Addendum to 'milk sea' in Kandy

A letter titled 'Will the milk sea become a filthy sea' that appeared recently, highlighting the pitiable situation of the Kandy Lake, emphasized the importance of taking remedial action. The Kandy Lake, created by tapping nature's resources is wealth, and part of its unique attraction.

It is a matter of concern that no attention was drawn to the Center Canal (Meda Ela), which quenched the thirst of city dwellers long before the pipe borne water system was introduced. Kandy Lake and the Meda Ela contributed largely to protect the beauty and healthy environs of this charming city.

Waters from the Kandy lake streams in to the Mahaweli river through this Meda Ela. Today, it's unimaginable that a stream cooled by trees on either side, refreshing people living on both banks with its clean cool water, come to this, a garbage ridden, utterly polluted and totally neglected canal of disease and deadly germs, flows in to the Maheveli river.

A parapet wall built on the bank, transformed the appearance of this canal to that of a dirty drain. More dirty water collects to the overflowing lake's overfill that reaches the Mahaveli, making the Meda Ela look like a filthy sewage line.

Keeping Kandy city clean for the benefit of the people will remain only a dream if steps are not taken to clean the center canal as the same measures taken to clean water in the Kandy Lake.

In the early days, cool clean water flowing down the stream filled the Kandy Lake and overflowed along this center canal. Today, all the filthy drains that are diverted to the Kandy Lake find their way to the center canal polluting the clean water. In addition, the refuse and other garbage from the public market and fish stalls also drain through this filthy drain. The polluting process does not end there.

The improper housing system along hospital lane also contributes to this polluting process. People living here do not have proper toilet facilities. The excreta of small children living here flows through this drain to the center canal. In addition, garbage from dwelling houses too joins this canal.

The center canal flowing down collecting the entire toxin collects more refuse from the permanent houses located either side of the canal bank. The sewerage from some houses is sent directly to the center canal through the parapet walls.

No one on earth is ignorant of the fact that the destruction of the Resource inherited from nature is a diabolical crime the consequences of which can boomerang against the future health of all Kandy residents.

It can hit Kandy economically too, in terms of tourism income and declining land prices. The abattoir located at Suduhumpola Road, Kandy also contributes to the water pollution. Blood and excreta of the cattle slaughtered there, flow to the center canal through a nearby drain. This drain too collects a whole heap of garbage coming from far away.

Dirty clothes of the patients from various wards in the Kandy hospital are washed in the center canal. Clothes washed from this dirty water are re-used by the new entrants to the hospital. How hygienic this process is up to the health authorities to decide on.

Washing of clothes of thousands of patients daily in the center canal causes extensive damage to the water. Even the clothes from the TB ward of the hospital is dumped straight to the center canal making it breeding place for germ. The Simonwatta settlement in Bahirawakanda Road, Kandy is already facing a landslide threat.

The location of the area is such that even a UC gully truck cannot be taken in for the removal of sewage. Further, in this rocky land, it is very difficult to dig even a lavatory pit properly. In the circumstances, one can imagine how the people living here will solve not only theirs but also their children's toilet problem.

It is important that people either side of the bank must be evacuated in order to protect the environment to a certain extent for the source of water resource like brooks, streams and rivers. But instead, more and more settlements are coming up in the banks of the center canal. Seemingly, providing a reservation belt along this canal is not an easy task unless people there are moved away. However this is not the only solution to the water pollution.

No permanent solution has so far been found to arrest the water polluting process in the Kandy Lake and the center canal. Any further delay in finding a quick solution to this problem means the entire population in Kandy will face a severe shortage of drinking water within a few years time as Kandy is becoming increasingly populated.

A project has been launched to clean the Mahaweli waters to facilitate the distribution of clean water to whole Kandy population. More tragic is that people do not seem to understand the effect when the mucks collected by the Kandy lake and the center canal mix with the Mahaweli waters, or may be, they have any time to think about it with their day-to-day problem in life.

Cleaning of dirty water up to the level that it can be used for drinking purpose can be done as long as the water is within its curable limit and not otherwise. When water goes beyond its curable limit, the cost of cleaning will go up in manifolds, which eventually will have to be borne by the people.

Therefore, it is important devise a modern scientific method to protect the water resource in Kandy from the refuse thrown out from houses, schools, institutions, markets and hotels etc. People also could be involved in this process. It is only then, that the Kandy lake, the center canal and the water resource of the Mahaweli River could be used for the benefit of the people and not to cause distress.

In situations like this, there may be persons appearing in benevolent guise but with the intention of sabotaging the whole process. They might cause loss and hardship. What people must do is only to understand their hidden intention.

The people can support and demand but they themselves cannot achieve this. They are waiting for such a project to be activated. Nobody will then be held responsible for the sin of polluting the water resource and littering the city. Plans with regard to this subject must be drawn only by professionals well versed in this field and not by the politicians. They (politicians) can provide the necessary infrastructure, logistic and funds.

- S. Lakmini

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Photographic exhibition of culture, nature and wildlife

A photographic exhibition of culture, nature and wildlife by Sunil de Costa will take place at Alliance Francaise de Colombo from May 12 to 16.

Most of the people in the world are nature lovers and would love to spend days in places like waterfalls, natural parks etc. Some of them visit ancient places having cultural values and scenic beauty. But still it is only a few of us who have the imagination and talent to capture those events on film.

Having spent years in the North - Central and Central Province within the Cultural Triangle - as a judicial officer and also as a chairman of a government bank, Sunil de Costa succeeded in capturing some of the most treasured materials of Culture, Nature and Wild Life. Today with over 12 years experience in photography (As a non-professional) he is prepared to hold his first photographic exhibition Expo de Ceylan at Alliance Francaise de Colombo.

According to Sunil de Costa he will be having 50 photographs including few unique shots of all kinds, where he experienced.

The theme of this exhibition is to draw the attention of those who are interested and love to see places and events of scenic beauty of Sri Lanka.

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'Janakaraliya' mobile theatre in Anuradhapura

The mobile theatre, which held its inauguration 'Janakaraliya' Drama Festival at Nomads Ground, Colombo, is now installed in the ground in front of the Anuradhapura Central College.

The creators of it Parakrama Niriella and H.A. Perera state that they intend to broaden the drama and theatre usage now limited to performance theatre, use drama and theatre for education and personal development and promote drama and theatre by their planned programs and they will operate the expected programs from this Mobile Theatre established here.

The 'Janakaraliya' Aunradhapura program that began in April with the participation of the Governor of the North Central Province Jagath Balasooriya, the Chief Minister of the Province Bertie Premalal Dissanayake and the provincial artistes will continue till June 17.

There will be two 'Janakaraliya' Drama Festivals in mobile theatre and the second is from May 27 to June 5, 2005. The plays 'Charandas', 'Seetham Bara Pata', 'Andara Mal', 'Makararaksha - (dragon), which are Janakaraliya productions and the play 'Soru Avilla' that won the best children drama award in 2004 at the State Children Drama Festival and 'Singithi Sihinaya' will be performed in those two festivals.

Apart from these two drama festivals, there will be music appreciation programs, drama and theatre seminars and workshops for schoolchildren, film shows and discussions after the shows as planned by Janakraliya.

The 'Janakaraliya' drama and theatre program will be done with the participation of the group members Palitha Abeylal, Jayantha Kumara Muthuthantri, Suneth Shanthapriya, Sokkalingam Krishanthan, Dulip Ratnayake, Chaminda Prasad, Manjula Ranasinghe, Nishantha Kularatne, Sumudu Mallawarachchi, Ronika Chamalee, Uthpalee Karunaratne, T. Sivaneshan, M. Kalidas, Verni Theresa, R. Kopika, Chamara Anuradha, Ajanthan Shanthikumar, Janakee Ratnayaka, Arosha Tharanganee, Sineth Devinda, Swarna Sri Livera, Sujeewa Damayanthi, H.A.G.P. Malkanthi and with the support of Hemasiri Abeywardhana, Raveendra Mapitigama, Aravinda Gamage, Dilip Rohana.