Bearing 7 Billion

The world's population exceeded seven billion yesterday according to the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). It seems to have been taken in a celebrative notion. Although the joy a baby brings to its parents and family is something immense, this is not about celebrating the birth of a one or two or few '7 billionth' children. It's about the world's population reaching a substantial rounded figure. This is a mark that needs to be considered seriously or else a mark that should change how we perceive the future of the earth.

How many billion people walk on earth is not the real issue. Can the earth bear them all and if so for how long is the issue. If you've watched the 'HOME' documentary which by far is the best of its kind when it comes to enlightening us on 'earthly' issues, then you'd probably have a good idea of what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you do.

We eat everyday. We eat many things. Most of them are either produce which are grown on soil or based on such sources. Then, we drink. The base being that wonderful and amazing liquid made up of two Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom; namely water. But, drinking-water is sparse. So sparse that it accounts to less than 1% of the planet's entire hydrosphere. Apart from this, we consume water for many other activities too. We inhale, we burn, and we make use of the Oxygen in the atmosphere. We produce. We produce all kinds of artificial material using elements extracted from the earth. These don't get back to their normal forms or places in a hurry. In fact, some would never in a time we could comprehend. While consuming all this, we release harmful substances back to the eco-system; often referred to as pollution.

What ungrateful masterminds we are. We suck the cream out of the earth, gulp it up, or convert it to an artificial state that would never enter a natural cycle, and pollute it! How could we expect the situation to get better with an increasing population? How could we expect 'Mother Earth' to bear all this indefinitely? Most people don't seem to be bothered, or (to put it in another way) are ignorant.

You and I, we need to understand, acknowledge, and act sooner or later. Because there's a limit to everything. Even Mother Earth has her limits. Once limits exceed, her wrath will be upon us. Mankind may opt to call it 'end of the world' not knowing that he is the one who caused it.

Some special freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka

My interest on fish started at a very young age. Initially it was a few Guppies borrowed from a friend in school and which I kept in a huge toffee bottle. But then, to a bigger fish tank and another. Joining YZA was the climax of this. There, I was able to scientifically learn & study about all the freshwater fish species in Sri Lanka.

In this aspect too, our country is a blessed region, since we are very rich and diverse in fauna & flora. Sri Lanka is currently home to 80 odd indigenous freshwater fish species. (I'm a bit confused on the exact figure due to a few rapid changes and additions that have recently taken place in this sphere). Most people are startled to hear this fact and are also utterly unaware of the array of species our country possesses. Hence, on the positive, awareness through whichever means would benefit the conservation of our fauna & flora for generations to come. On these lines, I thought of sharing some acquired knowledge of freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka with you. And as it's difficult to provide information on each and every fish, I've chosen a few special species - although there are more - for this blog post.

1. Hora dandiya - Rasboroides atukorali - හොර දණ්ඩියා

I'll start from the two extremes. Previously known as Horadandia atukorali, this little fellow is the smallest freshwater fish in Sri Lanka growing to an average length of 2 cm or less. It belongs to the Cyprinidae family which accounts to the most number of species in the country. This fish has no lateral line and is transparent in colour with a light green hue. They often live in large schools close to the surface while feeding on planktons. It is a somewhat weak fish compared to other Cyprinids. Has been reported from the wet zone (locations such as Diyawanna Oya, Attidiya, Matugama) and Yala in the dry zone. Not an endemic species.

2. Shark catfish - Wallago attu - වලයා

A Walaya caught at Kitulgala - from Rohan Pethiyagoda's 'Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka'

From the smallest now it's to the biggest. The Wallago is the largest freshwater fish in the country which measures to a maximum length of 5 feet, although individuals of this magnitude are very rare. Since its rarity in recent times, the Wildlife Conservation Society of Galle had once requested to report any sightings of the fish as part of a survey carried out by them. This species belongs to the Siluridae family which boasts of many large individuals.

The Shark catfish is blackish brown in colour and white underneath. It has two pairs of barbels out of which the maxillary is very long. The mouth which extends beyond the eye, suits its nature of being a voracious carnivore. Mostly active at night, its diet includes small fish, reptiles, birds and even mammals! This is a solitary creature that lives in deep pits in large rivers or tanks. It has been mainly reported from areas such as Kitulgala, Mahaweli River and tanks in the dry zone. Harmful means of fishing such as dynamiting is believed to have contributed towards the diminished numbers of this species and resulted in being extinct from some of the previously inhabited locations. It is not endemic to Sri Lanka and is also recorded from India.

Now I move onto a couple of fishes with unusual habits.

3. Archer fish - Toxotes chatareus - දුමිත්තා

     An Archerfish shoots at a target

Ever heard of a fish that spits? Well, this one certainly can. In fact, that's a way it hunts for food. And as its name implies this fish is a skilled shooter, which channels a jet of water towards a target over the surface thereby hitting the pray and causing it to fall. The younger ones are not very accurate, but they eventually develop and learn to deal with the angles concerning the refraction from air to water. This species is an average sized fish and shows a distribution from India to Northern Australia. It is found in both fresh and brackish waters and often in lagoons too.

4. Upside down sleeper - Butis butis - නිදිමතයා

     Laying upside down

 

Although called a 'sleeper', it's just a position that this species is sometimes found lazing around, not that they actually sleep (even its Sinhala name presents the same meaning). They are often found lying in one place on a surface. Due to this weird behaviour, it's sometimes even referred to as 'crazy fish'. This species belongs to the Eleotridae family which has another individual - Eleotris fusca - in Sri Lanka. It is carnivorous and feeds on smaller fish or crustaceans. Lives in fresh and brackish water while commonly found in lagoons, estuaries, swamps and lower reaches of freshwater streams.

The last two I've chosen are a bit unusual in appearance.

5. Freshwater garfish - Xenentodon cancila - යොන්නා

The Freshwater garfish is a 'needle fish' - because of its shape - and belongs to the Belonidae family. It grows to a maximum length of one foot although most reported are about 8 inches. Has big eyes and long jaws, and teeth of the bottom jaw protrude out while the upper ones don't. Length of its head is almost half the total body length. A dark band with a margin runs along the side of its body. They prefer to stay in one place, close to the surface in wide streams or large rivers. It's not the best-known swimmer and usually are found in packs of 7 or more. As a carnivorous individual, it feeds mostly on small fish & frogs, tadpoles or crustaceans and hunts mostly at night. The Garfish has been reported from areas such as Waga and Kithulgala while I once observed it in a tributary of the Magal Ganga at Deraniyagala. It's at times mistaken for the 'Halfbeak' known as මොරැල්ලා in Sinhala.

6. Ocellated pipefish - Microphis ocellatus - නැට්ටා

This fish belongs to the family Syngnathidae which includes Sea Horses too; the major difference being that sea horses hang about vertically (yes, they are fish. Not horses, or for that matter mammals!). These fish have a series of bony rings that encloses their body and have no scales. They feed by sucking into a tubular snout. Males have a brood pouch in which the eggs are laid, fertilized and incubated. It grows to a maximum 6 - 7 inches in length and is a VERY slow swimmer. It's also a very rare species and has been recorded only from a few locations in the wet zone. (e.g.: Avissawella, Agalawatta). Mainly occupies slow flowing habitats although may exist in fast flowing locales as well.

Images from:-
www.fishbase.org
www.aqualandpetsplus.com

Mini Hydro Power Projects causing destruction!

While the controversy & stubborn decision making revolving around Upper Kothmale continues, there is a similar or much bigger yet unnoticeable issue developing within Sri Lanka’s Environment-for-Power policy.

True that we are a tropical country with a lot of rain, (not to mention the severe droughts that are on the increase) but does it justify our current practices of utilizing natural resources for the country’s so called never ending ‘Power Crisis’?

What is a ‘Mini Hydro Power Plant’ (MHPP)?

1. It’s relatively small in size & the amount of electricity generated. (usually a few Megawatts or a few hundred Kilowatts)
2. It users water to operate its turbines.
3. The water is brought down to the powerhouse from a little reservoir built above it. A big & long tube or tunnel is used for this purpose.
4. The little dam which stores the water is built across a stream or a small river. Hence, the flow of water is interrupted and re-routed through the tunnel or tube towards the turbines of the powerhouse.
5. Sometimes there are exceptions such as, the turbine/generator being situated within the tunnel itself. (Figure 2)

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

As you see the little contribution that the MHPPs make are only sufficient to fulfill the power needs of a few houses or a small village. That’s why you would normally find several MHPPs built in close proximity in a ‘chosen’ area.

So, what are the attributes of a ‘chosen’ area? These areas should have a considerable rain fall throughout the year with streams flowing with a sufficient amount of water. This means that these areas are more often than not rich in biodiversity and scenic beauty. Districts like Kegalle, Ratnapura, the Central province and a few other districts that experience a heavy annual rain fall are more often the candidates.

A dam built across a river may not appear to have a great impact in a rainy season, but when the dry season with less or no rain fall arrives, (at the moment it’s 3-4 months per year) what happens is that the stretch of the river from the dam to the water outlet goes dry. (See Figure 3) This leads to a river or stream with no water for that specific range and directly affects species fauna & flora, water springs and waterfalls.

(Figure 3)

Our experience has shown that this sort of ecological change takes place shortly after a few days of no rain in some areas where MHPPs have been built.

The construction, operation and management of MHPPs are done in several ways. In Kitulgala, we came across MHPPs which were built with aid from the Asian Development Bank. The maintenance is done privately while the people in the area must contribute a monthly levy for the maintenance of the MHPP and to payoff the debt received from these international monetary organizations as aid.

There is a different scenario in the Maliboda area in Deraniyagala where private companies are responsible for the construction and maintenance of MHPPs. They in turn sell/add the generated power to the main national grid while the government pays them back. These companies have found a large profit already by setting up MHPPs and destroying the forest in the process.

Some of the forest areas destroyed belongs to strict natural reserves as well. This is mainly done when constructing the dam, tube/tunnel and the powerhouse. Many beautiful waterfalls in and around Deraniyagala have already been threatened due to this behavior. Parties responsible for setting up MHPPs receive their required approval and consent through corrupted government officials and politicians in the area. They also make use of the ‘thirst’ of electricity the people in these areas face, hence misleading them of the dangerous long-term effects to come.

Long-term effects:

• Extended draughts.
• Landslides due to de-forestation.
• Extinction of rare/endemic fauna & flora.
• Drying out of springs & waterfalls.

An example of dangers caused to the environment is currently visible in Nekkawita/Deraniyagala, where a 10 MW (Megawatts) powerhouse is being constructed. A tunnel with a length of more than 1.5 km is being dug and a canal being constructed. Huge loads of earth have been dumped in the river where a dam is being constructed, making the river’s water brown and muddy, threatening its species. One wonders whether the 10 MW is worth the destruction being done to the environment.

If the volume of water is reduced as a long-term effect, no need to say that the productivity of these MHPPs would be greatly hampered and questioned in the future, making them worth nothing after all that destruction done to the ecosystem.

Clearly visible is the loose stance the government is taking and at times even promoting these projects so that they could wash their hands off it. Instead the government should take suitable & necessary measures in monitoring and approving these constructions while finding alternatives of providing electricity to the people in these areas.

Hopefully this sort of article enlightens many people who weren’t aware of it. Because though most of us enjoy the scenic beauty in our country, it’s only a handful that is aware of the dangers we face in protecting our environment for the future generation.


Image sources:
http://www.builditsolar.com