“Within the Colombo Municipal Council city limits, there are 100,000 trees. Of these, around 300 are considered high risk,” Tennakoon told reporters at a media conference to raise awareness about the current disaster management situation.

Not all trees required to be cut down he said. “We can trim some of the branches and retain them.”

The problem was that buildings in the vicinity of the tree had cut branches on one side, causing it to become unbalanced, the minister said.

New laws would be brought in so provincial/municipal institutions could strengthen enforcement of building codes.

“We don’t have a single institution that can issue a warning about a tree. Not one to tell us what trees can or cannot be planted near a road.

“Trees should be suitable for the area. Some trees have roots that spread and damage roads, buildings. When the roots can’t go deep, they tend to topple over.

“Now Environment Day is coming up, and anyone can go plant a tree by the road. We have to take a decision about this. We have to enforce laws strongly in future.” (Colombo/June3/2024)

“Additional service staff has been assigned to attend the breakdowns and the CEB management & service staff are working 24 hours to restore power to the affected consumers,” Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera said on social media platform X (twitter).

Wijesekera said consumers could report power interruptions through the CEB hotline 1987, via SMS to 1987 with BD and the electricity consumer number to follow, or use the CEB Care app, or through http://cebcare.ceb.lk.

The South-East monsoon has seen floods, landslides and strong winds do damage to the utility provider’s infrastructure in the last week. (Colombo/May23?2024)

“The Police can only detain beggars and produce them in courts, then they pay a fine and are back on the street within a week,” DIG Traffic, Indika Hapugoda said.

“We have tried rehabilitating them, and offering them jobs that pay 2,000-3,000 rupees a day, but they ask us ‘Why would we want to do that when we earn 15,000 to 20,000 rupees a day from begging?'”

Beggars are a frequent sight in Colombo. Some have wounds, others have apparently slumberous infants and toddlers in their arms. This is in most instances a business venture, DIG Hapugoda said. “Some carry infants who have been drugged, and some are drug addicts themselves.”

“If the public stops giving them money we will be able to see a reduction in beggars. Even if we arrest and rehabilitate them, they come back to this business because people give.”

Hapugoda was speaking at a press briefing on addressing the ‘Beggar Menace at Traffic Lights in Colombo City Limits’ jointly organized with the Automobile Association of Ceylon.

AAC is asking “Motorists to refrain from offering charity to beggars near traffic lights, specially in Colombo City limits and suburbs,” AAC Project Manager Prasanna De Soysa said.

The 120-year association said that it bid to host an international summit in Colombo but was told to address the beggars at traffic lights issue first.

Some of the high earning beggars are acting out a role to gain the sympathy of the public, DIG Hapugoda said. “They come in vehicles and change their clothes.”

“When they don’t get money there are some who damage the vehicle by scratching it with a sharp object,” he said. “Some knock themselves on the vehicle and claim they were injured by motorists and claim damages.”

“We arrested 94 recently, and produced them in courts. But they cannot be held for long. They pay a fine and are released on bail. Then they return to the streets.”

It has also been found that many have land an properties, Hapugoda said.

Sri Lankans, due to religious and cultural beliefs, tend to help people, Deputy Director Engineering (Traffic & Road Design) Eng U K M K Kularathna said, “It’s in our nature. But it has a huge impact when beggars cause an obstruction at traffic lights. We are not saying don’t give alms; We are only saying not to do so at traffic lights.”

There are 180 traffic lights in Colombo, and 350 in other cities. (Colombo/Apr29/2024)

“We usually see a 100,000 to a 110,000 cars a month,” Suriyabandara said at a press conference on Tuesday. “However, for the Christmas season we saw around 145,000 cars, and for the new year season we expect 150-200,000 cars.”

Suriyabandara said that vehicles are expected to flood the roads from April 16 to April 18 as those who went on holiday or to visit relatives head back to Colombo.

Due to this, the National Council for Road Safety has warned drivers of the possibility of increased road accidents in the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season.

According to data from the Expressway Road Safety Committee, there have been 9,375 accidents in the Southern Expressway with 56 percent occurring from driver-related issues and 37 percent occurring from vehicle-related issues. (Colombo/Apr9/2024)

“Every year around this time we see a rise in various fatal accidents – road accidents, drowning, explosions and sports injuries – and increased numbers of people being hospitalized,” Minister of Health Ramesh Pathirana said at a press briefing to launch a set of guidelines for conducting sporting events (avurudu kreeda) ahead of the festivities this week.

“We entreat people to be vigilant about their and others’ safety during this festival period.

Pathirana said that health officials had studied 5 years of data and seen an increase in accidents every year during this period.

“If someone is injured, please don’t transport them in three-wheelers. This can do more damage, especially if they have fractures,” Health Ministry official and Consultant Community Physician Samitha Siritunga said.

Police Director of Traffic SP Indika Hapugoda said the Police had increased the deployment of personnel for the four-day holiday.

“We don’t have a shortage of breathalyzers, we have procured 150,000 units. In addition, we also have saliva and urine test kits to detect drivers high on other substances.

(Colombo/Apr8/2024)

“In collaboration with the Department of Immigration and Emigration, Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, arrangements are being made to obtain a driving license in Sri Lanka for foreigners seeking to have them,” State Minister Alagiyawanna told a press briefing at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on Friday.

“They can now apply for it directly at the airport from April 15th. All necessary arrangements have been made to facilitate the issuance of the driving license upon their departure from the airport.”

The fees for obtaining a driving license are as follows: USD 25 for one month, USD 50 for three months, USD 75 for six months, and USD 200 for a year or longer.

Additionally, from April 10 the demerit points system will take effect in the country, Alagiyawanna said.

“Post offices handling traffic violation fines will transmit details such as the offense’s nature, the respective police station, driving license particulars, and contact number to the National Council for Road Safety’s data system. Using this information, the National Council for Road Safety will send text messages and accident-related videos to the relevant phone numbers through WhatsApp.”

Alagiyawanna said that various projects were also in place to curb road accidents. He said it was important to promote awareness to reduce traffic accidents at the school level. The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Public Security will launch road safety forums in every school from April 3. (Colombo/Mar22/2024)

The satellite based oil spill monitoring system is a pilot project by CLS, and will be funded by 600,000 euro from the French government.

“The ocean regulates our climate and supports sectors like tourism, fishing and international shipping,” French Ambassador Jean-François Pactet said.

The ambassador said the project was funded by a grant from the French Ministry of the Economy and will help Sri Lanka gain expertise in the fight against marine pollution through the use of cutting-edge technologies.

Related Story:

After high profile marine disasters, Sri Lanka approves French-funded oil spill monitoring service

The oil spill monitoring system was a step forward in enacting France’s Treaty of the High Seas, a national commitment to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, the French ambassador said.

The project includes training and capacity building of officers.

Satellite imaging is not limited to oil spill monitoring.

“Using this technology you have the ability to detect vessels on the maritime domain. One very interesting application is fighting against illegal fishing,” Olivier Germain, Project Manager, CLS, said.

“Even if they switch off all their equipment to declare their position, you can see them. They are suspicious vessels you may want to inspect.”

“There are also other applications. These kinds of images have the ability to provide measurements of the maritime environments. You can measure parameters like surface wind, waves, swells and sea surface currents.

“You can do charting of the coastal environments from urban developments, to agriculture, or forestry. You can do maps in time, and detect changes in a very precise manner,” Germain said.

CLS’ Maritime Surveillance and Safety Director David Bajouco said that a similar system deployed has been used in Europe by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

“They have been operating a similar system for almost 15 years now, and the results that have been achieved have been quite tremendous.”

Sri Lanka witnessed two large scale marine disasters within nine months since September 2020: Both the MT New Diamond, a large crude carrier and the X-press Pearl MV with large amounts of chemicals that caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka.

An analysis of its cargo manifest revealed that the MV X-Press was transporting hazardous materials including 25 tonnes of Nitric Acid, according to the International Maritime Hazardous Goods Regulation (IMDG regulation).

Appearing before parliament in July, Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka has filed cases in Singapore courts seeking 22.1 million US dollars for damages to the marine environment and 273.014 million US dollars for livelihood losses to fishermen.

India has sought 495.3 million Indian rupees from Sri Lanka as the cost for firefighting operations, which was 1941.5 million in Sri Lankan rupees. (Colombo/Sep12/2023)

The accidents involve transport, wildlife and animals

“Four people lose their lives due to accidents every three hours,” Samitha Sirithunga, a specialist in the Ministry of Health, said in a statement.

With 10,000 to 12,000 people die of accidents each year it has become one of the leading causes of death, Sirithunga said.

“The government will save a huge amount of money if it works to prevent accidents,” Sirithunga said.

“One out of five Sri Lankans face an accident requires medical treatment once a year,” Sirithunga said.

Majority of the lives lost are between 15-44 years old, Sirithunga said. (Colombo/July01/2023)

Sri Lanka has filed a case in Singapore on April 25, seeking damages from which was to be heard in June but has been brought forward to this week. Sri Lanka’s lawyers will seek more time, Rajapsaksa said.

According to the expert committee appointed has estimated the total damage to 6.4 billion US dollars.

India has sought 495.3 million Indian rupees from Sri Lanka as the cost for firefighting operations, which was 1941.5 million in Sri Lankan rupees.

Sri Lanka has hired Dentons Rodyk and Davidson LLP legal firm in Singapre and Sparke Helmore of Australia to argue its case.

Vessel owners and Insures have gone to Admiralty Court in UK seeking to cap damages to the ship and environment at 19.2 sterling pounds, Rajapaksa said.

Kings Counsel Peter MacDonald from DAC Beachcroft firm has been hired to represent Sri Lanka in seeking a removal of the cap on damages, he said.

Meanwhile, for the MT New Diamond, another shipping accident happened in September 202, Sri Lanka has sought 22.1 million US dollar in damages for the marine environment, 75.64 million USD for the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency and 273.014 million US dollars for damage caused for the fishermen, Rajapasksa told parliament.

The case have been filed in the Colombo Magistrate court, however, Rajapaksa said summons have been issued to the owner and the Insurer of the New Diamond, however no one representing the ship showed up so far. (Colombo/May09/2023 – corrected)

“Even if it is only one flight, there is a chance an accident may occur,” Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, Director General, P. A. Jayakantha said.

“This particular committee is there to investigate aircraft accidents and act as a mechanism to take over if something goes wrong”.

Sri Lanka has encountered around 2,700 minor aircraft accidents and incidents mostly on the ground in the 19 years through 2021, the CAA annual reports showed.

The new committee will analyze the past accidents and take precautionary measures while also conducting investigations and provide independent reports in the future, Jayakantha said.

The team is provided with required training and qualifications by the CAA along with an International organization, free of charge.

“Internationally also it is a requirement to have a team to investigate the aircraft accidents,” Jayakantha added.

“For a long time we have not fulfilled this requirement and that is why we established this team with the cabinet approval. Moreover, recently, Sri Lanka’s two aircrafts, one training aircraft and a commercial aircraft met an accident”

The committee will be on active duty, until the Accident Investigation Act is passed and a proper Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau is established. (Colombo/ Mar23/2023)

The cleaning program was initiated at Crow Island beach in Mattakkuliya.

On May 20, 2021, the Singapore-flagged container vessel MV X-Press Pearl caught fire, spilling chemicals and plastic pellets into the sea.

The vessel had nitric acid, caustic soda, and other chemicals used for personal products such as perfume, and it also contained electric and electronic equipment. It had lithium in the containers, which is highly hazardous to the marine environment.

Sagala Ratnayake, Senior Adviser to the President on National Security and Chief of the Presidential staff participating in the event, said the island’s coast and beaches are the main attractions of the tourism industry in the country. It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to protecting the coast and environment for the next generation.

The program is jointly implemented by the Marine Environment Protection Authority, Department of Coast Conservation, Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Central Environmental Authority, Environmental Police, Sri Lanka Navy, and Tudawe Brothers Private Limited.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is awaiting the removal of the sunken wreck of MV X-Press Pearl, which sank off Colombo Port, to make a second environmental damage claim.

China-based Shanghai Salvage was hired to remove the wreck in February 2021. It was initially expected to be removed within 120 days, but bad weather delayed the activity.

Sri Lanka has received $40 million from insurers in an interim claim. (Colombo/Mar 12/2023)

China-based Shanghai Salvage was hired to remove the wreck in February 2021. It was originally expected to be removed in 120 days but bad weather had delayed the activity.

“The second interim claim is pending until the wreck is removed,” Dharshani Lahandapura told Chairperson of Marine Environment Protection Authority, (MEPA) told EconomyNext.

“We cannot do anything to prepare a final report since we assume the pollution is happening even now at the moment.

On May 20, 2021, Singapore flagged container vessel MV X-Press Pearl, caught fire spilling chemicals and plastic pellets in to the sea.

Sri Lanka has received 40 million dollars from insurers in an interim claim.

“The vessel had nitric acid, caustic soda, and some other chemicals which are actually used for personal products like perfume,” Lahandapura said.

“We had electric and electronic equipment, and had lithium in the container which is highly hazardous.

“The evacuation is happening now at the moment. They have cut the ship into two pieces and differentially floated one part.”

An expert committee appointed by the government had warned that more damage could occur during salvage if material inside the ship spills into the sea, Sri Lanka’s Justice Ministry said in a statement. (Colombo/ Feb 01/2023)

Deaths caused by petrol contact burns increased in late March along with an increase in fire accidents in households where fuel is stored in unsafe conditions, Specialist Plastic Surgeon at the Colombo National Hospital Dr Gayan Munasinghe said.

The number of patients admitted to the state hospital due to petrol contact burns has increased to an average of six cases per day and the death rate due to petrol burns has increased by 20 percent, he said.

“At the Colombo National Hospital, we treated only about one or two petrol contact burns till January. But now it has increased dangerously and now we are treating four to six cases daily and around 20 percent die, meaning one death per two days” Munasighe said.

“Due to the current situation, people have been storing fuel at home. This has led to several dangerous situations and we have been hearing reports of fire accidents in households throughout the country.”

Munasinghe said petrol burns are more severe than kerosene burns and that storing fuel in various types of cans that are not airtight can cause explosions due to petrol evaporating and mixing with the surrounding air.

“The danger of storing fuel in houses where you don’t get the safety measures of a fuel station is that if the petrol evaporates and mixes with the air in the house, lighting a stove or turning on a switch can ignite it causing a sudden fire in the house,” Munasinghe said.

“Several people have lost their lives during the past few days. Especially children as well as some adults do not know how to handle petrol,” he said.

If the human body burns 40-50 percent due to petrol, the expert said, it can be a life threatening situation for the patients and survival rate is very low.

“It is a life threatening situation if the body has burned more than 20 percent. Saving a life if it is 40-50 percent is nearly impossible. Also the cost for medication is very high and we might have to treat the patient with thousands rupees worth of medicine just to keep the patient alive for 24 hours and most of the time even after doing that the results will not be good,” Munasinghe said.

“Due to scarring, they become disabled for the rest of their lives. Our skin is our identity. If that gets damaged, it creates many issues, epecially for children and young adults who have a bright future ahead of them.”

If storing fuel at home is a must, he said, the public must ensure that safety measures are followed as if it were a filling station.

“In a fuel station they have many safety measures, such as switching off the engine while filling, no smoking, etc. If the fuel is stored at home, there should be safety measures there as well such as no cooking, no cell phone, no switching on lights, etc.,” Munasinghe said.

People standing in fuel queues, cans in hand, has been a common sight in recent weeks as Sri Lanka’s fuel shortages worsen amid a worsening forex crisis. People have been seen collecting extra fuel in fear of future shortages. Authorities say panic buying is making the problem worse when petrol is available and a continuous supply is to be ensured through an Indian credit line. (Colombo/Mar24/2022)

The latest explosion was reported in Kandegedara, Nikaweratiya, taking total explosions so far to six.

Litro Gas supplies 80 percent of the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder market in Sri Lanka.

“From our side, we are ensuring that our cylinders are safety-assured and from the consumers’ side, they have to be cautious about the appliances,” Litro Gas Lanka Ltd Director, Health Safety & Environment, Jayantha Basnayake said.

“We are doing our own investigations and we have completed a report on the cases related to Litro. Our final root cause observation is that the appliances were the reason for these incidents.”

He said only about two incidents were related to Litro.

Litro has an incident handling unit that investigates reports or complaints made by customers.

This unit also works with relevant authorities such as police and government analysts, said Basnayake.

“The cases linked Litro gas cylinders were thoroughly investigated, and the reason was other appliances,” he reiterated.

Though he ruled our foul play, Basnayake said the nature of the consecutive gas explosions seemed a “bit strange”. Litro hears of five to 10 incidents maximum per year mainly due to human negligence.

Customers who find leaks are advised to immediately allow ventilation and remove the cylinder’s regulator and put the safety clip back on the valve, after which the cylinder is to be taken outside.

Basnayake also advised not to use any electrical equipment including mobile phones or even turn on a light swift in the area when there is a leak.

He said the high-standard regulators will always have a safety feature that blocks these leaks.

However, leaks can be identified from its odour or a hissing sound.

He also said that regulators and tubes must be changed regularly: two years for tubes and five years for regulators.

Amid all this, a report of gas explosion casualty has also emerged.

The explosion had taken place on November 13 in a house in Welikanda in Polonnaruwa injuring a 19-year old married girl.

Media reports said the girl passed away on November 25.  However, officials of both Litro and competitor Laugfs Gas said they were unaware of the incident taking place at all, as every incident that took place was immediately reported to the respective company’s officials. (Colombo/Nov26/2021)

At least four gas leak explosions occurred across the country, namely in Pannipitiya, Palamadulla, Rathnapura and Kurunduwatta, Colombo, in November alone, according to police reports.

“The explosions happened due to the LP gas that leaked mixing with oxygen and other gases in the atmosphere,” Roshan Fernando, Senior Assistant Government Analyst of the Government Analyst’s Department said.

“I must inform you that the cylinders have not exploded in any of the incidents that have been reported.

“Today, we investigated an explosion that happened in Kottawa,” he said, referring to a Colombo suburb town.

“The gas in the atmosphere had ignited due to a light bulb. In that house, a metal clip that we use to secure the gas pipe to the cylinder was also not there. The gas has leaked due to that.”

A key government official at the state-run Consumers’ Affairs Authority (CAA) after his resignation recently claimed that gas companies have changed the proportions of the two gases used inside the cylinder. A widely circulated interview with the official added to consumers’ concerns.

Thushan Gunawardena, the former executive director of the CAA, said gas companies have changed the butane proportion from 70 percent to 50 percent and that could also have contributed to the explosion.

“We are investigating these incidents because these leakages are less than 1 percent of the cylinders we supply to the market per month,” W K H Wegapitiya, chairman of Laugfs Gas Plc, told EconomyNext.

However, Wegapitiya said the fires reported were not related to the cylinders but was rather an issue with the appliances use cylinders don’t explode.

“All these are due to human negligence,” he said.

Laugfs gas accounts for 20 percent of the LP gas market share in Sri Lanka.

Consumer Affairs Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said they have discussed the measures that are already in place and further measures to be taken in the future with experts.

“In the next two-three weeks we will work on issuing gazettes and regulations that need to protect consumers our country,” Minister Alagiyawana said.

“Quality assurance is mandatory in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Accreditation Board is the body that regulated the laboratories that do quality assurance in Sri Lanka.

“We have asked the Accreditation Board to register two laboratories that do quality testing when gas is imported to Sri Lanka. It is to strengthen the system and to assure the quality of the gas we import.

Previously, five gazettes had been issued in 2012 regarding the quality of the gas cylinder, regulators and other equipment,” the minister said.

LP gas leaks occur for a couple of reasons caused by a lack of knowledge by LPG consumers and improper usage, Wegapitiya said.

A composition change in the LP gas cocktail – Butane and Propane – caused the explosions after the traditionally used proportion of 70:30 was changed to 50:50, officials have said.

However, Wegapitiya said there was no logic behind the allegation of increasing propane in the cocktail because it is the more expensive of the two gases.

Domestic gas leaks often happen due to poorly fixed or fitted regulators leading to leaks and gas tubes that are not replaced in time or damaged by pests, and if the user keeps the stove on without igniting, or due to substandard appliances.

Sri Lanka does not have a gas regulatory body. Gas company officials said they have their own investigation units to conduct studies. (Colombo/Nov25/2021)

Gunasekara told EconomyNext a short while ago that the team might have collected all the samples by now as they took off to the ship from Trincomalee between 2 and 3am this morning.

Meanwhile, Navy Media Spokesman Captain Indika De Silva told EconomyNext that the MEPA team had safely boarded the ship this morning.

A meeting is scheduled with the Attorney General and all agencies involved in the firefighting process to discuss future actions to be taken about the stricken supertanker, he added.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recorded statements from the captain of the MT New Diamond oil tanker on Saturday. Police Media Spokesman SSP Jaliya Senaratne told reporters that a statement from the captain was recorded by the CID at a quarantine centre in Galle last Saturday (12).

The Colombo Chief Magistrate previously ordered the CID to record statements from the 23 crew members including the captain.

The MT New Diamond is currently anchored 52 nautical miles East of Sangamankanda in eastern Sri Lanka. (Colombo/Sept14/2020)