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| Thursday, 18 September 2003 |
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Letters | |
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Please forward your letters to editor@dailynews.lk in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Destruction and construction, are they bedfellows or enemies? Or do they simply take turns? At different times, in different places the answer can differ but the ever increasing demand for building materials under all circumstances has brought on the present crisis regarding the supply of sand. The traditional sources, our rivers and streams have been exploited beyond safety limits and are unable to satisfy the demands of the construction industry. River beds are eroding, water levels falling, banks collapsing, bridge foundations, water tables and irrigation adversely affected. Quarry dust has been used instead of sand in some applications but the supply is insufficient and not universally acceptable as an alternative. Sea sand is the only alternative available in abundance. The cost of dredging, pumping and desalinating will increase the cost, but this will have to be done and done now before more damage is done by erosion, while exploring the possibility of additives to neutralise the shortcomings of sea sand. A very large proportion of our construction is in house building and ways to economise on sand consumption and thereby on cost must be explored in the areas of masonry, concrete, plastering and floor finishes. The following suggestions deserve consideration. 1. Dry laid interlocking brick masonry. 2. Masonry bonded with clay, clay lime, clay cement mortar. Our brick in clay Dagaba construction has stood the test of time. 3. Traditional "thappa", "Warichchi", or improved unbaked clay block masonry in clay mortar. This clay based construction makes the least expensive but most cool and comfortable houses for the tropics. There are no doubts about durability. Look at the centuries old houses and Walawwa's for testimony. The drawback in this construction is attack by termites. But this can be overcome by mixing the bottom layers with copper sulphate solution. 4. Steel framework for multi storey buildings with hollow column and beam sections where girders would be aesthetically undesirable. 5. Terracotta or tile ground floors on rammed earth and cement or earth and lime base over polythene moisture barrier instead of cement concrete screed. 6. Unplastered walls, slurry washed, pointed or papered. 7. Back to those beautiful wooden stairs and upper floors. 8. Clay, clay lime, clay cement plaster to walls. 9. Reinforced brickwork. 10. Rustic bare stone surfaces. 11. Prestressed or post tensioned baked clay sections in beams and floors. 12. Mesh and flowering creeper fencing or beautiful hedges instead of ugly boundary walls. Minimising use of concrete and plaster would not only reduce the need for sand but would also reduce to a great extent the high cost component in house building resulting in more comfortable houses at affordable cost. LINCOLN WIJEYESINGHE, Dehiwala The world is in the twenty first century, but sadly government departments in our country are still like dungeons. Gloomy, untidy, broken floors and walls, rusty steel cupboards and so many other eye-sores, including the faded, dirty and dusty piles of files, ill-lit corridors with cobwebs hanging and stinking toilets. Apart from everything, works in government departments move slower than a snail's pace. If, to get a certain job done early or to get it done even after the normal required time. nothing will move without 'something' being slipped from our hand into theirs. Therefore, to eradicate this fate the public face in government departments, the following ways could be helpful. When customers or the public make their applications for necessary approvals or replies, such applications should be first of all entered in a register and the serial numbers written on them. Strict instructions should be given that everything should be processed according to the serial numbers and that if anyone violates the instruction he or she would be severely dealt with. However, for priority cases endorsement of only the Head of the Department should be obtained and incomplete applications should be returned according to the numerical order. When the perfected applications are received back they should be serialised again. While this system will lessen taking bribes to a very great extent it will also make the others applications automatically processed since those who will resort to some other secret way of receiving bribe will try to dispose cases that are ahead of the serialised number in hand. It should be made compulsory for every Head of Department to check the register every fortnight to see whether everything is according to the instructions given. This system will also be helpful to assess the outputs of the staff every week. The Ministry of Public Administration should set a unit for this purpose to check the performance of the government departments if aforesaid arrangements are introduced. If a system like this is not introduced the applications of the public will lie as they are, until the palms of the persons concerned are oiled. The staff too will just sign in and sign off and sign on pay day as usual. Immigration Dept., Land Registry, Motor Vehicles Dept. Colombo Municipal Council, Sri Lanka Customs and other departments dealing with various requirements are very sensitive places for the public to skid if oil is not properly palmed despite the documents are perfect. I need not comment about the SLPA for it is a place where, if a customer knocks against an employee accidentaly even, has to give "something" for it. Such a nasty Authority in spite of handsome salaries, overtime, satisfying bonus, attractive benefits, etc. It is also undoubtedly a place in which the Government could provide a few thousands of employment if the Bribery Department is put into active operation. Readers are suggesting, authorities concerned are reading and thereafter nothing, while usual things are continuing and of pure administration government is boasting. NAZLY CASSIM, Colombo. 13 I have put on fat you mumble with trepidation. And put one last attempt to bring the collar button to the button hole. There I did it! You congratulate yourself. Apart from the slight discomfort of breathing and swallowing you have no concern over a tight collar or necktie. Till yesterday you were correct. But now researchers have found out that your tight collar may pose one more hazard. It may increase the pressure inside your eyeball. According to a study published in the latest British Journal of Ophthalmology, wearing a tight necktie or a tight collar itself may lead to an increase in the intraocular pressure. This may lead to a serious eye disease, called in the medical parlance as "Glaucoma" which is considered to be the third largest cause of blindness worldwide after cataract and trachoma, and is responsible for an estimated 5.2 million cases. Estimates prepared by WHO put the total number of suspect cases of glaucoma at around 105 million. More than 80% of the blind and suspect cases live in the developing world. Thus, neckwear will soon join a list of established risk factors for glaucoma that includes, being older than age 40; of African/Asian descent; or having diabetes, hypertension, poor vision, or a family history of glaucoma. The increase in intraocular pressure is associated with a slow destruction of the nerve of the eye where there is progressive thinning of the head of the nerve. If left unchecked it may lead to severely restricted vision and finally end up in blindness. Unfortunately except in certain types, Glaucoma does not cause any early signs. Early signs of glaucoma are difficult to notice for an individual, except for cases in which pain and blurred vision develop as a result of a sudden increase of intra ocular pressure. Ideally, therefore, persons over 40 years of age should have regular eye examinations, particularly those with a family history of glaucoma. Glaucoma as such cannot be prevented, but visual loss can be avoided if the disease is detected and treated at an early stage. Awareness-raising and education aimed at persons at particular risk facilitate the early detection and treatment of glaucoma. Researchers say that a too-tight necktie may increase the risk of glaucoma by boosting blood pressure inside the eyes to high levels. Specifically, a tight necktie constricts neck veins and raises the pressure in the eyes. During this study the necktie was tightened around the buttoned collar to the point of slight discomfort where the increase in intraocular pressure was noticed within 3 minutes. This increase was mild but clinically significant according to the researchers. If you are a person who wears necktie rarely - only on your wedding day! - the chances of that being harmful is remote. But remember to loosen it before you step in for an eye checkup, otherwise it may lead to a falsely elevated eye pressure recording leading to erroneous diagnosis. But if you are a - sun does not see my neck - person who lives with a necktie then you may pay attention to loosen your tie and your collar as sustained increase in eye pressure may lead to Glaucoma. As one expert says "If you can't get your finger in between your neck and your collar easily, it's too tight." Therefore remember that when it comes to neckwear, tight isn't right. DR. AHMED ABDULLAH, Kandy. The proposal of the Minister of Interior, John Amaratunge to issue National Identity Cards in one day is indeed praiseworthy and laudable. It is certainly a boon to many people. The issuing of this vital document took a long time and the harassed applicants had to trek to Grama Niladari's office many times or check with the District Secretary's office the position of their documents submitted earlier to GN. The novel scheme not only speeds the issuing of NICs but will also bring additional revenue to the Department of Registration of Persons. If the new scheme is given more publicity by means of advertisements, publishing relevant details pertaining to submission of documents, etc. it will serve a world of good to people concerned because it would save the ordeal of visiting the department several times. If this proves successful, I feel it is a good idea to extend the scheme to some other institutions like the Customs, RMV, SLPA, W & OP unit of the Dept. of Pensions, etc. Above all, bribery and corruption rampant in the Public Service, could be curtailed to a great extent. The above proposal would kill two birds with one stone. Speedy delivery of NICs and additional money in the department's coffer. M. AZHAR DAWOOD, Dehiwala Road accidents - why blame only drivers? Presentations we have had in the recent months by the university gurus and police hierarchy painted a picture of one-sided story. Based on the premise that vehicle drivers are the culprits anti-driver culture had been formed by the media. None had given prominence to the road and vehicle conditions that lead to many accidents. 60% of the responsibility for accidents should be borne by the regulatory and other authorities. Most of the researchers who are not adroitly to the steering wheel have become desktop road pundits. Their vehicle accidents are not reported to the media. For the real experts (the actual drivers who lament on the roads) the core issue is not the melodrama of high volume of traffic or driver insanity but the perilous conditions of our roads and some heavy vehicles. Extensive media coverage has almost made the vehicle drivers superfluous. Take a drive on the Colombo-Negombo road. As you enter the Colombo-Negombo road at new Japanese bridge one can feel the condition of the road due to road humps made from shifted premix. Road cracks are visible in every metre on the road. There is only one informative road sign stating the speed limits that is also after 15km drive at Ja-ela. How does a driver know the speed limit if it is not properly displayed? The markings of the pedestrian crossings are not only faded but without the relevant warning signs. Wasted road surface at Wattala is in existence for past three years. The bends at Peliyagoda, Wattala, Mabole, Welisara, Kandana and Weligampitiya had become narrower due to non-maintenance and now those places are death traps. Almost all the bends of the road are narrowed; the bend near the Interior Minister's residence (towards Negombo) is narrowed due to trees planted so closer to the road. Police also visible on that road only on weekdays not on mercantile, Poya and on weekends. Why? Do they expect the road discipline only on weekdays? What about the dilapidated vehicles plying on the roads? Those who had given the roadworthiness certificates to these vehicles as fit to be driven on the roads also should be penalized. What about the accidents related to law enforcement authorities? Are their drivers accidents free? So it is better that law enforcement authorities to make arrangements to place warning signs where needed in big bold letters and to improve the road conditions rather than making drivers scapegoats. PATHMA BASTIAN, Wattala |
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