Browsing by Author "Kumara, A.M.I.U."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    General Characteristics of Wastewater and Effectiveness of Existing Treatment Methods in Hospitals with Special Reference to Uva Province
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Kumara, A.M.I.U.; Young, S.M.; Amaraweera, T.H.N.G.; Yapa, Y.M.S.S.
    Hospital wastewater has gained a significant attention due to release of untreated toxic chemicals and pathogens to the environment. Although, there are some treatment facilities in hospitals, most of the wastes are partially or untreated before releasing to the environment. This study thus focuses to asses and gives suggestions to improve an existing treatment plant for better function and performance and investigate a hospital that does not have a treatment plant to give suggestions. Wastewaters from Badulla hospital (n=5) and Bibile hospital (n=4) were collected weekly over a period of three weeks (total n=27) where physical (n=5), chemical (n=12) and biological (n=1) parameters were measured. The water quality after the trickling filter in Badulla hospital shows a clear drop for Five-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Total Suspended Solids and pH. The BOD5, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Total Suspended Solids and PO43- of the waters ranged between 21-108 mg L-1, 130-290 mg L-1, 290-904 mg L-1 and 11.84-16.39 mg L-1 respectively and are much higher than Central Environmental Authority standards in Sri Lanka. There were no microbes detected after the Ultraviolet (UV) plant and perhaps due to heavy use of Chlorine in spite of the UV treatment. In Bibile hospital, all discharged water outlets are open to the environment. The BOD5, PO43- and NO3- of discharged water varies within 8-98 mg L-1, 3.77-8.16 mg L-1 and 0.8014.60 mg L-1 and are much higher than accepted standards. The treatment plant at Badulla hospital is unsatisfactory to meet the requirements of the accepted standards. Thus, the treatment process of the trickling filter needs improvements in where the rock particles have to be replaced with rock particles in a varying size order. The results indicate that a treatment plant is required for the Bibile hospital with immediate effect.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Perceptions towards New Restrictions on Polythene Usage in Sri Lanka - Case Study in Colombo City
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2018) Kumara, A.M.I.U.; Drechsel, P.; Fernando, S.; Jayathilake, W.G.A.N.
    Increasing use of thin polythene (PE) has become a global challenge for our oceans. To address the PE nuisance, the Sri Lankan government has enforced the restrictions on the usage of PE products since September 01, 2017 (The National Environmental Act, 47 of 1980). These new restrictions have various impacts on stakeholders at different scales and this study aimed at assessing the perceptions of two key stakeholders, namely supermarkets and customers with respect to PE usage and actual behavior, two months after the restriction was announced. The study was carried out in the Colombo Municipal Council area which is the commercial capital of the country. The data were collected by means of a semi-structured questionnaire at 10 supermarkets, covering the four main supermarket chains. Ten customers from each supermarket (total n = 100), selected randomly and one executive officer from each supermarket chain at their respective headquarters (n = 4) was interviewed. Customer behavior and supermarket practices were observed at the same supermarkets watching 300 customers (n=300). Probably due to the significant media attention, 94% of the interviewed customers had heard about the new restriction although only 2% had detailed knowledge. Customer agreement with the new regulation was very high with 89% and 54% expressed that they have already changed their behavior. In addition, 39% of customers expressed that they will not have any issues finding alternative packaging materials. Also, all four supermarket chains considered under this study were in favor of the regulation. Nevertheless, observations of customer behavior in the shops showed that only 11% were using own reusable bags which showed a significant difference between their perception and actual behavior. While these days, stronger PE material is used in the shops, an actual reduction in overall PE use will need more options to increase customers' motivation for using environmentally friendly materials.