The Current Status and Evolution of Industrial Relations in Sri Lanka

[Excerpt] Howe and Strauss (2007) propound the theory that there is a clear nexus between the significant events youth face and their attitudes in later life. This is relevant in looking at the evolution of industrial relations, especially in Sri Lanka. One could say that the historical context of Sri Lanka has played a major role in the current behaviour of management and labour—from the nationalist revival in 1956 and the culture change which gripped the country until the insurgency of 1971 which can be identified as the coming to a head of the frustrations created in relation to emancipated, educated youth who had no prospects of proper employment. The language policy introduced under the cultural revolution created a hostile divide between the English-speaking managers, who in colonial times and for several decades thereafter came from elite schools, and the ‘swabasha’1 educated workers. Since the language of management and business transactions continued to be English, it was difficult for those receiving education in the local languages to claim higher positions in the private sector although often they were better technically qualified, at least on paper, than the English- peaking candidates selected. With educated youth finding that they could not access the higher echelons without English the obvious reaction was to resent the language as well as the system which used it. The policy in the government was to use the swabasha for official transactions and this led to graduates educated by local universities moving mostly into public sector management positions, seldom securing employment in the private sector. The tension created by Sinhala-educated youth not having adequate access to jobs compatible with their education led to the insurrection in 1971. The youth of that era are now mature citizens and legislators and are therefore anxious to give fair opportunity to youth coming into the labour market by helping them acquire language skills needed for employment

Malaria in Sri Lanka: Current knowledge on transmission and control

Malaria / Disease vectors / Waterborne diseases / Environmental effects / Public health / Economic impact / Social impact / Sri Lanka

Small irrigation tanks as a source of malaria mosquito vectors: a study in north-central Sri Lanka

Watersheds / Tank irrigation / Rehabilitation / Malaria / Waterborne diseases / Disease vectors / Sri Lanka / Yan Oya

Governing urban wetlands for green growth in the Western Region Megapolis of Sri Lanka

The Western Region Megapolis (WRM) of Sri Lanka, the conurbation associated with Greater Colombo and covering the entire Western Province, is the thriving economic center of the country. According to the State of Sri Lankan Cities 2018 report (GoSL 2018), the city accounts for 40% of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product (GDP), 30% of its population and is the nation’s administrative center. The WRM is also endowed with wetlands of international importance. This includes the Bellanwila-Attidiya marshes: a 370-ha freshwater marsh in southern Colombo rich in biodiversity (Box 1); the Colombo Flood Detention Area: a 400-ha network of marshes and canals that traverse the DISCUSSION BRIEF An aerial view of the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka with its network of wetlands supporting urban dwellers - A hub for green growth. Photo: Martin Seemungal city; and the Muthurajawela marsh: a 2,500-ha saltwater marsh in northern Colombo, which is the largest saline peat bog in Sri Lanka (IUCN and CEA 2006). The aim of this brief is to support the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to leverage the WRM wetlands to foster green growth. Green growth promotes economic development alongside environmental sustainability, and is gaining traction as a model to achieve sustainable urban development globally (Hammer et al. 2011). According to OECD (2013: 9), governments promote green growth “to create jobs and attract firms and investment, while improving local environmental quality and addressing global environmental challenges, particularly climate change.

Sri Lanka Malaria Maps

BACKGROUND: Despite a relatively good national case reporting system in Sri Lanka, detailed maps of malaria distribution have not been publicly available. METHODS: In this study, monthly records over the period 1995 – 2000 of microscopically confirmed malaria parasite positive blood film readings, at sub-district spatial resolution, were used to produce maps of malaria distribution across the island. Also, annual malaria trends at district resolution were displayed for the period 1995 – 2002. RESULTS: The maps show that Plasmodium vivax malaria incidence has a marked variation in distribution over the island. The incidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria follows a similar spatial pattern but is generally much lower than that of P. vivax. In the north, malaria shows one seasonal peak in the beginning of the year, whereas towards the south a second peak around June is more pronounced. CONCLUSION: This paper provides the first publicly available maps of both P. vivax and P. falciparum malaria incidence distribution on the island of Sri Lanka at sub-district resolution, which may be useful to health professionals, travellers and travel medicine professionals in their assessment of malaria risk in Sri Lanka. As incidence of malaria changes over time, regular updates of these maps are necessary

Report on water quality survey and pollution in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

Water resources / Water pollution / Water quality / Monitoring / Electrical conductivity / Ph / Nitrogen / Iron / Boron / Heavy metals / Coliform bacteria / Sri Lanka / Kurunegala / Wan Ela / Beu Ela

Performance evaluation of the Bhakra Irrigation System, India, using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Irrigation systems / Irrigation canals / Irrigation scheduling / Performance evaluation / Remote sensing / GIS / Irrigated farming / Satellite surveys / Sustainable agriculture / Productivity / Groundwater / Salinity / Crop yield / Wheat / Surface irrigation / India / Bhakra Irrigation System

Annual report RUAF - Cities farming for the future, South and South East Asia Region, 2008

Urban agriculture / Training / Development projects / India / Sri Lanka

Ensuring health and food safety from rapidly expanding wastewater irrigation in South Asia: BMZ final report 2005-2008

Wastewater irrigation / Institutions / Public health / Health hazards / Diseases / Cropping systems / Vegetables / Fodder / Livestock / Risk assessment / Economic evaluation / Surveys / GIS / Research priorities / South Asia / India / Pakistan / Hyderabad / Faisalabad / Musi River