DSpace Collection:http://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/70130/492024-03-29T13:44:20Z2024-03-29T13:44:20ZA SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE MASS MOVEMENT AGAINST THE UMA OYA WATER PROJECTMadushanka, M A Dhttp://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/70130/50662023-07-04T05:51:41Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: A SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE MASS MOVEMENT AGAINST THE UMA OYA WATER PROJECT
Authors: Madushanka, M A D
Abstract: Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project is one of the largest projects in Sri Lanka. The objective
of this project was to fulfil the water and development needs of Hambantota district by diverting Uma
Oya water to the Kirindi Oya reservoir. Environmental and social hazards have arisen with the
creation of underground tunnels and water fountains. Subsequently a group of local affiliates have
formed a front to protest against the project and its name is the “People's Front against Uma Oya
Water Project”. The main research objective of this study was to identify the women's contradictions
associated with the People's Front against the Uma Oya Water Project. The study was conducted in
Heel-Oya Egodagama GN division in Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat. Out of 308 households, 30
households were selected by using purposive sampling technique and structured questionnaires and
in-depth interviews were used to collect secondary data methodically. In discussing research findings,
we should not forget examples that can be identified in a global context. Particularly in the Indian
context, women's involvement in social movements such as Chipko and Narmada is significant. These
social movements are based on Gandhism. In this, charisma-dominated female leadership can be
identified and they have become the voice for the underprivileged women of the grassroots.
According to this study, the majority of women have been affected by the Uma Oya water project and
women have been the main victims. Women are also vulnerable because of the loss of livelihoods,
which directly impacts on household economic instability. Two immediate factors that led to the
escalation of women's resistance to the Uma Oya water project can be identified. One way is to
address the domestic water consumption crisis. The other was the political mobilization of women to
some extent by local political authorities. While women's activism is seen mainly in campaigns, there
is little space for women in the organizational mechanism against the Uma Oya water project. It is
thus understandable how the voice of women victims has been used as a means of political resistance
in the mass movement against the Uma Water Project. Although women's representation in Sri
Lanka's environmental movement is not very strong in comparison to Indian environmental
movements, women's resistance to the Uma Oya water project marks an important turning point in Sri
Lankan context.2020-01-01T00:00:00ZPolitics of post-disaster management: A case study of Menik farm welfare camp, Vavuniya Sri LankaMahees, M.T.M.http://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/70130/47592023-06-22T10:27:26Z2019-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Politics of post-disaster management: A case study of Menik farm welfare camp, Vavuniya Sri Lanka
Authors: Mahees, M.T.M.
Abstract: Among the man-made disasters, civil war or terrorism causes serious consequences in terms of generating refugees and re-settlement problems all over the world. Menik Farm was a welfare camp which functioned in Chettikulam, Vavuniya during and after the civil war of the North and East. It was one of largest welfare camps in the world and there were around 300,000 (86364 families) locally displaced people (IDPs). The welfare camp was maintained under a special institutional and administrative set up with the coordination of civil administrative mechanism, intervention of military leadership and monitoring of international agencies. Since the military leadership played a leading role in the post-disaster management process, it was of much concern all over the world and the camp was closed in September 2012. The main objective of this paper is to critically analyse the role of politics in post-disaster management of the Menik Farm welfare camp in Sri Lanka.
Since this welfare camp was under the direct control of the government military, there were many limitations in carrying out the study and field data collection was influenced by security measures and ethical issues. Qualitative and explorative methodology were adopted for primary data collection. Accordingly, qualitative data collection tools such as observation, in-depth interviews and informal group discussions were conducted. Although there were 9 Zones (from Zone 0 to Zone 8) and three villages, the IDP sample was selected for the interviews and discussions were conducted in Zone 6 and the village of Weerapuram. The key informants (project, state, military, medical officers, sanitary workers and host community) were selected from the entire camp.
The most important finding of this study is the power relationship that existed among three leading sectors as a joint mechanism of postdisaster management. They are the military authority, government representation by District Secretary and Disaster Management Center (DMC) and International Agencies (UNCHR, UNDP, SLRC). Although there was more commanding power with military involvement, international agencies and civil administrations of the government played a
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key role in developing critical and social infrastructure (security, health and sanitation) within the camp (761 hectares of land). Even if the military authority was always criticized for dominating the joint mechanism by external sources, IDPs were satisfied with the involvement of the military in terms of providing security and immediate infrastructural facilities. It is also important to mention that the security and well-being of IDPs is always socially constructed based on the power discourse related to war and peace. The media and the international diaspora community together with local politicians mainly engage in the process of making power discourses considering military connections. Among the IDPs, there were social-cultural conflicts owing to the notion of caste and cultural pollution and some livelihood programs reinforced inequitable relations of power among them. These value-oriented power conflicts negatively influenced postdisaster management of the camp. The poor facilities and political attention towards the local host community compared to IDPs, created a tensed situation between them. The host community did not enjoy any benefits through the political economy of the welfare camp. In conclusion, it can be emphasized that the unseen institutional power structure and socially and culturally mandated power relationships played a vital role in the management of welfare camp.2019-01-01T00:00:00ZSub-Urban Agriculture, Food Practice and Its Impact on EnvironmentMahees, M.T.M.Manawadu, L.http://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/70130/47582024-01-10T06:10:57Z2019-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Sub-Urban Agriculture, Food Practice and Its Impact on Environment
Authors: Mahees, M.T.M.; Manawadu, L.
Abstract: This paper basically attempts to address the attitude and behavior of people in Kesbewa Urban Council areas in terms of urban agriculture at their home garden, food consumption and environmental conservation. For this purpose, two different sample groups were identified as ‘control’ and ‘experimental’ consisting of twenty households based on purposive sampling. A semi structured questionnaire and in-depth interview methods were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The three main sociological concepts related this report known as consumption pattern of food security and food practice, income and expenditure and environmental concern were found to be important are discussed here. It is clearly pointed out that there is an obvious difference between experimental and control group in terms of expenditure on food items, amount and types of food consumption and food production at their home garden.2019-01-01T00:00:00ZPostwar Development Activities and Its Ecological Impacts in Sri Lanka.Mahees, M.T.M.http://archive.cmb.ac.lk:8080/xmlui/handle/70130/47572023-06-22T10:27:26Z2020-01-01T00:00:00ZTitle: Postwar Development Activities and Its Ecological Impacts in Sri Lanka.
Authors: Mahees, M.T.M.2020-01-01T00:00:00Z