http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10713 2026-01-07T06:17:33Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10766 Environmental Impact Assessment of Transport Infrastructure Projects in Sri Lanka: Way Forward Gamalath, I.M.; Perera, H.L.K.; Bandara, J.M.S.J. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10765 Pro-environmental Behavior Regarding Solid Waste Management in Householders of Kalutara Urban Council Area: A Case Study Amarasinghe, S.R.; Fernando, F.F.H.G. Problems generated by solid waste have become a major national issue in Sri Lanka due to high levels of economic growth and consumption. Inappropriate management of solid waste may generate many problems such as environmental pollution, public health, social and economic problems as well as aesthetic issues. Therefore, this problem needs immediate attention not only for the management of waste, but also for the study of individual behavior related to solid waste production and use. This research was carried out as a case study in Kalutara Urban Council area, where behavior that is related to the production and management of waste is analysed. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey was conducted for the households of Kalutara North, Kalutara South and Katukurunda. The households’ descriptive, inferential and informative believes were identified where they express agreement or disagreement regarding the final disposal of waste. In total 100 households completed the questionnaire. This work approached the behavioral aspect of the problem by considering the attitudes towards the environment and the beliefs about the environment. In addition, knowledge of environment and the problems raised have been considered for prediction of environmentally protective behavior. In this investigation, the classification of believes were considered in terms of austerity or limitation of consumption, conservation and material beliefs or material squandering. Further, the environmental attitudes were considered as emotional, cognitive (know) and behavioral. Based on the preliminary results of this study, it can be concluded that believes and attitudes show a certain level of relation with the behavior of the households. The questionnaire survey was useful to highlight the solid waste problem that exists in the area and to indicate the trends of attitudes and behavior among the solid waste management. Further, by considering the findings of this study, an environmental education program to promote pro-environmental behavior in solid waste management must be established to change non-effective waste management practices and to promote the households to use the waste as a resource. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10764 Occurrence of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Beached Plastic Pellets from Mumbai Coast, India Jayasiri, H.B.; Purushothaman, C.S.; Vennila, A. PAHs are a class of ubiquitous pollutants which consist of two or more fused benzene rings in various arrangements. A number of PAH compounds are known carcinogens and bioaccumulate and biomagnify. These compounds originate naturally as well as anthropogenically through oil spills, incineration of waste and combustion of fossil fuels and wood. The environmental consequence of plastic pellets is the sorption of organic pollutants on their surface from the sea surface microlayer (SML) where the hydrophobic contaminants are known to be enriched. The plastic pellets were collected along the recent high tide line from four beaches of Mumbai coast bimonthly during May 2011 and March 2012. A total of 72 pools of plastic pellets were extracted, fractionated and analysed by gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer to evaluate the extent and sources of 16 PAHs. The mean ΣPAH concentration in pellets was 9,202.30±114.89 ng g-1 with a wide range (35.4-46,191.58 ng g-1). The concentration of fluorene was found to be the highest (1,606.30±251.54 ng g-1) followed by anthracene, chrysene and phenanthrene. The ΣPAH concentration was significantly varied among months and there was no significant difference among sites at p=0.05. The 2-3 aromatic ring compounds accounted for 60% of the total PAHs in pellets of Mumbai coast while 4 rings and 5-6 rings compounds accounted for 26 and 14%, respectively. The ratio of low and high molecular weight PAHs indicated that the contamination by petrogenic sources was predominant over the pyrogenic ones in plastic pellets suggesting oil pollution in coastal area of Mumbai. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/10763 The Association of Environmental Changes and the Replacement of Mosquito Fauna in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka Priyangika, B.A.S.; De Silva, B.G.D.N.K.; Jayatunga-Katuwawalage, D.P.W. A mosquito survey was carried out for 8 months between October 2009 and May 2010 in 12 randomly selected urban (6) and semi-urban (6) areas in the Colombo District of Sri Lanka. Thirty eight mosquito species were identified from which Anopheles interruptus, An. pseudojamesii, Aedes stevensoni, Ae. edwardsi, Ae. vittatus, Culex barraudi, Cx. fatigans, Cx. univittatus, Cx. aculeatus, Cx. purplexus, Cx. spiculosus, Cx. quadripalpis, Cx. halifaxi, Uranotaenia atra, Ur. unguiculata were new findings that were not recorded during a previous survey conducted in 1981-1982 in the same locations. Rainfall had a direct relationship (p=0.000) with the distribution and the density of mosquitoes. Unplanned urbanization, anthropogenic activities and irregular or non-disposal of domestic waste products may have led to population replacement of the mosquito fauna in these locations. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z