By Yohan Perera and

Gihan de Chikerea

Sudden changes in weather together with periods of draught caused by global warming will be experienced frequently in the next two decades in Sri Lanka, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka told Parliament yesterday.

The Minister made this point opening the debate on the Forest Amendment Bill in the House yesterday. He said the severe drought prevailing in some parts of the country today is due to global warming. The Minister stressed need to safeguard the country’s water resources for future generations.

He informed the House that Sri Lanka had the opportunity of presenting a policy statement on environment at the global environment summit as the SAARC representative being held in Copenhagan in December this year. He said SAARC would be given this opportunity for the first time this year and he intended to make the most of this opportunity to reveal to the world the destruction perpetrated on Sri Lanka by developed nations in the past.

He said the rape of our country’s natural resources by these nations during the time Sri Lanka was ruled by them was worth trillions of dollars. “It is high time that we are compensated for the damage done to our forests and natural resources by these countries,” he pointed out. He told the House that the forest cover that was 80 percent of the total land area when the imperialists set foot in this country was reduced to 45 percent at the time Sri Lanka gained independence

in 1948.

 Fact box

  The rape of our countries natural resources by these nations during the time Sri Lanka was ruled by them was worth trillions of dollars.

 The forest cover that was 80 percent of the total land area when the imperialists set foot in this country was reduced to 45 percent at the time Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.