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Rebuilding with equity

President Kumaratunga's statement to the effect that the reconstruction of the country's damaged infrastructure would begin on March 1, should put the record straight on the future directions in which the Government intends to rebuild Sri Lanka.

Contrary to opinion in some quarters that expected targets in the latter exercise are yet to be achieved, the President's statement establishes that steady but quiet progress has been made by the State over the past few weeks, to get Sri Lanka back on its feet, following the shattering experience of December 26, 2004.

Given that this is a rebuilding operation of gigantic proportions, it shouldn't come as a surprise if some order has been restored on the ground only in less than record speed.

Yet, slowly but surely, the State machinery has put some order into chaos. First, the Government took on the task of providing immediate material relief to the tsunami victims. Having accomplished a major part of this undertaking amid considerable challenges, the Government has entered the next crucial stage of the operation - the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.

According to President Kumaratunga, the relevant structures are in place to launch this phase on March 1, with the participation of all significant sections of the polity, - Provincial Councils, Pradeshiya Sabhas included.

In this connection, the President's comments on the usefulness of the cooperative system shouldn't go unnoticed. We could agree with the President that the cooperative network has come into its own once again. It has been our contention in this newspaper that this is the hour of the State - that primary entity which the advocates of globalization thought they could do without.

However, if the tsunami has taught us one thing, it is that the State is vital for the well being of everyone. Thus, the cooperative sector, an agency of the State, is proving invaluable in the distribution of tsunami relief. May it be preserved.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama has underscored the impartial and representative character of the Lankan State. In other words, its secular and non-communal nature. Refuting claims by some, that the North-East has been starved of assistance, Minister Dr. Amunugama said that the Government is scrupulously adhering to the principle of equity in distributing aid among the needy.

The North-East is being treated as being on par with other regions. In fact the Government has entered into discussions with the LTTE on providing relief to the North-East people. The States then, is seeking to act on a cooperative basis in the North-East.

We congratulate the Government on providing a considerable chunk of assistance to the North-East - that is 60 per cent. This, indeed, points to the Government's non-communal nature.

Field day for GPS

Radio tracking is passe, so it seems. Radio collars have long been used to track wild animals, especially elephants and birds. But these cannot often pinpoint the exact location of an animal. Enter GPS, the Global Positioning System.

GPS receivers rely on a network of satellites to give an exact location (accurate to within a couple of metres) of a person's or indeed an animal's position. Now US and Myanmar scientists have employed GPS systems to track down wild elephants in Myanmar.

Three elephants have been fitted with special GPS collars to help scientists study the dwindling herds in this southeast Asian nation.

Two females and a teenaged male were caught and collared between January 16 and 30 in the southern Bago Yoma ranges by the joint Myanmar-US team, it said.

The advantage is that the scientists can see in real time where the three pachyderms are moving or resting at any given time, day or night. The data is transmitted instantly to researchers' computers, which can analyse behavioral patterns and changes.

The researchers hope that the result will lead to better management of wild elephants in Myanmar. Apart from gauging their whereabouts, scientists will be able to learn valuable information about the elephants' movements and how they affect human settlements.

The system is ideal for all Asian countries having wild elephant populations. The Asian elephant faces the real danger of extinction at the rate its population is dwindling, mainly as a result of the human-elephant conflict. Both man and elephant are competing for the same living space as human settlements expand.

These tracking systems will help wildlife officials to know the exact locations of elephants and take preventive action if the elephants face any risk from a hostile human population. The collars will help conservationists determine which areas the elephants consider their home ranges. It will also help in the management of elephant corridors, the migratory paths used by elephants.

The use of GPS collars could be extended to a host of other wild creatures. The only gripe is that GPS equipment is still expensive. Prices are coming down, but fitting GPS collars to dozens, leave alone hundreds, of animals will be financially challenging. But prices are likely to drop fast. Very soon, Rover and Kitty too could have their own GPS transmitters, so that the owners can know their exact locations in the neighbourhood.

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