Wonder of jogging tracks - Gampaha’s example

Dharman Wickremaratne

Today jogging tracks are found in many areas of Sri Lanka. In the past the most popular jogging track was the Galle Face green. Later jogging spread to Kiribathkumbura in Kandy, the area near Diyawanna Oya close to the Parliament and to Independence Square, Colombo 7. Now plans are underway to build jogging tracks in several other selected cities and towns. These are most useful for people who do sedentary jobs - among them clerks, administrative officers, company directors and CEOs.

Jogging as a means of improving physical fitness began in Britain in mid-17th Century. Walking, jogging and other exercises are essential for a healthy life. Physical exercises are most important in preventing/controlling diabetes, heart ailments, high blood pressure and mental depression. William Shakespeare talks about jogging in his play ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ written in 1593 and Australian author Rolf Boldrewood refers to it in his 1884 novel ‘My Run Home’. This led to the subject being cited in dictionaries.

Proper weight and height depending on a person’s age is vital for physical well-being. Jogging or walking fast for a time period between 30 and 60 minutes a day is a very good exercise. This exercise should be done at least four days a week. It helps to develop an efficient and fruitful life-style thus making an important contribution to the progress of a community and a nation.

Sundara Gampaha programme

The focus of this article is on the jogging tracks of Oruthota, Gampaha and Kelaniya-Mahara which have been built under the Rivers and Waterways Management Project of the Sundara Gampaha (Beautiful Gampaha) programme. Dawn was breaking and the first rays of the sun were upon Gampaha when we began walking along the newly-built jogging track in Oruthota.

The track-building was done under Western Provincial Council Minister Nimal Lansa’s direction on the advice of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The objective is to promote physical fitness and good health among the people in accordance with the Mahinda Chinthana Vision, said R. M. S. Bandaranayake, General Manager of the Western Province Road Development Authority, which is handling the project.

The Sundara Gampaha programme aims to control floods, develop paddy cultivations for ensuring food security, improving bio-diversity of the area and create a healthy community by protecting the natural environment. Protection of marshes and wetlands will help to purify water resources. Gampaha district is experiencing rapid urbanisation and the Gampaha town is fast developing.

Paddy cultivation

The history of Oruthota goes back to the time when the Sinhala armies fought against the Portuguese invader. Since the Oru (boats) the Sinhala soldiers used were anchored here it earned the name Oruthota. In the past the only road in Oruthota was a cart track and the chief livelihood of the villagers was paddy cultivation. They also cultivated rubber, coconut, betel and pineapples.

Their products were transported by boat across the Ooruwal Oya. In the 1940s, this place had a wooden bridge. Later in the 1960s a better one was built which is now being replaced with another new bridge. Kalu Palama or the black railway bridge has enhanced the beauty of Oruthota. Among the first settlers in Oruthota was Lewnis Appuhamy who hails from Hasalaka. Not being far from Gampaha town, Oruthota became a populated area by the 1990s.

Bridge connecting two jogging tracks. Solar-powered electric lights are also seen here.Pictures by Dhashana Karunarathna

People using jogging tracks in Oruthota

The area where jogging tracks have been built was earlier a marshy land and had abandoned paddy fields. The lack of a system to allow the smooth flow of water from the Ooruwal Oya caused floods in Oruthota. Today the entire irrigation channel system has been properly built. The scientifically built jogging tracks are located in an attractive environment. The Ooruwal Oya flows calmly. The repaired channels and canals have helped to re-cultivate the abandoned paddy lands. The approach roads to villages have been developed. Protection for river banks has been provided at a low-cost. Hundreds of plant varieties including herbal plants cultivated on either side have added to the beauty of the surroundings. These include aquatic plants that help to purify water. Thermal power is used providing lights to the jogging tracks. The Butterfly Bridge there looks identical to its counterpart in Galle.

Environmental friendly areas

At Oruthota we met Chandra Menike (63), her son Mahesh Pallewatta (34), daughter-in-law Nishanthi (32) and granddaughter Nethumi (3). Chandra Menike said it was a great joy for her to see jogging tracks in the area during her lifetime. She is confident that the flood control system will prevent floods like the ones that occurred 1956 and 2010. Ooruwal Oya which begins from the Pilikuththuwa Mountain flows into the sea at Ja-ela. The jogging tracks have joined three villages - Oruthota, Bendiyamulla and Moragoda. This has also resulted in a bio-diversity bridge between Pilikuththuwa forest boundary and Gampaha Botanical Gardens.

This project is part of an extensive programme focused on Attangalu Oya river basin in the Gampaha district. It will become a waterway connecting the Gampaha Botanical Gardens and the Pilikuththuwa forest and improve the living conditions of the people. The project will help to protect and improve the natural environment and water resources in the area.

Increased cultivation of different plant varieties have helped to yield more springs bringing water to wells, according to Karunathilaka Bandara (53), a father of two and a polio victim. He comes there daily to do physical exercises. Former school Principal Chandrasiri Dissanayake too agreed on the physical and mental health benefits of regular exercising. The presence of mobile sales outlets proved that the current development trends will soon raise the economic level of the rural community there.

On one side of the jogging tracks is the Attanagalu Oya. On the other is the Ooruwal Oya. The tracks extend from Kalu Palama to Belummahara along the banks Ooruwal Oya. Walking along the tracks we can see a variety of bird species and other creatures including otters. According to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa the Sundara Gampaha programme has helped to achieve environmental protection with a greater understanding of the issue. These projects will soon make the Gampaha district the most environmental friendly areas for people to reside.

The writer is an environmental Journalist who could be reached at [email protected]