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Thursday, 27 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Dy. Secretary to Treasury Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda receiving the Clean Air Asia’s Kong Ha Award 2014 from Member of Board of Trustees of Clean Air Asia, Mary Jane Ortega in the presence of Joint Convener of the Partnership for SLoCaT and Hong Kong Polytechnic University Associate Professor Dr. W.T. Hunga at the award ceremony held at Waters Edge
Pioneer, leader, commitment
Presenting the award to Dr. Batagoda, Mary Jane Ortega – Member of the Board of Trustees of Clean Air Asia, Interim Chair of the Clean Air Initiative – Asia Partnership Council, Secretary General CITYNET – Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Resettlements, Member of ICLEI – International Council for Local Environmental Initiative – South Asia former Mayor of the City of San Fernando, La Union for three consecutive terms, herself a winner of many prestigious awards including the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honor Award, Outstanding Mayor Award, Outstanding Woman in Good Governance Award, and Konrad Adenauer Merit of Excellence Award for Governance – stated as follows:
“Pioneer, leader, commitment. These are the words that best describe Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda, currently the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Planning in Sri Lanka and winner of the Clean Air Asia’s Hong Kong Ha Award 2014. Dr. Batagoda’s work in air quality management helped Sri Lanka to achieve tremendous results in improving air quality through wider and effective stakeholder participation. One of his most significant contributions was the development of the Air Resource Management Centre (AIRMAC), an organisation in the Ministry of Environment which comprises key stakeholders from the public private sector related to air quality management. Under his leadership as first Director, AIRMAC became an effective for multiple stakeholders to develop policies, strategies and action plans. As these plans and concepts were implemented and achieved results, his work and his team gathered commendations from higher authorities, international policy experts and organisations.
“Dr. Batagoda was also key in establishing ‘Clean Air Sri Lanka,’ which now facilitates and coordinates national air quality management programs and activities. Dr. Batagoda also established the Climate Change Secretariat, the Sri Lanka Carbon Fund and Sri Lanka Vehicle Emission Test Trust Fund, and was instrumental in setting up the Environmental Convention Reference Centre, and other centres of learning in the field. He shares his knowledge with the next generation of air quality managers in the University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Moratuwa and the University of Peradeniya.”
Such is the dedication of Dr. Batagoda in his field that even after he was promoted to the post of Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance and Planning, he voluntarily involved himself in most of the air quality management activities implemented in Sri Lanka, regionally and internationally. The institutional framework that Dr. Batagoda developed in partnership with his team has been able to effectively link all stakeholders of air quality management and to draw attention of political leadership including His Excellency the President on key issues such as sustainable transport, climate change, carbon trading and sustainable development.
Honour for the country and team
Expressing his views on the occasion, Dr. Batagoda said that he gratefully accepted the award. “It is an honour not personally to me, but to Sri Lanka. It is also recognition of the work of my team towards air quality. Every Thursday our team voluntarily meets from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to discuss various concerns of air quality management. These meetings contribute to keep the momentum of this great philanthropic task. In doing so the team members sacrifice the time they could use on their families. They meet after five p.m. since they don’t want to use office time for this cause.”
In a tribute to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Dr. Batagoda said that the President was very far-sighted and had the optimum good of the people in his heart. “The President has a deep understanding about the importance of air quality and the need to take very effective measures to combat air pollution. If not for his firm determination to do whatever is possible to ensure that people breathe quality air the measures introduced to ensure for example vehicle emission tests would not have reached the success they have reached today.”
A section of the audience at the award ceremony
Severity of air pollution
Delving into the subject of air pollution, Dr. Batagoda said that the severity of air pollution was beyond description. “Unless we forestall this grave threat caused by ever increasing air pollution we won’t be able to live.”
Infusing an air of lucidity to his message of the grave need to work towards clean air, the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury said: “Soon we will be going to have our dinner. Don’t worry; the dinner is good because the air is clean.”
Origin of Award
In 2008 the Clean Air Asia Partnership established the Kong Ha Award for Excellence in Air Quality Management to honour the memory of the late Kong Ha, who served as the chairperson of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (Clean Air Asia) from December 2004 to April 2007.
The Kong Ha award is handed out by the Clean Air Asia Partnership in conjunction with the Better Air Quality (BAQ) conferences of which Kong Ha, together with Wing-tat Hung (Hong Kong Polytechnic University and W.C. Mok of Hong Kong EPD were the founding fathers.
