation.
According to a report issued by “the balance”, on climate change and the effects of the economy, in 2008, the US contributed eight billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; Canada and China followed suit. These high emissions of carbon dioxide resulted in drastic patterns causing changes in the weather.
Developing countries have produced considerably lower amounts in carbon emissions, and in turn, have also had to carry the brunt of the effects of careless development by these developed nations.
Addressing this, Gunawardena recalled cyclone Nargis in 2008 that affected Myanmar – a country with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world.
Further addressing the issue, Centre for Environmental Justice Executive Director Hemantha Vithanage stated: “At one point, Sri Lanka experienced massive drought and floods simultaneously, in two different parts of the country. Over 400,000 civilians endure these issues annually,” he said.
“The fact that we don’t receive sufficient rainfall within the allocated time is evidence of climate change, and the consistent heat waves experienced in the country are evidence of global warming.”
Mozambique experienced two cyclones consecutively, and the Philippines too similarly experienced consecutive typhoons.
“The cyclone which was supposed to affect Sri Lanka travelled to Bangladesh. We were supposed to receive that rainfall,” he said.
“In my personal opinion, this adverse climate is the result of the direct impact of climate change and global warming. There had been many initiatives to reforest Sri Lanka; in Anuradhapura, in particular, projects were initiated to build new water tanks,” Vithanage stated.
However, he stated that several projects, such as the “Yan Oya”project, had resulted in massive deforestation.
“Firstly, we need to renew our traditional tank system by reducing the establishment of concrete tanks that harm the natural groundwater system. Secondly, we must reconstruct the Mahaweli Development System since it has failed. Thirdly, before constructing, we must consult the villagers in the surrounding areas,” he advised.
Former Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera stated that according to his knowledge and sources, the drought had not affected the agriculture industry yet.