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Sri Lanka National Report relevant to Ozone Research

Introduction

Sri Lanka ratified both the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances on 15th of December 1989. Since annual calculated level of consumption of the controlled substances in Annex A is less than 0.3 kilograms per capita on the date of the entry into force of the Protocol, Sri Lanka is belongs to the category of Article 5 (developing) country and Sri Lanka has phase out CFCs, Halons in advance of the phase-out schedule prescribed by the Montreal Protocol. Sri Lanka has been able to achieve Montreal Protocol targets on time without any complications due to successful awareness creation and legislative processes.

HCFC Phase-out Management Plan of Sri Lanka for Stage I (HPMP of Sri Lanka-Stage I) is progressing from 2013 for achieving 1st targets phasing-out of HCFCs by 2020. The Government of Sri Lanka agreed to phase-out 4.93ODP tons constituting (35 % of baseline) by the year 2020.

The Government of Sri Lanka, through the efforts of the Ozone office, has implemented several regulatory measures to control import of ODS and ODS based equipment and from 01.01.2018, import, assemble of brand new equipment working on HCFCs.

Recognition of Sri Lanka contribution

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol in 2007, the United Nations Ozone Secretariat awarded the Implementer’s Award to Sri Lanka, recognizing extraordinary contributions of the National Ozone Units and people whose hard work on the country level over the years has helped to make the Protocol’s phase-out goals a reality. Sri Lanka’s effort in preserving Ozone layer has again been recognized and appreciated at the 25th Anniversary of Montreal Protocol in 2012.

Future aspects of Research

The government of Sri Lanka has embarked on an ambitious mission to make this island the education hub in South-East Asia. Action have been taken to enhance the facilities for local graduates by shifting them towards job oriented education system and also providing them with effective research & development, communication skills and literacy in Information Technology. This strategy will ultimately improve the net value of the Human Capital in Sri Lanka. Whilst improving the existing facilities in the public Universities, the government’s aim is to encourage Private University Colleges affiliated foreign Universities to conduct more researches. Sri Lanka has 15 National Universities, 17 Higher Educational Institutes and 12 Advance Technological Institutes and several private educational institution to develop and implement as local and international research and training centers for knowledge. Research plays a critical role in the innovation process. It is essentially an investment in technology and future capabilities which is transformed into new discoveries.

For an example, the National Ozone Unit (NOU) has conducted a study survey in 2013 in collaboration with University of Peradeniya on health impacts of Ozone Layer Depletion in the North – Central Province in Sri Lanka. Accurate data related to UV radiation was unavailable not only in Sri Lanka but also within neighbouring countries in this sub-region and therefore the study had been done based on temperature data recorded by the Meteorological Department of Sri Lanka. Establishing of research facility to collect reliable data was realized whenever conduct such scientific surveys.

Sri Lanka interest for Monitoring Station

Sri Lanka has no ozone monitoring stations and Sri Lanka continue with its interest to establish a monitoring station in order to gather crucial data on pollution linked with damage to the Earth's ozone layer. It is difficult to carry out proper researches concerned to ozone depletion and monitoring activities in Sri Lanka until monitoring station is established.

In response to Sri Lanka’s request 9th ORM has made recommendation to relocate of Dobson No.8 (formerly deployed in Spitsbergen) to Sri Lanka in late 2014 and approved the cost of US$ 20,000 for this activity.

Therefore, Sri Lanka is very keen on this project and a leading State University and Meteorological Department are ready to provide facilities in whatsoever form.

Establishing a Monitoring station in Sri Lanka has many global advantages as follows.

• Sri Lanka is located at the southern most part of the continent of South Asia close to the equator

• Sri Lanka is a small island monitors or researchers can reach any part of the island conveniently within short period of time.

• Facilitating Scientists to conduct research over tropics to ascertain the prediction that the ozone layer might have fully recovered by somewhere around the 2060s as a result of past, current and future actions of Montreal Protocol.

• The climate of Sri Lanka can be described as tropical and warm. Its position between 5 and 10 north latitude endows the country with a warm climate moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The mean temperature ranges from about 16 °C in the Central Highlands (2500 m above sea level), where frost may occur for several days in the December-January) to a maximum of approximately 37 °C.

• Ability to connect with regional and global atmosphere monitoring networks, since Sri Lanka has very advanced communication facilities

• Assistance from Department of Meteorology and state Universities is readily available for setting up an Ozone Monitoring Centre in Sri Lanka and maintain equipment.

Conclusion

Since the relocating Dobson measuring unit had not been materialized, Sri Lanka wishes to refresh the proposal again to establish a monitoring station, in Sri Lanka to gather crucial data on adverse effects linked with damage to the Earth's ozone layer and also to observe the recovery of damaged ozone layer is genuinely taking place.

In this endevour, Sri Lanka expects to enhance its cooperation with UNEP in order to obtain Research facilities which encourage Researchers to engage with more research works related to UV very effective manner.

G.M.J.K. Gunawardana

Director – Air Resource Management & National Ozone Unit

Ministry of Mahaweli Development & Environment

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