Ven. Rahula’s Sathyodaya: Let truth be awakened in top leaders and CEB people

Two events bearing on each other

Monday, 1 April 2019

Two events that had no direct connection to each other but could have a bearing took place in Sri Lanka last week. One was the AFP report about an unconventional method used by the country’s power producer, Ceylon Electricity Board or CEB, to solve the ongoing power crisis in the country. The other was the release of the English translation of Ven. Walpola Rahula’s 1932 book, Sathyodaya, in Colombo.

CEB’s plead for mercy of rain gods

According to AFP report, after failing to stimulate rains via seeding the clouds, CEB is said to have resorted to invoking the mercy of ‘Rain Gods’ to deliver rains to catchment areas. If Gods had answered its call, it could have produced at most a quarter of the power needed by the country through hydropower generation.

The strategy adopted by CEB to invoke God’s mercy has been simple. Take some precious scarce water from reservoirs feeding the power plants, take that supposed to be holy water in a motorcade to be seen by all to Anuradhapura and make an offering to the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi in what was called ‘Pen Puja’ or Sacred Water-Offering Ritual. 



This is an instance of human emotions and fears giving way to their rational side when faced with unsolvable problems. But, this is not the first time the Homo sapiens or Man the Wise had sought the assistance of supernatural powers to provide solutions to its mundane issues. They had done so on innumerable occasions in the past as documented by Oxford Historian Yuval Noah Harari in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, published in 2011. The modus operandi has been to project them as virtuous people worthy of being supported by these divine powers.

But, Bhagawat Geeta, a sacred Hindu text, has warned those mortal humans seeking divine assistance. It has said that ‘God does not reward the virtuous nor does he punish the wicked’. What it means is that both rewards and punishments are in the human plane to be handled by humans and not by divine powers.
Animals don’t seek refuge of supernatural powers

The difference between animals and humans is that animals do not seek the support of divine powers to resolve their problems.

They have an inbuilt genetic code that would guide them in such instances. There were enough stories that when Asian tsunami hit the shores of Sri Lanka in 2004 that animals had fled to safe places before even humans could think so. Over the years of evolution, humans have deactivated that genetic code and as a result, have to place themselves at the mercy of supernatural powers when they are faced with mundane problems.

These emotional fears of humans, passed from generation to generation, have been deeply ingrained in their psyche making it easy to trigger fears compared to building confidence in them. It also has provided a golden opportunity for crafty people to exploit such fears in fellow humans for their own benefits.

For instance, the fourth century BCE Indian economics Guru, Kautilya, advised the king in his treatise on economics, The Arthashastra, that when the king’s treasury runs low and there is no way to build it up quickly, the king should send his agents, dressed as soothsayers, to countryside and spread the story that there have been some spots in the Sun portending malefic effects to people. Once the people have been sufficiently conditioned by fear, the king should send another team of agents offering the solution too.

That solution is to give them a talisman that would protect them from the malefic effects. The king, advised Kautilya, can produce this talisman and sell it at his own price thereby bringing additional revenue to royal coffers.

Do not seek the refuge of gods

This happened 200 years after the Buddha who had categorically warned people about the futility of going after such supernatural powers on the advice of others. In the Kaalaama Sutta, he advised the Kaalaamas that they should not go by what the elders say, or traditions or wisdom found in scriptures or what holy-men say, but believe in what they find as beneficial and reject not beneficial in general to all. 

The current power crisis is not due to the wrath of divine powers visiting Sri Lanka. It has been a chronic issue because with economic growth, the demand for power increases at a faster rate than the growth in the economy. Since the demand outpaces supply, a day would come when the country’s installed power capacity is insufficient to meet the demand.

In Dhajagga Sutta he advised the Bhikkus that they should not seek the refuge of God Sakra or any other god when they are inflicted with fear. Instead, they should seek refuge of the Buddha who has attained the three wholesome states of mind, alobha (non-greed), adosha (non-hatred) and amoha (non-delusion). So, the way out for mortal humans is to cultivate these mental states in themselves. It would protect them from personal as well as societal disasters.

It seems that the Buddha’s message has not been accepted widely even by contemporary Indians since Kautilya could exploit these fears of fellow citizens after 200 years. This message has not gone to even fellow Sri Lankans who had followed the Buddha’s way for more than 2,000 years.

Therefore, from time to time, erudite Buddhist scholars had attempted at imparting Buddha’s wisdom to fellow Sri Lankans. 



One such scholar was Ven. Walpola Rahula who had written a series of articles providing proper advice to Buddhists as to the correct practice of Buddhism as far back as 1932. These articles were later published in a booklet form titled Sathyodaya for the benefit of the contemporary Buddhists and could be accessed from the digital repository of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura at http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1791. This book has now been translated into English by Niranjan Selvadurai under the title ‘Truth Awakening’ and published by Walpola Rahula Foundation Trust in Sri Lanka. Truth Awakening was launched at a function in Colombo last week.

Human failure cannot be corrected through divine intervention

Had the top political leaders in Sri Lanka and CEB officials read Walpola Rahula’s Sathyodaya, they would not have resorted to invoking divine powers to solve the country’s chronic as well as acute power crisis. Their solution is totally irrelevant like the example given by the erudite Buddhist monk, Dharmasena Thero, in Saddarmaratnavaliya written during the Kotte Era of Sri Lanka’s history. The erudite Thero equated when somebody does something irrelevant to ‘applying medicine to the back when filarial swelling is in the foot’.

The current power crisis is not due to the wrath of divine powers visiting Sri Lanka. It has been a chronic issue because with economic growth, the demand for power increases at a faster rate than the growth in the economy. Since the demand outpaces supply, a day would come when the country’s installed power capacity is insufficient to meet the demand. The country’s top leadership was warned about this by the Central Bank as far back as 2001 in a special Box Article titled ‘Power Crisis’ in its Annual Report for 2001 (pp 109-11). The recommendation of the Central Bank to power authorities in the country was to expand the installed capacity through a combination of alternatives as an urgent measure. This was not heeded to.

Then, the energy experts warned the power authorities in 2015 that unless the installed capacity is increased as quickly as possible, the country would face a severe energy crisis by end 2018. Thus, it is not due to divine wrath but due to human failure that the country has now been engulfed with a power crisis. Instead of taking proper measures even at this late stage, it is uncalled for that CEB has resorted to primitive measures to provide a solution to the problem.

Presenting Buddhist thoughts in the form of a dialogue

Walpola Rahula’s Sathyodaya is in the form of questions and answers similar to the tradition used by Plato in his writings. The questions which bother laymen are posed to Walpola Rahula who then goes on answering them. These questions have basically been what the laymen had had in 1930s. But when one observes how Sri Lankans behave today – CEB officials are just one such instance – they are relevant to today as well as the future. Though they are basically about the bizarre Un-Buddhist practices of Sri Lanka’s lay Buddhists and Bhikkus, people believing in other faiths too could gain enlightened wisdom through them. Therefore, Walpola Rahula’s Sathyodaya is for all and not necessarily for the Buddhists.

Seven important chapters

His views have been presented in seven chapters in the booklet. They cover various subjects like making proper offering to the Buddha, fallacy of calling Gods to listen to Dhamma sermons, violation of the spirit of the Buddha by adopting the caste system in the Sasana, and importance of free inquiry to attain wisdom and enlightenment.

Making Pujas in the proper way 

The first one relates to how the Buddhists should make proper offerings to the Buddha. While admitting that he is a strong advocate of offering Pujas to the Buddha, he takes issue with how they are presently performed by lay Buddhists as well as Bhikkus.

Says Rahula: ‘Many Buddhists today do not conduct Buddha Puja in an appropriate manner. Various distasteful activities are currently staged under the noble banner Buddha Puja. They include performing acrobatics in temple premises, conducting processions with comical entertainments thrown in, and placing food in front of statues. These are not offerings befitting the Buddha’.   

Had the top political leaders in Sri Lanka and CEB officials read Walpola Rahula’s Sathyodaya, they would not have resorted to invoking divine powers to solve the country’s chronic as well as acute power crisis. Their solution is totally irrelevant like the example given by the erudite Buddhist monk, Dharmasena Thero, in Saddarma-ratnavaliya written during the Kotte Era of Sri Lanka’s history. The erudite Thero equated when somebody does something irrelevant to ‘applying medicine to the back when filarial swelling is in the foot’. 

Rahula says that there is nothing wrong in offering foods to the living Buddha since he depends on foods for living. But offering foods and drinks to a dead person is a ritual practiced by those who believe in dead spirits and it is not proper to place the Buddha in the same category as a dead spirit. Besides, when it is done in the name of the Buddha on a massive scale, it is a waste of foods and water which can be used to feed the poor and the hungry.


Further, when foods and water are offered to a statue seeking merit, it is like undertaking a commercial transaction in which one invests his money for profits later. Thus, when CEB offers water from reservoirs to Sri Maha Bodhi – a representation of the Buddha, it is like bribing the Buddha to get rains from him.

It in fact precludes the person, according to Rahula, from extending universal kindness and empathy to fellow citizens thereby moving him away from the goal of attaining enlightenment. Rahula maintains that once a Master dies, his disciples convert what he had preached to a religion which is then used by them to maintain livelihood making false promises to devotees. But the way to honour the Buddha is not to offer foods and water to his representation, but to follow the Buddha’s path.

Don’t plead for support from gods who are inferior to humans

According to Rahula, a true Buddhist cannot expect a God to help him because they are inferior to humans and an inferior person cannot grant a boon to a superior. The Buddha was very emphatic that Gods need help from humans and not the other way about. Even a God cannot attain Buddhahood unless he is born as a human on this earth.

In the same way, the belief that Sri Lanka has been handed to various Gods for protection of the country as well as Buddhism is a misconception. Buddhism signifies identifying wholesome activities from unwholesome ones and cleansing the minds of all defilements by following a life represented by ethical conduct or Seela, mental discipline or Samadhi and wisdom or Pragna.

They are to be cultivated by humans and Gods cannot either inculcate them in humans or protect these virtuous acts from being abused. Rahula questions when Gods cannot protect even the shrines dedicated to them from harm, how they could protect Buddhism whose virtuous practices are intangible and invisible.

Organising Sasana on caste lines when the Buddha has admonished it

In Sathyodaya, he has questioned the validity of segregating the Buddha sasana on caste lines when the Buddha has very clearly admonished the practice. The Buddha had very firmly stood against discriminating persons on the basis of caste or ethnicity. For him, all are human beings or in terms of modern science, Sapiens, share a common genetic code. But the Buddha sasana, claimed to be safeguarded by Gods, is organised on caste lines.

Says Rahula: ‘The chief monks of the Siam sect proudly proclaim themselves as the custodians of Buddhist teaching. However, continuing with a tradition which goes against the foundation of the Buddha’s teaching has contributed to the collapsing of the imaginary castle representing the sasana. It pains me that so called protectors of the teaching are in fact destroying it’. Though in 1932 Rahula expected that the caste system would be done away with in the Buddha sasana as well as in lay Sri Lankan society in the future, today, it is very much pertinent in the sasana than in lay communities.

Wishes cannot be passed onto others

Rahula’s bold attempt at promoting free inquiry in the Buddha sasana as well as among lay people is the best portion which this booklet carries. He has said that one should not be afraid of questioning Buddhism as well as its numerous practices. Instead of following blindly what the Bhikkus are saying, one should cultivate the spirit of free inquiry for one’s own benefit as well as for the benefit of the whole society.

Many wish their relatives or friends to attain Nirvana after they have died. Rahula says a wish of one person cannot be passed on to another however much the wisher leads a virtuous life. If anybody wants to attain Nibbana, he should practice, while he is living, the virtuous principles which the Buddha has pronounced. If it has not been done while the person was living, his relatives or friends cannot just make a wish and lead him to attain Nibbana.

A must read by all

Sathyodaya has been translated into English and published as a booklet at a time when Sri Lanka’s various communities are fighting with each other citing language, religion or ethnicity. This is a man-made division of human beings done without reference to the true nature of Homo sapiens. Rahula had aspired for a society free from bias, prejudice and hatred. He addressed the Sinhala readers earlier through Sathyodaya. Now, even the English speaking elite is being addressed through its English translation. It is a must read by all irrespective of their social status, religious practices or ethnicity.

(W.A. Wijewardena, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, can be reached at waw1949@gmail.com.)   

SRI LANKA: TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THE GOTA QUESTION

By N Sathiya Moorthy.-30/03/2019

By declaring that he was confident of winning the presidential elections later this year, Gota Rajapaksa has said that he wants to become what he claims the people are tired of – namely, ‘mainstream politicians’. Better or worse still, Gota’s brother Basil R has welcomed the other’s decision to contest the presidency, but has also said that ‘Big Brother’ Mahinda would be the one to take the call for the SLPP-UPFA.

If Gota has come this far from his great reluctance to enter the presidential poll fray, the credit should go neither to Basil, nor to Mahinda, not even to the SLPP-UPFA or others in the political Opposition. Should he become President by the end of the year, he owes it all to one single person than the whole or a majority of Sri Lanka that would have voted him in.

Through the past five years in office, more so in the last couple of them, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has done his utmost in pushing Gota R into the electoral arena with the kind of single-mindedness that even the latter possibly lacked while taking on the more focussed LTTE a decade ago. Better still, Wickremesinghe has achieved this much with all humility at his command.
Never ever through the past years has Wickremesinghe or his ruling UNP owned up to all the criminal investigations against Gota and the rest of the Rajapaksa family. It was a tricky situation for them not to do so, after having promised the people that the ‘guilty from the Rajapaksa era’ would be brought to justice – but then their equal determination to bring it all closer to the next round of presidential polls has meant that Gota may be in the driver’s seat, possibly until up to the presidential polls if not afterwards, too.

Gota was known to be the most reluctant of Brothers Rajapaksa for wanting to enter direct politics. He was known to have declared that he was unfit for all that. At the height of the war, he was also known to have claimed that he was more suited for the kind of job that he was doing – organising the war-machinery, facilitating the kind of back-room support that the fighting team required, from near and afar, be it his brother the President, or friendly and not-so-friendly nations and governments, overseas.

Even after the war was over and ministers and MPs of the time offered to vacate their seats for Gota to take up greater and more direct responsibilities in Government, he shied away. Yet, when Mahinda R was re-elected in post-war presidential polls of 2010, Gota stopped short of entering direct politics by getting Urban Development under his care as Defence Secretary – yet having more clout than most ministers, then or since.

At the end of the presidential polls in 2015, there were certain indications that Gota R may stay away from active politics as he did not have the kind of role that he thought him fit to be – an administrative role without having to make political promises or attend political rallies. Yet, even before the official poll results were out, there were the likes of Rajapaksa-aide-turned-adversary Rajitha Senaratne, who were forcing the issue.

Continuing to be a Minister after traversing to the UNP through the Sirisena camp, Senaratne was quoted as telling whoever was willing to listen in the early hours of poll-counting that Gota had ‘escaped’ to a third country. He was even quoted as naming the country. That was the beginning of the present-day rulers, or at least a powerful section thereof, pushing Gota to the wall, from where he could only bounce back the way he says he would now do.

If further evidence of the need for a Gota bounce-back was needed, that came in an ample measure after the nation-wide LG polls of February 2017. The Government hurriedly got Parliament ot pass a new law for setting up ‘Special High Courts’ to try ‘Rajapaksa crimes’, if they could be described as such. Needless to point out, they were aimed at fast-tracking the pending investigations and court cases against the Rajapaksas, but also served a dual purpose of denying their possible contest in the presidential polls, due as they are now.

Great come-down

There cannot be two opinions about the way Gota combined both departments under his direct care to go about organising the urbanisation projects in Colombo and elsewhere in the country. It was also his way of keeping the war-weary soldiers occupied in post-war reconstruction, not only of the war-ravaged North and East, but also the rest of the country.

In doing so, however, Gota seemed to have forgotten to find out how much of it all, his soldier class enjoyed. From being celebrated back home and in the villages and towns of the Sinhala South, to they being seen laying roads, digging up drainages was possibly a great come-down for the uniformed men – and women, too, that too so soon after fighting and winning what was considered an unwinnable war the world over.

In comparing brother Mahinda R’s post-war re-election in 2010 to his defeat five years hence, Gota has said how urban Colombo and Gampaha districts with their strong Sinhala voters had deserted them. Something was possibly amiss there, and he does not seem to have found out what, how and why, in the past five years – or, so would it seem.

There was no gainsaying Gota’s contributions and good work towards beautification of Colombo when he was the Urban Development Secretary. His contributions mainly covered the two districts that he said had not voted for Mahinda in 2015 – and caused the latter’s defeat.

Development vs Democracy

It only meant that there was more to it than ‘development’ that the Sinhala voters desired, at least in the urban centres, desired. Until then, the war-affected Tamil minority voters alone were believed to be holding that view. In Elections-2015, the BBS ensured that the second minority community in the Muslims felt the same way. Gota now confesses that middle-class urban Sinhalas shared those sentiments.

Post-war, the Rajapaksas’ prescription for the nation to prosper was centred on ‘development’. They even implied (and implicated?) that democracy could wait – and would have to wait, if the nation had to progress on the development path. Gota R was believed to be the architect of the model, with Basil implementing it and Mahinda projecting it, upfront.

The world over, it is generally conceded that urban middle-class are sensitive to issues of democracy than their rural brethren. If Gota’s concession on this score is to be translated into a conceptual campaign-point, the Rajapaksas would have to first find a balance, or re-balance their priorities in this regard.

It would not stop there. Brothers Rajapaksa should be ready with answers if queried about it all during campaign-time, with their past record and claims as the base and basis. Nothing explains their own anxiety when Gota is quoted as saying that he never ever owned a ‘white van’.

Both during the war-years, and in the first five years of the post-war era, both under the Rajapaksas, the term ‘white van’ meant only one thing. It certainly did not stop with who owned it – but who ‘ran’ it. Gota’s name topped the public perception, whether true or not.

Whither ‘white van’?

To be fair to Wickremesinghe, and even more so to Gota and the Rajapaksas, the former never ever talked about the ‘white-van’, either during Elections-2015 or after becoming Prime Minister. No cases have been filed against the Rajapaksas on this score. No direct investigations seem to have been launched, either.

All the NGOs in town that had flagged the ‘white van issue’ as central to the anti-Rajapaksa poll campaign nearer home and political campaign overseas are silent on the issue. They who were agitated all the time over the issue when the Rajapaksas were in power are inexplicably silent now, when a ‘friendly and more democratic government’ is in power.

Yet, there is no denying two or three pending police investigations that could seek to fix ‘culpable responsibility’ on those that were sought to be ‘fixed’ when in power and may be pursued after a lull, when they seem to be back close to it, all over again. Of course, pending corruption cases against the Rajapaksas, to dispose of which before the elections two ‘special high courts’ have been set up, may appeal to the domestic constituency, but not necessarily to the international community(read: West).

It may however be a coincidence that Justice Minister Thalatha Atukorale has since inaugurated the second special high court under a post-haste law post-LG polls, to try all those cases relating to the ‘Rajapaksa era’. It remains to be seen if the three-Judge Bench would be burdened with more of cases of corruption and nepotism, or those that could be broadly classified as ‘war crimes’ without branding them as such.

The ‘December 2005’ killing of five Tamil school students in Trincomallee, the ‘missing eleven’ in which Adm Wasantha Karannangoda is now a suspect, and the forgotten ‘French NGOs case’ from the war-time East come to mind. They all could become sample cases to show the world that the Government can conduct independent and credible ‘war-time investigations’ without international interference or assistance.

The urgency for the special high courts were felt, not because the Government had to convince the international community about ‘war-crime’ probe – which anyway they have not begun handling, at least as yet. Even the Karannangoda case is before a regular criminal court. He too challenged the lower court order for his arrest only before the Court of Appeal, which has stayed the same, pending further hearing and disposal.

Instead, the special high courts became necessary because the Rajapaksas were back in electoral reckoning and had swept the local government polls in February 2017. So petrified the Government parties seemed to have become that they are still unwilling to hold provincial council polls, long after they became due – Some democracy, this, compared to Mahinda R, who was holding PC polls at will, but erring more so on the ‘right’ side – holding them before became due, because and only because it was a good time for him to win one more!

(The writer is Director, Chennai Chapter of the Observer Research Foundation, the multi-disciplinary Indian public-policy think-tank, headquartered in New Delhi. Email: sathiyam54@gmail.com)

MCC has an office under the PM’s nose!

Wimal was right after all:

By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya-April 1, 2019, 7:59 pm 

In Parliament on March 18, Opposition MP Wimal Weerawansa claimed that an office of the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) had been set up at Temple Trees. Ports and Shipping Minister Sagala Ratnayake was swift to deny the charge, challenging Weerawansa to either prove his allegation or resign.

According to the website of the US embassy in Colombo, the MCC has a ‘special purpose unit’ called the Compact Development Team, not in Temple Trees but in the Office of the Prime Minister. Weerawansa may be wrong on the technicality of the physical location of the MCC unit, but he is right in his fundamental charge that such a unit exists in a building closely associated with the Prime Minister, namely, his Office. Surely it is disingenuous for the government to accuse Weerawansa of ‘spreading misinformation’ when for all intents and purposes an MCC unit is in fact operating under the Prime Minister’s nose, officially, and with his blessings. Why are the PM and his loyalists so defensive as to deny its existence?

According to the notice posted on the US embassy website:

"The Government has authorized the Compact Development Team ("CDT"), a special purpose unit established in the Policy Development Office of the Office of the Prime Minister, to conduct certain procurements on its behalf. At a later date, the Government expects to establish an accountable entity, MCA-Sri Lanka, to assume certain responsibilities from the CDT and to oversee implementation of the Compact."

The embassy procurement notice (reproduced below in full) relates to the period October 1, 2018 to April 1, 2019, and invites those interested in applying for contracts to supply goods, works and services financed under the programme, to contact one Mr Pradeep Perera of the Compact Development Team at mccpradeepperera@gmail.com.

The author of the web post, mentioned at the end of the notice is "Compact Development Team, Policy Development Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of Sri Lanka."

Many questions arise from the notice itself, and also from the reluctance of those responsible in government to come clean about what the MCC is about. According to the US embassy "The Government of Sri Lanka (the "Government") has applied for a grant from MCC in the form of a Compact." If the MCC has called for applications for procurements, does this mean that the programme has already been ‘approved,’ and by whom? Are members of the cabinet and the President, who heads it, aware of what the ‘Compact’ entails? Why was it not debated in parliament? The secrecy surrounding these negotiations and the government’s utter lack of transparency regarding this project is a matter for concern.

The embassy further says "The proposed Compact will provide approximately USD 480,000,000 toward certain activities in the transportation and land sector …." It seems to be deliberately vague about what those ‘activities’ are. US ambassador Alaina Teplitz at an event in Matara last month is reported to have said the MCC will focus on ‘certain issues connected with transportation as well as roads and land registration in Sri Lanka." Again, there was no elaboration on the specifics.

Any programme that changes laws relating to land use and ownership, or that builds or controls infrastructure such as roads and railways, would need to be carried out in accordance with national policy. Aren’t there issues of sovereignty if funding for such projects is contingent on accepting externally imposed plans? For some time now, land rights activists and analysts have warned of potentially disastrous consequences of reforms to land laws contemplated by the Wickremesinghe-led government. President Maithripala Sirisena after his abortive attempt to sack Wickremesinghe from the prime minister’s post in October last year said he had blocked two ‘anti-national’ Land Bills the PM sought to introduce. He said these new laws sought to allow foreigners to buy any land in the country, both privately or publicly owned.

It is well known that regional as well as extra-regional powers today seek to secure a foothold in this island in order to wrest strategic advantage over rivals. Sri Lanka is in the crosshairs because it is strategically located at a point along vital sea lanes, the control of which is intensely contested by big powers. Against this backdrop, the vagueness on specifics relating to the MCC has led to unease and speculation. If roads and railway-lines are mapped and funded by external powers for their own strategic purposes, they could have potentially destabilizing effects. It has been alleged (by MP Weerawansa among others) that the MCC envisages an electric railway line that would bisect the country in a straight line linking Trincomalee with Colombo.

Readers may recall how in January this year the US military carried out what it called a ‘temporary cargo transfer initiative’ where US Air Force planes brought cargo into the Bandaranaike International Airport - which is a commercial airport - and transferred supplies to an aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis of the US 7th Fleet. The embassy sought to present the operation to the Sri Lankan public as ‘a series of commercial transactions.’ US embassy statements did not specify where the aircraft carrier was, but some reports suggested it was in waters off Trincomalee. If the US plans to use the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo as part of a logistics hub to support its military activities in the Indian Ocean, the relevance of a high-speed rail link connecting the two port cities becomes obvious.

Another aspect of the MCC that casts the operation in a dubious light is that out of the $480 million said to be a ‘grant’ under the programme, a significant portion is likely to find its way back to the US in the form of contracts awarded to US-based consultants and suppliers. The notice on the US embassy website says procurements will be "open to all bidders/consultants from eligible source countries" as defined in the MCC guidelines. But, tucked away as it is on an inside page of the embassy’s website, how many from countries other than the US are likely to get this information? Needless to say, the real issue here is not the potential loss of ‘grant’ money, but the implicit bartering of state sovereignty, and the government’s duplicity in seeking to market a superpower’s designs as a ‘development’ project.

Below is the MCC procurement notice appearing on the website of the US embassy in Colombo as retrieved on 30th March 2019, from the dropdown menu titled ‘Sri Lanka Compact – October 1, 2018 – April 1, 2019’ at: https://lk.usembassy.gov/embassy/colombo/contracting-opportunities/

Sri Lanka Compact – October 1, 2018 – April 1, 2019

The Millennium Challenge Corporation ("MCC") is a U.S. Government agency that assists developing countries committed to good governance, economic freedom, and investment in their people. The Government of Sri Lanka (the "Government") has applied for a grant from MCC in the form of a Compact and intends to apply a part of the grant to contracts for goods, works and services. The proposed Compact will provide approximately USD 480,000,000 toward certain activities in the transportation and land sectors.

The Government has authorized the Compact Development Team ("CDT"), a special purpose unit established in the Policy Development Office of the Office of the Prime Minister, to conduct certain procurements on its behalf. At a later date, the Government expects to establish an accountable entity, MCA-Sri Lanka, to assume certain responsibilities from the CDT and to oversee implementation of the Compact.

This General Procurement Notice is based on a Procurement Plan for the period October 1, 2018 to April 1, 2019.

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS:

Procurement Agent Services

Fiscal Agent Services

SELECTION OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS:

Technical Evaluation Panel Members

PROCUREMENT OF NON-CONSULTANT SERVICES:

Banking Services

Contracts for Goods, Works and Services financed under the Program will be implemented according to the principles, rules and procedures set out in the MCC Programme Procurement Guidelines ("MCC PPG"), which can be found on MCC’s website at https://www.mcc.gov/ppg.

The procurements will be open to all bidders/consultants from eligible source countries, as defined in the MCC PPG.

A Specific Procurement Notice ("SPN") for each contract to be tendered under the competitive bidding procedures and for each consultant contract will be announced on the United Nations Development Business (UNDB) Online at http://www.devbusiness.com/, the Development Gateway Market (dgMarket) at http://mcc.dgmarket.com/, in local newspapers, and in other media outlets, as appropriate.

Interested eligible suppliers, contractors and consultants requiring additional information, should contact Mr. Pradeep Perera of the Compact Development Team at mccpradeepperera@gmail.com.

Compact Development Team, Policy Development Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Government of Sri Lanka

Narcotics incinerated in public for second time in history

Govt. destroys 769 kgs of cocaine worth over Rs.10 bn

Rukshana Rizwie-Monday, April 1, 2019

The Government yesterday destroyed 769 kilogrammes of cocaine worth over Rs.10.6 billion which was confiscated in the year 2016, at a warehouse facility in Kelaniya under open court in the presence of both the Colombo and Mt. Lavinia Magistrates. This is the second time, the government has sanctioned the incineration of narcotics in full view of the public. The first instance was in January last year, when INSEE Ecocycle destroyed more than 900 kilogrammes of cocaine in a similar manner.

The entire operation was carried out under the strict supervision of Sri Lanka Police, with the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena who was present at the venue.

The cocaine which was diluted yesterday by INSEE Ecocycle at a warehouse facility in Gonawala, Kelaniya were stocks that had completed judicial processes. There were hauls from three court cases before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, which included the confiscation of 301.235 kg of cocaine from a warehouse in Orugodawatta in July, the seizure of 31.844 kg from Pettiyagoda in Kelaniya in November and the seizure of 219.950 kg by Customs officials from a warehouse in Orugodawatta.

Meanwhile, the Mt.Lavinia Magistrate also sanctioned that 216.435 kgs of cocaine be destroyed. This was seized by Police during a raid at a market in Ratmalana in July 2017.

The cocaine was verified by the Government Analyst Department, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) and Attorney General’s Department prior to it being destroyed. NDDCB Chairman Prof. Saman Abeysingha said that the testing was conducted by the Board which confirmed the feasibility of disposal of specific court samples in the Cement Kiln co-processing at INSEE Ecocycle in Puttalam.

“However, the feasibility of destruction of other illicit drugs such as heroin, cannabis and other psychotropic substances including psychoactive substances using the same disposal method is under laboratory investigation at NDDCB,” he said.

The confiscated cocaine was liquefied in an aqueous medium at the warehouse facility yesterday. The pre-processing involved a conversion of the chemical structure and the physical state of the material.
According to the calculated ratios in the pre-trials, the material was dissolved in water to ensure zero residual remains. For visual purposes, to differentiate the material, a colouring agent was added to each batch.

The pre-testing was done on March 29 at the NDDCB laboratory under the supervision of Sri Lanka Police, Police Narcotic Bureau according to the court orders given at the Magistrate courts of Mt. Lavinia and Colombo.

The liquefied material was transported for final disposal in specially built hazardous waste transporting vehicle under the supervision of Special Task Force in bulk containers which were GPS enabled with secondary compartments to prevent spillage.

At the Cement Kiln co-processing, the material was processed under 1800-2000 centrigrade with a 4-6 second residence time in full controlled parameters of the kiln process.

President Maithripala Sirisena inspected the stocks and spoke with officials from the management of INSEE Ecocycle. He was flanked by Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, high ranking Police,National Dangerous Drugs Control Board and Government Analyst Department officials.
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Second time in history, narcotics was incinerated in public (16:52)

Govt. destroys over 700 kg of cocaine worth more than 10b
The Sri Lankan government yesterday destroyed 769 kilograms of cocaine worth over 10.6 Billion which was confiscated in the year 2016, at a warehouse facility in Kelaniya under open court in the presence of both the Colombo and Mt. Lavinia Magistrates.

This is the second time, the government has sanctioned the incineration of narcotics in full view of the public. The first instance was last year in January, when INSEE Ecocycle destroyed more than 900 kilograms of cocaine in similar manner.

The entire operation was carried out under the strict supervision of Sri Lanka Police, with the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena who was present at the venue.

The cocaine which was diluted yesterday by INSEE Ecocycle at a warehouse facility in Gonawala, Kelaniya were stocks that had completed judicial processes. There were hauls from three court cases before the Colombo Chief Magistrates Court, which included the confiscation of 301.235 kg of cocaine from a warehouse in Orugodawatta in July, the seizure of 31.844 kg from Pettiyagoda in Kelaniya in November and seizure of 219.950 kg by customs officials from a warehouse in Orugodawatta.

Sajin-MR Cronies Get Plum DPL Postings From Yahapālanaya: Extradition Cases In Jeopardy

MARCH 30, 2019

Three of the most ardent cronies of the previous Rajapaksa regime have been given Ambassador posts by President Sirisena. Kshenuka Seneviratne who was Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and instigator of the infamous incident where Chris Nonis, then High Commissioner to the UK was assaulted by Sajin Vass Gunawardena, is to be Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the UN in New York. This position is currently been held by Dr. Rohan Perera an eminent legal scholar who had served as the Legal Adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years.

Kshenuka and Namal Rajapaksa

Kshenuka Seneviratne was notorious for her loyalty for the Rajapaksas, even attending to all the needs of Namal Rajapaksa during his stays in London. She undercut many of her seniors to become Secretary and authorised many of the illegal transactions at the Ministry ordered by then Monitoring Member of Parliament, Sajin Vass Gunawardena. Having harassed many officers serving at the Ministry, at least two deaths due to heart attacks and stress are attributed to her. Other officers who had served under her have had to go for psychological counselling. It is learnt that Kshenuka had attended to all the needs of Maithripala Sirisena when he undertook several official visits to Thailand last year and managed to secure her posting to New York during the coup period.

This list of nominees as Ambassadors had been approved by Maithripala Sirisena during the coup. It is ironic that they have now all obtained clearance from the High Post Committee of Parliament.

Kshenuka’s right hand man during the notorious Rajapaksa years was Majintha Jayasinghe. This individual who had failed his Efficiency Bar examinations had been promoted from Assistant Director to Additional Secretary by Sajin Vass Gunawardena. He was the Chief of Protocol during the Commonwealth’s Heads of Government Summit and involved in granting highly questionable deals to friends and cronies of Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, which included the purchase of two super luxury busses, the IT deal worth over 500 million to John Keells Group to provide security badges for the Summit and many more such lucrative deals for accommodation and transport during the Heads of State meeting. Majintha Jayasinghe is reported to have been at Temple Trees on the night of January 8 2015 and has openly campaigned for the return of the Rajapaksas. Majintha Jayasinghe has been appointed as Ambassador to UAE. Rather than giving him an ambassador post the Ministry should have investigated his dealings as Chief of Protocol and inquired how he fraudulently gained his seniority after failing exams for a record 8 times.

Majintha Jayasinghe

The Troika at the Ministry during the dark period of the Rajapaksas consisted Kshenuka, Majintha and Rodeney Perera.

Rodney who’s brother Roland is a working committee member of the UNP has managed to reinvent himself as a UNPer and even the party’s preferred choice to be the Secretary of the Ministry. He however was the right hand man of Sajin Vass Gunawardena during his rule of corruption at the Ministry before 2015. Rodney is now to be appointed as Ambassador to the US.

Udayanga

As in many cases where the Prime Minister and the UNP are caught napping the Rajapaksa camp with the help of its now ally president Rajapaksa are positioning their lackeys and cronies to the most important positions in the diplomatic service. When the shift in power takes place after an election due this year and could happen earlier than scheduled the Rajapaksa lackeys will be in the perfect positions to advance their foreign policy interests in capitals around the world, including lobbying foreign governments to drop important investigations into Rajapaksa family members and officials. 

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Hydrogen as an option for power crisis, financial industry tool and current account stabiliser

Research shows that hydrogen will be a key player in storing energy that is wasted at the generation stage in large-scale power grids by off-peak diversion to dummy loads

Tuesday, 2 April 2019 

As the future of the longstanding core-relationship between the financial industry especially the non-banking financial industry (NBFI) and the motor vehicle-based leasing industry is highly questionable, it’s the right time to look for other alternative leasing options in the financial market.

The loan growth of the Sri Lankan NBFI has slowed down considerably since end-2015 with tightened regulation on vehicle financing and increased tariffs on duties of vehicle importation. Loan growth year-on-year had already slowed to 9% by end-2018 from a high of 31% in 2015, due to the imposition of tighter loan-to-value ratios on vehicle-financing by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).

Having this in mind I have spoken to a few experts in different fields and one of them really convinced me. He is Athula Samarasinghe, a retired military officer who has joined the company of Prof. Chandima Gomes, Dr. Ananda Malawatantri, and Eng. Gamini Senanayaka in trying to address our country’s debt-riddled status through energy security.

Debt-riddled status through energy security! What’s that? That too stuck my mind. Apart from my main intention of finding alternative tools to the non-banking financial industry for its sustainability, finding the ways to narrow down the country’s current account deficit which in return influences the debt riddled status of the country in positive means too fascinated me. Having this in mind I opened today’s (19 March) Daily FT only to find out that the power cuts are on the cards due to the prevailing dry weather conditions and an unexpected breakdown of the Norochcholai coal power plant. Now I have three in a row. Addressing alternate tools for the financial industry, debt-riddled status through energy security and now unscheduled power cuts.


A way out for Sri Lanka

Well, a way out for Sri Lanka. I was inquisitive. Athula mentioned to me about Hydrogen (H2) as an alternative energy source. As mentioned in reliable sources, hydrogen fuel is a zero-emission fuel when burned with oxygen. It can be used in electrochemical cells or internal combustion engines to power vehicles or electric devices. It has begun to be used in commercial fuel cell vehicles such as passenger cars and has been used in fuel cell buses for many years. In another research it is disclosed by the year 2050 there will be a hydrogen demand of over 42 million metric tons or 45 billion gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE) in the United States of America alone which can fuel up 342 million light-duty vehicles for 51 × 1011 miles (82 × 1011 km) travel per year.

It can be used in electrochemical cells or internal combustion engines to power vehicles or electric devices. It has begun to be used in commercial fuel cell vehicles such as passenger cars, and has been used in fuel cell buses for many years. Coming back to Athula, I am told a discussion between Prof. Gomes and Athula during a leisure trip in trying to improve the quality of air inside air-conditioned environments had trigged the topic of Hydrogen. Inspired by the revelations made by Prof. Gomes, Athula researched the topic. He then approached Dr. Mallawatantri an environmental scientist who spurred them to solve an environmental issue while striving to attain energy security status for Sri Lanka. Consequently, they formed an entity dedicated to the mentioned purpose.

This entity set themselves certain goals. Mainly, five main goals in order to establish the concept here in Sri Lanka. In addressing these goals, they realised the logical attainment of the undermentioned goals follows a strict order and will compliment energy security in the long run.

Goal 1 – Make hydrogen production economically viable (develop hydrogen as a commercial proposition)

Goal 2 – Capitalise on off peak power (generate hydrogen to balance power grid)

Goal 3 – Induce the use of hydrogen through the transportation sector (Use hydrogen as a fuel)

Goal 4 – Power wheeling clean energy through the national grid to produce hydrogen (encourage clean energy generation)

Goal 5 – Reduction of foreign exchange expenditure on crude oil (uplift the economy of Sri Lanka through energy security).

In trying to address goals Goal 1 and 3, they set themselves some specifications which they are to meet if the project is to commence.

Need 1 – Availability at convenient sites (availability levels of gasoline).

Need 2 – Speed of refuelling (speed of refuelling of gasoline).

Need 3 – Wear and tear (wear and tear to be less than a gasoline driven vehicle).

Need 4 – Cost effectiveness (should be a cheaper alternative to gasoline).

Need 5 – Safety (should be higher or equivalent to gasoline).

Need 6 – Government will (should be convinced of the short and long term benefits).

As per the needs analysis, they went on to conduct a feasibility study involving three-wheelers. The desk review has generated encouraging results. The first simulation study conducted by them involved converting existing three-wheelers into hydrogen. According to them, there are 600,000 three-wheelers in the Western Province. If those could be converted to hydrogen, the balance of trade could reduce by around 40% which is an eye-opener to all of us.

Based on the findings given by Athula, it is suggested to design a product or two by the NBFI to cater to the need. This aspect will certainly stabilise our current account deficit in the long run. Therefore the Government can consider generous tax concessions on such products.

Discussing further, I am informed in 2020 Japan is planning to set up a hydrogen village during the Olympic Games and also by 2040 the developing world will switch to hydrogen as the main source of energy. The cost of manufacturing hydrogen mainly goes against electricity.

Electricity is used to manufacture hydrogen. The manufactured hydrogen is subsequently used to re-produce electricity. The advantage is the manufactured hydrogen in one location can be used in another location through a storing process. This process is known as power wheeling. The storing capacity is high of hydrogen when compared to other energy sources when power wheeling. The power generated through wind, solar coal, and diesel can be used to manufacture hydrogen. The power generated through solar and wind is treated as low quality as they are not in a position to dispatch power on demand. During some seasons of the year, the power could generate in high volumes but not constantly which means the generation of power is seasonal. The generated high volumes can store in hydrogen form to use afterward in a centralised place. The base power which is the minimum requirement of power can be pumped into the national grid at any given time by using stored hydrogen energy.

Research shows that hydrogen will be a key player in storing energy that is wasted at the generation stage in large-scale power grids by off-peak diversion to dummy loads. The study concludes that hydrogen has a promising future to be a highly feasible energy carrier and energy source itself at the consumer level. Unlike in coal power which needs around two weeks to start up and also to shut down, hydrogen power could be used instantly. To power hydrogen energy, wind power could be used as the main source. It is said as per another US-backed research project wind power in Sri Lanka is sufficient enough to fuel the entire energy requirement of the country. It is estimated, a cost of around $ 1.2 million is required to set-up a 10-megawatt wind power plant. However, with a certainly reasonable hypothesis and as per the present tariff the breakeven period of this investment is only six years. Once the plant is commissioned for operations it is only the maintenance that has to be looked in.

In a research conducted by the University of Fribourg, Switzerland it is said vehicles can be run either by connecting them to a continuous supply of energy or by storing energy on board. The transport of people and goods is a socioeconomic reality that will surely increase in the coming years. It should be safe, economical and reasonably clean. Hydrogen would be ideal as a synthetic fuel because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water). It is also environmentally benign. With a few concerns, they too recommend the best substitution for the existing usage of fuel is hydrogen.


Substantial health and environmental benefits

The other resource personnel who contributed facts to this article the UK based Prasad Wijegoonwardena says hydrogen as an energy source enhances energy security, eliminates importing fuel, and limits exposure to volatile world commodity markets. He further says substantial health and environmental benefits such as the elimination of carbon dioxide emissions, other greenhouse gas pollution, reduces smog and other harmful particulate emissions that cause health issue are also on record. Additionally, other areas of positive aspects such as, low operating and maintenance costs, and provides power to remote areas with no electricity grid are also existing.

He further says hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Hydrogen makes up over 90% of the sun’s composition. It is also the lightest basic element (atomic weight: 1.008) in the periodic table. However, hydrogen has a higher energy density per given mass than most carbon-based commodities (three times that of gasoline, over two times that of natural gas). While hydrogen is not found naturally in its pure molecular form on earth, it is found in combination with other elements – most commonly in water (H2O), in organic compounds, and in hydrocarbon energy molecules (petroleum, coal, natural gas). The energy contained within hydrogen molecules can be converted to electricity through an electrochemical process in fuel cells, with only pure oxygen being emitted as a by-product. Considering the knowledge and contacts he has built internationally, he is of the view hydrogen is the best option for Sri Lanka to face the uncertainties in local energy supply and global economic conditions.

Considering the views of these two experts and other findings on the subject, it is suggested to consider the formation of a platform to launch this energy giant to address the country’s power and energy shortage mainly. Once it is established the current account deficit of the country will stabilise to a great extent. Under the given state of affairs, the non-banking financial industry should be prepared to capitalise on the circumstances by creating products to accommodate this gigantic economy changer.

(The writer, is the founder of Infornets, an organisation which is formed with the intention of sharing credit related information and financial knowledge to less-informed people, locally and internationally. He counts 35 years of experience in the non-banking financial industry of Sri Lanka.

He is a former CEO/General Manager of a non-bank financial institution. He holds a Master Degree in Business Administration from the UK. He is a board member of the National Science and Technology commission (NASTEC). He is a Member of Institute of Management of Sri Lanka and an Associate member of Sri Lanka Association of Advancement of Science. He can be reached via pemack2016@gmail.com or www.infornets.com.)

Over 50,000 affected by dry spell

 APR 01 2019

The Disaster Management Centre today (1) said over 50,000 people were affected by the severe dry weather conditions prevailing across the island country and the worst affected areas have been identified as Vavuniya and Jaffna in the North.

Puttalam, in the North Western Province, Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province, Matale in the Central Province and Kandy, in the Central highlands have also been badly affected due to the prevailing drought situation.

The Disaster Management Centre said lack of rains, especially in the mountainous areas had resulted in a severe water shortage in these areas.

Deputy Director of the Centre, Pradeep Kodippili said water bowsers were set up in several affected areas to supply fresh water to families.

Kodippili said the public have been warned to remain indoors due to the extreme weather conditions.
The Meteorology Department, in its latest weather update said that hot weather conditions were likely to rise further in the coming days but temporary local showers could also be expected.

Temperatures are expected to rise to as high as 41 degrees centigrade.

World Water Day - March 22: Leaving no one behind!

1 April 2019

As of today, billions of people in the world still live without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive. 

Marginalized groups including women, children, refugees, indigenous people, disabled and many others are often overlooked and discriminated as they try to access and manage the safe water they need. Although there is a day  dedicated for water, World Water Day, falls on March 22 every year, still, this Day has not been deep-rooted in our hearts as we, Sri Lankans, have not hardly hit and fully aware about the escalating water crisis and effects of climate change. 

Have you noticed?

Rainfall in Sri Lanka has multiple origins, monsoonal, convectional and depressional rains. The mean annual rainfall of the country varies from below 900mm in the driest parts to over 5,000mm in the wettest parts of the country, even the driest areas in the country receive rainfall three times higher than what Pakistan receives as average rainfall. However, 84% of land out of country’s total land area is covered with hard rock, allowing only 10% percolation. The rest, the runoff escapes into the sea mostly as floods or landslides. Lack of adequate water storage facilities is the major flaw of the country, which was figured out even at Kings Era, and have constructed more than 30,000 surface tanks targeting the dry zone. Regrettably, most of these tanks are currently silted or encroached by nearby villages, and do not provide the expected benefits. 
World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that increased prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown etiology (CKDu) has observed in Sri Lanka over the past two decades. This has become a serious public health problem among rural poor, male farmers in hot climates. Although the role of heavy metals in drinking water as a causative factor for CKDu has not been established, ensuring access to safe drinking water in endemic areas was recommended at the International expert Consultation on CKDu held in Colombo in April 2019. In contrast, only 50% of the population, mostly living in cities, benefitted through pipe-borne water, distributed by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB), which is stamped as safe for drinking.  
As per the research undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Plantation Engineering, Open University of Sri Lanka, the ground water and surface water of the country is widely contaminated with Nitrate (NO3) due to intensive farming and rapid urbanization. Although Nitrate is not a direct toxic to human body, the excessive consumption of nitrate is associated with the risk of Methaemoglobinaemia, which is ‘Blue Baby Syndrome’. Likewise, Eutrophication, water bodies enriched with high nutrients that favours certain plants threatening the bio diversity of the environment.   
Sri Lanka National Report on Disaster Risk, Poverty, Human Development Relationship 2008 indicate, a total of 28 million people affected by natural disasters for last 34 years(1974-2008) in Sri Lanka, out of which 48% by floods and 44% by drought (Tsunami is not considered) while the next highest were landslides and extreme wind events. 

World Water Day 2019: Water for All by 2030

World Water Day 2019 is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind. The theme ‘Leaving no one behind’ is an adaptation of the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: as sustainable development progresses, everyone must benefit. Access to safe water also underpins public health and is therefore critical to sustainable development; but by leaving so many people without safe water we tend to hinder the development as a global society. 
People left behind without safe water for various reasons; sex and gender; race, ethnicity, religion, birth, caste, language, and nationality; disability, age and health status and property, tenure, residence, economic and social status. Environmental degradation, climate change, rapid population growth, conflict, forced displacement and migration can be added to the list that  doubles the burden of these marginalized groups. 
To ‘leave no one behind’, we must focus our efforts to include the marginalized as they are the most ignored. Their voices must be heard in decision-making processes. Regulatory and legal frameworks must recognize the right to water for all, and sufficient funding must be fairly and effectively targeted at those who need it most.

King Parakramabahu (1153-86 AD) “Let’s not allow a single drop of water to flow into the sea without being used for the benefit of mankind”.   

Rainwater harvesting 

Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) is not a new concept – for centuries the world has relied on harvested rainwater as a source of water for household and for agriculture. Traditionally, rainwater has been collected from tree trunks using banana leaves and from rooftops into barrels or brick tanks. However, RWH became institutionalized in Sri Lanka in 1995, with the interdiction of Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project funded by the World Bank.  

Benefits of RWH

Nearly 60% of which is around 60 billion m3 of rainwater, tend to run off finally ending in the sea. Instead, this runoff can be stored in small ponds “Pathahas” and can be used for cultivation during dry spells. Further, a considerable portion of run-off tend to erode the top soil resulting in degradation of lands and filling waterways with sediments. Suitable water conservation measures such as contour drains or tanks can retain water in the land and would enhance water infiltration resulting reduced run-off flow and velocity. RWH can be used as a precaution to strengthen the economy of the rural poor (nearly 90% of the rural population) whose income mainly depends on agriculture and animal husbandry.       
Moreover, harvested rainwater is a better alternative source when piped water supply is insufficient against the demand and when ground water quality is low or changed during rainy season. The traditional water sources are usually available at a distance whereas the RWH water collecting tanks can be placed closer to the house reducing the time spent for fetching water. Rainwater collected from a well manage roof catchment is generally safe even for drinking without treatment, except in heavily urbanized and industrialized areas. RWH conserves energy as the energy input needed to operationalize a centralized water system. In other countries, collected water is being used during emergencies such as for fire-fighting and when the centralized water systems are broken. 

RWH legal in Sri Lanka?

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) Act July 27, 2007 legalized the adoption of RWH in all the buildings. The Kandy Declaration by SAARC Ministers signed on September 28, 2006, embarked on joint action of making use of every possible method for RWH, in order to make a considerable contribution in solving poverty and water need of humankind, other living beings and the environment. 

RWH for domestic use

RWH system consists of three basic components.

• Catchment or surface to collect water
• Delivery system to transport water from catchment to reservoir 
• Storage reservoir or tanks to store water until it is used. This is equipped with an extraction device.  

Most of the roofing materials used in Sri Lanka are acceptable for collecting water. However, it is not recommended to use thatched roofs as catchments if the water to be used for drinking. Galvanised, corrugated iron or plastic sheets and tiles make good catchment surfaces and undamaged asbestos sheets do not have a negative effect on water quality. For effective operation of RWH systems, a well designed highly maintained gutter system is crucial. As much as 90% or more of the rainwater can be drained to the storage tank if the gutter and the down pipe systems are properly fitted and maintained. Common materials used for gutters are made of PVC and G.I. Aluminum. The storage tank usually represent the biggest capital investment element of the domestic RWH systems. Depending on the availability and affordability, the owners can select the materials for tanks, either metal, plastic, fiberglass, bricks or ferro cement. 
A major barrier of rooftop RWH technology is the high capital investment. Cost gets higher when the rainfall is low and there is longer dry periods, which results in the need for a larger cistern to store more water to ensure water availability for a longer period. As a way of avoiding this initial cost, some households started using barrels, open cement tanks, buckets and cans that reduces the keeping quality of water drastically, providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes and contamination from external agents. Therefore, supportive mechanisms such as loans and subsidies can be introduces to effectively promote the RWH system among rural poor. However, full subsidy is not recommended in terms of sustainability – users should involve through unskilled labour and for acquiring locally available raw materials as a measure to create ownership.      
Lack of awareness and training on RWH is the next factor that hinders the community acceptance on this unique system. ‘Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum’ extended training programme to practitioners and actual beneficiaries to ensure quality construction, proper operation and maintenance and management of harvested water. Through the training programme, they worked on changing the myths, wrong perceptions and community behaviour towards the new concept. 
Rainwater can be contaminated through different sources; animal faeces, bird droppings or leaf debris collected on the catchment, small animals and insects drowned in water in the collection tank, mosquito breeding and dirty containers. Therefore, regular cleaning and inspection of the system is vital to ensure good quality water.                 
According to Han Heijnen, President, International Rainwater Management Alliance and lessons learn through the pilot projects conducted by ‘Lanka Rain Water harvesting Forum’, most of the physical, chemical and biological parameters of rainwater are scientifically impressive and acceptable to use as portable water in the household.   

Regional examples on RWH

Global Water Partnership South Asia (GWP South Asia), a Regional Water Partnership of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) network, took the initiative to nurture the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in South Asia. GWP South Asia network is linked through Country Water Partnerships (CWPs) in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with nearly 700 strategic partners across the region. 
Pakistan Water Partnership (PWP) and affiliate of GWP South Asia constructed RWH ponds in targeted locations by involving local communities in the deserts of Tharparkar and in Greater Cholistan in Pakistan. These small ponds “tobas” are well known to the desert communities as most of them live on agriculture and animal husbandry where the tobas are often the only source of water for their daily usage. 
India Water Partnership (IWP) initialized a demonstration project on RWH, at a Senior Secondary Government School in Village Garhi Harsaru, Haryana. The unit consisted of both a storage and a groundwater recharge pit. They have proposed to establish another five RWH systems in five schools. Village, Garhi Harsaru is one out of the many water stressed peri-urban areas in Delhi NCR. Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP) invested on water and sanitation facilities of some selected schools in the Central Province aligned with the Government school sanitation and hygiene promotion programme. They have collaborated with Provincial Department of Education and private sector to construct sixteen RWH systems for some selected schools in Aranayake and in Hatton, preceded by sanitation advocacy programme. 
World Water Day 2019 is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind. UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message said, “we must value water resources and ensure their inclusive management if we are to protect and use this vital resource sustainability for the benefit of all people”. 
Therefore, with the onset of rains anticipated no later than in April, are we still going to fold our hands, enjoy the rain, wait until these heavy rains wash away our belongings, farmlands and even the lives of our brothers and sisters to the Ocean and later plead for recovery assistance? Or can we think about an alternative method to store this free flowing water for future use and to recharge ground water table as a complement?

The author is a Communications Coordinator, GWP South Asia 
Special thanks to Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum