Environmental Protection

"On top of this we hear of oil tankers sinking mid sea spilling millions of liters of oil which finally end up on the beaches of poor countries. What about testing of nuclear weapons? Powerful air craft?..."

(January, 08, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) As far as what is visible about environmental protection, it is one of failure with an unsolved garbage problem for over two decades, uncontrolled destruction of forest cover, unabated water pollution, not to mention sound pollution from about 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. coming from three wheelers and motor cycles fitted with car horns, lorries and buses fitted with locomotive type horns, all blaring away indiscriminately with no respect even to a temple, church, mosque, or hospital in the vicinity. They only respect Court Houses for obvious reasons.

Though the above visible problems are bound to continue to remain unsolved, we do have enough professionals calling themselves doctors (PhDs), professors to address any seminar, workshop on the environment, only if it all ends with cocktails, lunch, dinner etc in a five star hotel. Notwithstanding the many laws that have been passed, these problems will remain unsolved not because of the magnitude of the problem but due to lack of persons with vision and practical experience to oppose those who profit from unsolved problems.

We must all know that the biggest polluters are the highly industrialised countries but we in Sri Lanka are made to believe that we alone can put the whole globe right. This is only big talk by globe trotting environmental officials to justify their existence.

Those who promote these laws will not admit that mother nature herself is a great polluter when we talk of floods, earth quakes, forest fires, volcanoes, typhoons, land slides, Tsunamis etc etc. On top of this we hear of oil tankers sinking mid sea spilling millions of liters of oil which finally end up on the beaches of poor countries. What about testing of nuclear weapons? Powerful air craft?

The writer seeks to stress the difference between "Environmental Protection in Theory" and "Environmental Protection in a Practical and Sensible Manner" as an eye opener to law makers whose one aim is to pass laws that turn a blind eye to the major polluters and catch only the sprats. The end result can lead not to protect the environment but more for "making money" at the point of enforcement where the less powerful will be made to pay heavy fines while the more powerful will escape. Call it corruption if you like.