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| Tuesday, 3 February 2004 |
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Colombo streets and restaurants by Ravi Perera A recent investigation by a newspaper has revealed the appallingly unhygienic conditions of the kitchens and back rooms of some of the Colombo restaurants. Leaking toilets, open drains, garbage cans infested with cockroaches and rats apparently are placed right by where your food is prepared. It was also revealed that even reputed eating places dish out food, which are old and unsafe for human consumption. Some kitchens did not even have washing soap. The report did not refer to the cooks and kitchen hands but there is no doubt that most of them are untrained and have no idea about hygienic handling of food. The conditions highlighted in this news report should not surprise us. It is apparent that cleanliness and good service are not the strong points of the Sri Lankan food industry. In most food outlets even today your Vadai or String Hoppers are handled by hand. If you observe the server for a while you may even see him picking his nose with the same hand. In most countries food cannot be handled this way. A simple by law, which insists on a pair of tongs for serving food of this nature, can address the problem. But obviously the problem is too large and complex for a piecemeal approach. Often times when the poor hygiene of our food industry is discussed among concerned persons there are some who take the view that it is almost a part of the heritage here. They point to the general neglect of the kitchen and the toilets of many residences and argue that in comparison restaurant kitchens are remarkably clean. It is all relative they say. In the days gone by most of our refuse were biodegradable. Nature reabsorbed whatever we threw away. Kitchens and toilets were generally placed out doors. There was no organized food industry. And our population was only a few millions. Rapid population growth, urbanization and drastic changes in the way we live has created challenges which we have to meet if we want to progress. I do not think that these are insurmountable challenges. One time Singapore was a dirty shantytown. Many people there thought nothing of spitting or urinating in public places. There were flies, rats and mosquitoes everywhere. But the authorities in Singapore were determined to change the situation and were willing to take strong steps to achieve their objectives. The Singaporeans appreciated what the government wanted to achieve and took pride in seeing the birth of a new Singapore. The results are there for all to see. It is probably one of the most clean and yet dynamic pieces of real estate in the whole world today. Coming back to our restaurant kitchens, the Chief Medical officer of the Colombo Municipal Council says there is not much difference between the kitchens in the fancy restaurants and those in the humble 'Bath kades' and calls them 'filthy dens'. The CMC has established a hotline to deal with these filthy dens (No 2676161) and promises speedy action. It is in our interest to report any instance of unhygienic handling of food to this number. Our city fathers should be held responsible for letting the problem deteriorate to the level it is now. According to the news report filthy kitchens at restaurants are the rule and not the exception. Why have we waited this long and what real action are we taking even now? Running a modern city demands a lot of pro-active initiatives from the Councillors.Just analyzing the problem is not what is required. They should be out there making by-laws, initiating inspections and making sure that offenders are prosecuted. Any eatery, which does not come up to regulations, should be immediately closed down. To raise the awareness of the problem among the citizens of the city a campaign to educate them on food hygiene is vitally important. Most consumers do not realize that they have a right to a clean meal and do not have an idea about standards to be expected at an eating-house. Many of the restaurateurs themselves are ignorant of the finer aspects of food handling. An education in this vital area can help raise the standards of our food culture. Talking about the city of Colombo, it still undoubtedly remains the most attractive metropolis in the Indian sub continent. Situated by the ocean, blessed with a few nice beaches and reasonably green it has the potential to become even a more attractive and livable city. To achieve this, improving the general cleanliness of the city is of vital importance. Colombo should be known for its clean streets, lovely parks, sandy beaches and wholesome restaurants. This requires systematic work. Regular and thorough cleanups, garbage collection and immediately addressing problems that crop up are essential to managing a big city. Even here public awareness and education is vital. We sadly don't see much of this now. In our schools the students should be taught the importance of protecting their environment from man made garbage. If you observe, very few students here will deposit their rubbish in a bin. Unless and until the society is conscious of the problem and are concerned about it we cannot really tackle it. It is obvious that the narrow streets of our capital city cannot cope with the number of vehicles now on the road. On top of that, due to poor road planning there is hardly any room for pedestrians who are forced to walk on the edge of the roads. We need broad and well-prepared pavements on either side of our roads. Proper pavements can also reduce the amount of dust that is in the atmosphere. Sri Lanka being a hot tropical country needs to have tree cover wherever possible. Some of Colombo's most attractive streets such as Reid Avenue and Green Path are what they are because of the huge shady trees that line the streets. These roads were designed in the colonial times. Our city planners must consider planting shady trees along our roads not only because they protect the pedestrians from the scorching sun but also they considerably improve the aesthetics of the city. The much-acclaimed city of Paris owes a lot of its beauty to the trees and the parks that adorn it. It strikes one that most of Colombo's attractiveness as a city comes from the generosity of nature. The beautiful sea front, the majestic Kelani river, the well spread Beira lake with the inter connected canals, the gentle rises that break the flatness of the land and the soothing rich greenery which pervades the place are gifts that other cities will envy. But where the human hand had to play a role we cannot be proud of our accomplishments. Dirty narrow streets, blaring car horns, dust and noxious fumes and restaurants that are slowly poisoning their customers is the Colombo that most of us experience. But surely, the citizens of this city deserve better. |
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