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| Thursday, 24 July 2003 |
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Garbage dumps and environmental pollution The increase of population in residential areas within the suburbs of Colombo has given rise to severe environmental pollution causing an unhealthy situation for those who reside close to garbage dumping grounds, e.g. the one opposite the Arpico showrooms at Navinna, on the High Level Road (There are other places as well), is now well-known for its unhygienic condition, as a result of obnoxious effluvia emanating from the petrified and decomposed matter, made worse by the presence of polythene waste. Sometimes we come across notice boards in the Colombo city, reading "Keep the City Clean". But it is the city fathers, who are at fault because they do the pollution by dumping garbage on any vacant land conveniently available. The residents close to the area undergo the worst ordeal and wait impatiently when the day would dawn upon them to breathe a dose of fresh air. Those who travel passing the Arpico showrooms, close their noses due to the nauseating smell but who cares? The local authorities who dump garbage must find a place far away from any residential area for the purpose of sanitation. Why is it not possible to make arrangements to burn the rubbish in incinerators as done in other countries. Waste of public funds can be diverted to fillip this essential service. Another danger more worse than sanitation is the spread of rabies as the dumping grounds are the feeding places for stray dogs that roam in search of food. This is a serious matter that must receive special attention of the local authorities, to prevent people from being bitten by rabied dogs, which is lethal. ARYADASA RATNASINGHE, Driving a vehicle on our roads has become not only stressful, but also very dangerous. After each journey you are thankful to have reached home safely. Motorists today have become rude, insensitive and impatient. They overtake you on the left; toot the horn while the signal light is still yellow. They creep into the space in front of you without scant respect for your right of way. Weekly, if not daily, the innocent are slaughtered on our roads by speeding, reckless motorists. Your readers have made many suggestions to improve the system but the menace on the highway continues to increase. One such suggestion was to install speed limit signs to control the speed of vehicles in different sections of the road. However, they are few and invisible in many places. These speed limit signs are a deterrent to erring motorists. When these signs are visible, seen at frequent intervals, it will help motorists to slow down and drive with caution. These signs are important to drivers who are entering a village or a town after driving on an empty stretch of road for some time. Developing our roads and its infrastructure is usually delayed due to lack of funds. In recent times, when the floods ravaged the South, people gave generously to aid the flood victims. It is possible for reputed institutions to appeal for funds to install speed limit signs on our highways. They could network with the Highway Authority and police to implement these proposals. Businessmen, Insurance Companies, Banks and Hotels in each city could set apart a fraction of their budget for the improvement of our road system. If no action is taken it may be your loved one, a relative, or a friend who may fall victim to the foolishness of someone. The project may be called "Limiting the Carnage on our Roads" or "Save Innocent Lives" or something to that effect. With collective effort we can make driving a pleasure and not a nightmare. Let us hurry. It is already too late! DR. V.C., If failures are the pillars of success, then the Lanka Electricity Company must be one of the most successful companies in Sri Lanka! I live in Rajagiriya and without exaggeration there are at least two failures per day in my area, and I believe most of the areas under the LECO. It so happens that the failures mostly happen after 4.00 p.m., the reason best known to LECO. On Thursday, the July 3 for instance, between 4.00 pm and 8.00 pm there were not less than eight (8) power interruptions. No subsequent apologies or reasons were notified to the consumers, as usual the attitude of those in a monopolistic (virtually) position.Consumers are simply fed up, but they have nowhere to go thanks to the picketing trade unionists who want these services kept in a monopolistic way. Either LECO must manage and perform properly or quit. Either way, the consumers are bound to benefit. R.K. AMARATUNGA, This refers to the letter written by Metthananda Wijekulasuriya of Polgasowita, (DN 10th July). I fully agree with Mr. Wijekulasuriya that there is a sad deterioration of English spelling in the present educational set up. But it should also be reminded that it is not an instance of distorting English spelling when it comes to English spelling employed in commercial art. It is an artistic way of writing English, under special circumstances. For example we have seen the word night written as nite, in special circumstances as colours nite. If I to quote another example, a name board of a tailoring shop, may appear as "Kleen cut tailors" instead of writing the word as clean. This is a way of artistic use of English, employed in commercial art arena. This type of behaviour in English writing, cannot be evaded specially in this age of unprecedented developments in mass communication and information technology. With the rapid development of these two branches in the 21st century, the art of commercial writing cannot be avoided. These writings have to be used by a copy-writer, who prepares a professional copy for the print media. Yet, it can be remedied this way, Mr. Wijekulasuriya's theory is that the younger generation will be perplexed, when they see this type of spelling in their environments of name boards, banners, newspapers etc. The fault does not lie on English usage, as I have emphasised in this essential way of writing, but in the manner in which English is being taught in the English curriculum, today. When there are unprecedented developments like these, students of English, should be made aware, that it is an indifferent way of writing, used for commercial art purposes only, and not used in one's formal education. In short, it is not a distort of facts but a shortcoming of today's deteriorating standards in teaching the language. Secondly, to make a second remedy, users of such artistic writings, can give a helping hand for students, amateurs and beginners of English, by inserting, inverted commas to those words, to show that those are used under special circumstances and not on formal way of everyday English. For example colours 'nite' misunderstandings, if any should be clarified that way, and not by hindering the developments of media, mass communication, graphic designing, technical writings, commercial art, etc. which are rampant, in this age of fast development. KASTURIARACHCHI WARNAKULASURIYA, |
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