Utilization of aquatic plants: a method to enhance the productivity of water in seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District

Heavy infestations of aquatic plants in a water body cause considerable economic and ecological losses. Many seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District suffer from this problem and cannot be neglected in water resource development and management schemes. This study was focused on the uses of aquatic plants and the problems caused by huge manifestations of aquatic plants in the selected seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District. The study was conducted in four seasonal tanks viz., Galkulama, Thirappane Maradankadawala and Thibbatuwewa in the Anuradhapura District. Information on the utilization of aquatic plants, exploitation level and harmful effects were gathered by using a structured questionnaire to interview people who were residing close to the study sites. The attitudes of the public towards the aquatic plants i.e., conservation of aquatic plants, the potential uses of native plants and harmful effects of invasive aquatic plants were collected. Twelve species were identified as economically important aquatic plants through the questionnaire survey. Among the 50 respondents, 92 % utilized aquatic plants for food, 58 % utilized flowers for offerings and decorations, 52 % utilized aquatic plants for medicinal purposes, 42 % utilized them as ornamental plants, 30 % used them as bio-fertilizers and 28 % utilized them for weaving. The edible aquatic plants consumed by the rural community in the Anuradhapura District are Ipomoea aquatica (72 %), Alternanthera sessilis (66 %), Nelumbo nucifera (64 %), Nymphaea pubescens (60 %) and Aponogeton spp. (52 %). Some edible aquatic plants, namely Neptunia oleracea, Ottelia alismoides and Ceratopteris thalictriodes, which are present in the Anuradhapura District, are not consumed, although these are consumed in many other countries. N. nucifera is the most commonly used flower for offerings in the temples and for decorations. In addition, N. pubescens, Nymphaea nouchali are also used for flowers. Bacopa monnieri, N. nucifera, Acanthus illicifolia, N. nouchali and Aponogeton spp. have been recorded as medicinally important plants. Though there are many ornamentally important aquatic plants, only N. pubescens, N. nouchali, B. monnieri, Nymphoides hydrophylla are used. Salvinia molesta and Eichhornia crassipes are the two aquatic plants commonly used as bio fertilizers. With reference to the questionnaire survey, there were seven major problems that were discovered to exist due to heavy infestations of aquatic weeds in the water bodies viz., sedimentation and unsuitability for domestic use, interference with navigation, effects on fisheries, blocking irrigation canals and evapotranspiration. The most problematic plants in the Anuradhapura District include E. crassipes, N. nucifera, S. molesta, Pistia stratiotes and Ceratophyllum demersum. Economically important aquatic plants available in the shallow water bodies of the Anuradhapura District, are marginally utilized, when compared with the utilization of aquatic plants in the global scenario. There appears to be a lack of a well organized action plan to cope with this situation. The public suffer a lot from the problems created by the heavy mass of aquatic plants, which covered the village tanks. The public are, however, willing to get organized and to engage in a participatory approach to restore their water bodies. There is a need for research and development of management strategies for the sustainable utilization of these valuable resources. Awareness programs should be conducted to promote sustainable utilization of aquatic plants. Creating awareness among the people about the nutritional and economic benefits of these natural resources will be useful for Sri Lanka, as a developing nation.Length: pp.23-32Aquatic plantsTanks

Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins

The three-pillar conception of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous. With a view of identifying the genesis and theoretical foundations of this conception, this paper reviews and discusses relevant historical sustainability literature. From this we find that there is no single point of origin of this three-pillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social and ecological problems on the part of the United Nations on the other. The popular three circles diagram appears to have been first presented by Barbier (Environ Conserv 14:101, doi: 10.1017/s0376892900011449, 1987), albeit purposed towards developing nations with foci which differ from modern interpretations. The conceptualisation of three pillars seems to predate this, however. Nowhere have we found a theoretically rigorous description of the three pillars. This is thought to be in part due to the nature of the sustainability discourse arising from broadly different schools of thought historically. The absence of such a theoretically solid conception frustrates approaches towards a theoretically rigorous operationalisation of ‘sustainability’

Undergraduates’ Perception on E-learning Readiness during COVID-19: A case of a Selected University in Sri Lanka

E-learning involves the use of technological advances, tools and digital devices for teaching and learning. In a university context this method of education involves training, delivering and sharing knowledge and ideas. In an extreme situation where teacher and student cannot physically meet, such as the presence of COVID 19 pandemic, the online education is paramount to continue the education. It is crucial to understand the e-learning readiness ofusers’/learners’ before implementing the e-learning mode. This study involves identifying the readiness of the Sri Lankan undergraduates towards e-learning. Accordingly, this paper mainly explores on three aspects such as perceived self-efficacy, perceived usefulness and technological aspect in relation to e-learning readiness of undergraduates in Sri Lanka and the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning system as per students’ perspective. The survey was carried out through an online questionnaire and was distributed among all the undergraduates in a selected department of one of the universities in Sri Lanka. Altogether 81% of the students responded to the survey out of 224 undergraduates of the department. The analysis explored with descriptive statistics. Overall results of the study indicate that the readiness of students for e-learning activities is positive and above the average in termsof perceived self-efficacy, perceived usefulness and technological aspects. It is recommended to implement a hybrid method according to the nature of the different degree programmes.Keywords: E-learning, E-learning readiness, Perceived usefulness, Perceived self-efficacy, Technological aspects, Advantages and Disadvantages of e-learnin

Factors affecting household satisfaction with electricity supply in rural India

Electricity is an important component of socio-economic development, but most studies of household electricity access focus exclusively on the presence or absence of a connection. Here we reach beyond connectivity by examining the relationship between various dimensions of the quality of electricity supply and a household’s subjective satisfaction with their electricity or lighting situation. Studying the results from a survey of 8,568 households in six large, energy-poor states from northern, central and eastern India, we find that household satisfaction responds strongly to the average hours of electricity available on a typical day. The positive effect of increasing the number of hours per day by one standard deviation on satisfaction is almost as large as that of electrifying a non-electrified household. These findings underscore the importance of moving from counting electricity connections to enhancing the quality of electricity supply

Availability of rehabilitation services for communication disorders in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional survey

Objectives To describe the rehabilitation services available for communication disorders in Sri Lanka and to estimate the adequacy of the services in provinces and districts of the country.Setting The study considered government and private institutions, which provide rehabilitation services for communication disorders in Sri Lanka.Participants Institutions providing services of speech–language pathologists, audiologists and audiology technicians in Sri Lanka.Primary and secondary outcome measures We investigated the number of government hospitals and private institutions, which provide speech–language pathology and audiology services in Sri Lanka as the primary outcome measure. A number of speech–language pathologists, audiologists and audiology technicians working in the institutions were obtained from records and institution-based inquiries to identify the adequacy of the services in the country as the secondary outcome measure.Results Of the 647 government hospitals that provide free healthcare services in the country, 45 and 33 hospitals had speech and language therapy and audiology units, respectively. Government hospitals do not have audiologists but only have audiology technicians. The number of speech and language therapists and audiology technicians in the government sector per 100 000 population in the country was 0.44 and 0.18, respectively. There were wide variations in specialist to population ratio between districts. 77 private centres provide speech therapy services in 15 out of the 25 districts; 36 private centres provide audiological evaluations in 9 districts.Conclusions The number of specialist speech and language therapists and audiologists is not sufficient to provide adequate rehabilitation services for communications disorder for the Sri Lankan population. Not recruiting audiologists to the government sector affects the management of hearing impairment in the affected