Gert van der Hoek
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Colombo fast becoming a sick city: CMC medical chief
By Yohan Perera
Colombo will soon become a city of the sick if a proper township development plan is not implemented immediately, the Colombo Municipality?s Chief Medical Officer Pradeep Kariyawasam warned yesterday.
Dr. Kariyawasam told a news conference that the increasing number of buildings and the population in the city would result in various health problems among the city dwellers. He explained the increasing number of houses and other buildings built on filled land had prevented the outflow of water from the city. In addition building houses along the marine drive was preventing fresh air reaching the people, Dr. Kariyawasam said.
Coming up with more shocking details he said the sewerage system which was meant for a population of 200,000 was now being used by a staggering 700,000 people in the city causing many problems.
Dr. Kariyawasam said most of the drainage lines in the city were blocked and over flowing. In addition the number of gutters and water collecting places had increased with the growing population, he explained.
Dr. Kariyawasam saw the large number of empty lands in the city as another major problem. He said those empty lands had become ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. There are over 1000 such lands in the city, he said.
He pointed out all these conditions in the city would result in epidemics spreading in the city. ?Diseases such as dengue are correlated with township development and when it is not planned properly the city will end up with epidemics,? he added. Commending the CMC he said it had however been able to keep the spread of dengue to a low level although it had increased by 100% in the rest of the country. There was only a 10% increase of dengue in the Colombo city this year, he said.
Referring to the more recent spreading of chikungunya, Dr. Kariyawasam said there had been only 46 cases who sought hospital treatment in the city. It has been found that the dengue mosquito was not the only carrier of chikungunya. Others such as Acdes Egypti, Acades albopictus and Mansonia mosquitoes also carry the disease according to him. He also warned Sri Lanka was running the risk of a bout of yellow fever in the future.
Referring to the precautions that should be taken he said the most essential fact is the cooperation of the public and other organizations including that of the government.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2006/12/29/front/5.asp
By Yohan Perera
Colombo will soon become a city of the sick if a proper township development plan is not implemented immediately, the Colombo Municipality?s Chief Medical Officer Pradeep Kariyawasam warned yesterday.
Dr. Kariyawasam told a news conference that the increasing number of buildings and the population in the city would result in various health problems among the city dwellers. He explained the increasing number of houses and other buildings built on filled land had prevented the outflow of water from the city. In addition building houses along the marine drive was preventing fresh air reaching the people, Dr. Kariyawasam said.
Coming up with more shocking details he said the sewerage system which was meant for a population of 200,000 was now being used by a staggering 700,000 people in the city causing many problems.
Dr. Kariyawasam said most of the drainage lines in the city were blocked and over flowing. In addition the number of gutters and water collecting places had increased with the growing population, he explained.
Dr. Kariyawasam saw the large number of empty lands in the city as another major problem. He said those empty lands had become ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. There are over 1000 such lands in the city, he said.
He pointed out all these conditions in the city would result in epidemics spreading in the city. ?Diseases such as dengue are correlated with township development and when it is not planned properly the city will end up with epidemics,? he added. Commending the CMC he said it had however been able to keep the spread of dengue to a low level although it had increased by 100% in the rest of the country. There was only a 10% increase of dengue in the Colombo city this year, he said.
Referring to the more recent spreading of chikungunya, Dr. Kariyawasam said there had been only 46 cases who sought hospital treatment in the city. It has been found that the dengue mosquito was not the only carrier of chikungunya. Others such as Acdes Egypti, Acades albopictus and Mansonia mosquitoes also carry the disease according to him. He also warned Sri Lanka was running the risk of a bout of yellow fever in the future.
Referring to the precautions that should be taken he said the most essential fact is the cooperation of the public and other organizations including that of the government.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2006/12/29/front/5.asp