Letters to the Editor
View(s):Northern politicians quibble over irrelevant matters while people wade in murky waters
Following the recent heavy rainfall and floods experienced in the Northern Province, one is compelled to ask the question ‘ is there a storm water and flood management scheme operative in the Northern Province’?
I refer particularly to Jaffna Town, a major city with a Teaching Hospital and a population of around 169,102. The hospital has been immersed in water with flood water as high as two feet within the hospital wards. The dedication and selflessness of the hospital staff which includes doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, porters and cleaners who turned up for work in spite of the adverse weather and travel conditions have to be admired and applauded. The photos show nurses wading in knee high water inside wards to care for vulnerable patients. Thousands of homes have been flooded and people forced to seek shelter in homes of relatives and friends less affected.
What is the role and responsibility of the Jaffna Municipality in the management of this natural disaster? Isn’t it the responsibility of the Municipality to ensure that there is an adequate and properly functioning storm water disposal system for the town? This is a mandatory requirement laid down by the Jaffna Municipality when applications are made by private individuals to construct new dwellings and guest houses. One has only to walk around Jaffna town to appreciate the pathetic and disgusting state of the drains purported to be maintained by the Municipal Council. These drains are all clogged with garbage and water does not flow through them. They are a breeding ground for mosquitoes and furthermore, the stench that emanates from them is unbearable and poses a serious health risk to the people living in Jaffna.
I cannot, but also ponder, about the role and responsibility of the Northern Province politicians in working towards improving the infrastructure of the city and helping the Municipal Council in building a proper sewage and storm water drainage system for the whole of the Northern Province. Instead of quibbling amongst themselves over irrelevant things, they should be cooperating and working together with the Central Government to alleviate the sufferings of the people they represent. After all, as amply stated by our President, the elected members of Parliament are the servants of the people and not vice versa.
A right to water and a right to sanitation is recognised as elements of the right to an adequate standard of living in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
On July 28, 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.
Although a decade has passed, we are no closer to realising this basic human right.
Dr. Elmo Thambapillai
(Consultant Paediatrician)
Via email