Let's forge ahead

NOW that the Government has clarified the situation in regard to the receipt of tsunami aid from both local and foreign sources, by the State, the time couldn't be more propitious to forge ahead with the country re-building effort.

As some newspaper reports indicated, the total amount of tsunami aid received by the State directly is Rs. 1.2 billion.

The rest of the assistance has been directed to NGOs and private organisations, making a grand total of Rs. 9 billion in tsunami aid received by Sri Lanka as a whole.

As clarified by the Presidential Secretariat last Saturday, the funds received by the Lankan State have been channelled to the President's and Prime Minister's Funds, accounts of which are monitored by the Central Bank.

It is thus clear that the process of receiving aid by the Government has been streamlined with a clear-cut procedure coming into effect.

Such clarifications are proving very important in view of the allegations being unleashed by the opposition on the receipt and disbursement of tsunami assistance.

We take this opportunity to once again call on the opposition to desist from exploiting current misconceptions on the post-tsunami situation for short-term political gain.

Instead, we believe it is the duty of the opposition to lend a helping hand to the country re-building process. Splitting hairs on words that are allegedly uttered by national leaders is not to the point at all.

Rather, we believe it is up to all to emulate the ennobling feat of British youngster Toby Carroll, a survivor of the tsunami tragedy, who has raised donations to the tune of 4,500 Sterling Pounds for those children who were orphaned by the devastation of last December.

It is nothing but humanity and loving-kindness which has impelled the British youngster to raise this gift and we believe all concerned need to act and think in the same spirit.

Meanwhile, all ways and means should be sought to forge steadily ahead with the country re-building process. True, reconstruction is no easy process and may take some time but this should not be made an excuse to be apathetic and unenthusiastic about this great challenge.

We believe it is up to the authorities to find out why the process has not got off to a grand start and do everything in their power to kickstart the effort. We need to remember that all eyes are on us, local and foreign.

It is not irrelevant to point out that we are blessed with the talent needed for meeting challenges of this kind. For instance, we possess a number of unemployed and underemployed graduates. In any case, the unemployed among us is quite sizeable. Why cannot these resources be put to good use in the country re-building programme?

Without vision and purpose the country could be doomed. Why don't the country's political parties and opinion-moulding groups place a moratorium on politicking until at least the reconstruction process is well underway?

Water for Life

THIS is the theme of the World Water Day which falls today. No theme could be more appropriate, as water is the building block of life itself. Life as we know it cannot exist without water.

Today also marks the beginning of the Water for Life decade, in which the world must do more to ensure that people in all regions get a fair share of water resources. As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says, it is "an urgent matter of human development and human dignity".

Although 70 per cent of the Earth is covered by water, freshwater accounts for just two per cent. Only a few countries can afford desalination plants and in any case, it is out of the question for landlocked countries.

Millions of people around the world have to ensure chronic water shortages. Long droughts regularly affect many poor countries.

The UN's main goal under the Water for Life decade is to meet agreed targets for water and sanitation by 2015, along with a host of other Millennium Development Goals. The main challenge facing water planners in this quest is dividing finite water resources among an expanding population.

Increasing water efficiency is a priority, especially in agriculture. Rainwater collection systems must be introduced on a wider scale.

Proper water management systems are also needed. Reducing waste is also important - we have seen taps which are open day and night in the cities, whereas villagers in some remote areas have to walk several kilometres to fetch murky water.

Countries sharing borders and rivers must also strive to resolve such issues peacefully, lest people on both sides suffer unnecessarily.

Achieving these goals is imperative in the light of revelations that more than 20 per cent of the world population do not have access to safe drinking water.

Fifty per cent lacks water for proper sanitation. This gives rise to another grave social and economic problem - the spread of water-borne diseases, some of which can be fatal if not treated properly.

Many Third World economies can ill afford to spend vast sums on treating such victims, creating a vicious cycle. Providing pure water and reducing water pollution must go hand in hand - some two million tons of human excrement and industrial waste continue to pollute urban water resources everyday.

Urgent action is required to protect the world's resources in a sustainable manner. Nearly 5.5 billion people - most of the world's population - will face serious water crises by 2025 unless current water usage patterns are changed. The Water for Life decade should lay a firm foundation to reverse this alarming trend.