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Thank you for publishing the above captioned news item in the Daily
News of February 18. We have carried out intensive house to house
inspections and education programmes to prevent the further spread of
the disease.
Thousands of leaflets were distributed among the residents in the
Modera, Mahawatte, Mattakkkuliya and Bloemendhal areas. Water samples
were taken from the main lines and checked for germs and all were found
to be negative.
The data were analysed and it is found that during the past two
months the majority of the infected persons were of school attending
age.
Therefore schools were inspected. Most of the schools in these areas
lack basic sanitation facilities. Most of the toilets were in a very
poor condition and lacked a water supply. Even for drinking purposes
there isn't enough water in these schools.
Hand washing after using the toilet is not carried out and that may
have facilitated the spread of the disease from person to
person.(Hepatitis is mainly spread from faeco-oral route). We have now
planned to carry out disinfection programmes in schools attended by
these children. All water supply points will undergo chlorination.
However, there has to be a long term plan to build proper toilet
facilities and provide adequate water supply to these schools which are
attended by children of marginalised families/ communities in the city.
Dr. PRADEEP KARIYAWASAM,
Chief Medical Officer of Health, Colombo
It is very heartening to hear that the President inspected the site
of the new Katugastota bridge over the Mahaweli and gave instructions to
expedite and complete this work early. This work has been dragging on
for nearly three years and not even half the project has been completed
yet whereas the original contract period may have been three years.
I hear that a State Corporation has been entrusted with this work as
their bid was the lowest. It is alright if local contractors are allowed
to develop provided that they deliver the goods in a reasonable time on
a crucial and important job such as this.
I think a Japanese Co. completed the new Manampitiya bridge which is
almost thrice as big as this in less than two years. Perhaps such a
foreign firm would have completed this work in less than two years
although the initial cost would have been high.
Considering the present congestion on this road, early completion
would have saved a lot in the form of savings on fuel wastage,
atmospheric pollution, saving of valuable man-hours of the passengers
etc.
Talking of the Katugastota bridge, I think this is opportune for me
to trace a bit of history of the old Katugastota bridge. As the name
Katugastota suggests there had been a ferry at this point in the early
19th century.
The first motorable brige (before the present bridge) at this place
had been constructed in 1858 at a cost of British Sterling Pounds
35,000. It was opened by the then British Governor Sir Henry Ward. About
250 dignitaries had been invited to the official banquet held after the
opening ceremony.
A ballroom dance had been held on the deck of the bridge following
the dinner and the Governor had taken the lead.
The bridge (at a slightly lower elevation than the present) was
constructed with steel trusses and steel-column piers. Later a slight
bending had been observed in the piers in 1904.
Therefore, in order to take remedial measures, a traffic count on the
bridge had been taken. It is interesting to note the result of the count
which is given below; The total traffic over the bridge in one single
day was as follows:
1. Coaches with one horse18
2. Rickshaws 12
3. Horse-cart with two wheels 05
4. Hackeries 10
5. Loaded double-bullock carts 48
6. Empty -do- 30
7. Loaded single-bullock carts 10
8. Empty -do- 06
9. Horses 06
10. Cows 34
11. Buffaloes 01, and
12. Pedestrians 6,225
Therefore as a safety measure, the following regulations were
enforced:
(a) Horse-coaches and bullock-carts on the bridge at one time were
restricted to only 03 nos.
(b) The number of pedestrians on the bridge at any time was
restricted to 50 only.
(c) No vehicle with wheels should be parked on the deck.
(d) No crowd should assemble on the bridge.
(e) Every vehicle on the bridge should travel at a walking pace.
(f) Elephants and tuskers are not allowed to walk on the bridge.
From these we can get a picture of the vehicles and people that
converged on the Kandy town at that time.
LIONEL RAJAPAKSE,
Kandy
A large number of road accidents occur due to stray dogs. We see many
stray dogs on main roads and by roads in every nook and corner of the
country. These stray dogs run here and there on the roads and the poor
motor cyclists become victims.
Some lose their valuable lives or some lead miserable lives after
accidents.
Animal lovers may have sympathy towards these dumb friends but they
never think of the precious human lives.
On the other hand, these stray dogs can be rabid dogs.
It is also a major threat to society. Therefore, I appeal to the
authorities concerned to open more dog compounds or sterilise them.
LAL KANNANGARA,
Ittapana
The controversy rages about animal slaughter. I have found among the
numerous letters, the contribution made by D.M.P.B. Dissanayake of
Kegalle on January 17 to be the most interesting.
Dissanayake mercifully does not make any references to religion but
asserts his view point on the basis of classification of human beings as
carnivores and the prospect of the earth being over populated with
animals, birds and man being compelled to jump into the seas. Besides
other reasons such as loss of livelihood to billions, if these creatures
are not slaughtered.
As an interested reader I referred up the Free Dictionary in the
Internet and found the following definition of 'carnivore' although it
is not of much importance to the on going issue.
'Carnivore - Any of the predatory flesh eating mammals of the order
carnivore including dogs, cats, bears, weasels, hyenas and raccoons.
Carnivores have large sharp canine teeth and large brains and the
musculoskeletal structure of their forelimbs permit great flexibility
for springing at prey.'
I believe that Dissanayake's reference to billions of animals
slaughtered for human consumption includes the beef industry. In an
inspirational book by Anthony Robins of U.S.A, I found the following
references to the likely future of the beef industry and trust that it
would be of interest to him.
'More energy is consumed by the beef industry than any other single
industry in the United States.
'The fossil fuel required to produce one pound of beef is roughly
thirty nine times that required to provide the equivalent protein value
in Soya beans.'
'If we were to reduce by 50 per cent our meat consumption we could
totally eliminate our reliance in nuclear power throughout the United
States as well as significantly reduce our reliance on foreign oil
imports.'
'If every American were to reduce his or her meat intake by 10 per
cent the number of people who could be fed using the resources that
would be freed from growing livestock would be 100 million. This is
enough food to feed every single starving man, woman and child on earth
and have a surplus.
Scarcity of water is a threat that looms over the entire world. It
would be interesting to 'know that it takes 5,214 gallons of water to
produce one pound of California beef'.
Robins has backed his data with references to the sources of
information and I have limited the extracts to a few paragraphs for the
sake of brevity.
It therefore appears that in a few decades the dietary patterns of
man will be changed by sheer necessity for survival without any
persuasion by religion. I hope I have served to still at least some of
the fears that have been consuming Dissanayake.
Again in the light of diseases like 'mad cow disease, hoof disease ,
bird flu which have been sweeping through so many parts of the world,
the role that man would be called upon to play in controlling their
numbers could be limited, at least with regard to animals and birds
reared for food.
In the case of wild life the controls are built into the Scheme of
Things as the poet has described -
'The lizard fed on ant and the snake on him,
The kite on both, and how the fish hawk robbed,
The fish tiger of that which it had seized;
The shrike chasing the bul bul, which did hunt
The jeweled butterflies, till everywhere,
Each slew a slayer and in turn was slain,
Life living upon death.'
K.C. DE SILVA
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