Letters to the Editor
View(s):How can President say he is on the right track!
I would like to make a few comments about the President’s Independence Day speech in which he said that the current crisis is not long term; his plans are on track. His vision and determination may be true for him. But he should think about the people who undergo hardships of acute shortages of essential food stuffs, especially milk foods, rice, sugar, turmeric etc.
We are all aware of what happened to the LPG gas in the country when gas cylinders began to explode. Many innocent lives were lost, houses damaged. Despite the risk, people waited in long queues for gas as it has become an essential item for cooking. Due to the gas shortage many switched to kerosene but the price of that too has suddenly shot up and it is not available.
In the case of farmers who haven’t the proper fertiliser to cultivate their crops, the Government should have realised that our farmers have been accustomed to using chemical fertiliser for many years, and a sudden change would cause chaos among them. Consequently, the farmers are on the streets protesting against the Government’s arbitrary action. The farmers warn there would be a food shortage in the near future if the fertiliser crisis continues. In such a critical situation how does the President say he is on the right track.
During his election campaign he pledged ‘a prosperous nation’. The country is vastly indebted unable to repay the loans it has taken mostly during the Rajapaksa era for projects which hardly bring dividends to the country. How does the President say that he is on the right track!
Z.A.M.Shukoor Aranayaka
An article that could shed some light among governing pundits
Don Manu’s column ‘Sunday Punch’ in the Sunday Times of January 23 – ‘Darkness at noon and dinner by candlelight’ is remarkably and splendidly composed and ought to be read by our governing pundits. The Governor of the Central Bank too can absorb some useful advice and refrain from making grandiose statements and predictions that are more or less like giving sweets to children.
The last two paragraphs of the article are brilliantly written and I’m sure will suffice to open the eyes of the authorities to the way in which governance of this country is being handled.
Brian Hingert Makola
Have we tapped full hydro-electricity potential in country?
The regular and uninterrupted supply of electricity to the country is becoming a problem because of the difficulty in obtaining fuel due to the foreign exchange problems the country is facing.
Under the circumstances, it is pertinent to ask if the full hydro-electricity potential of the country has been tapped.
Let’s look at a few possibilities:
Watawala: If we take the Watawala, Ginigathena and Ambagamuwa triangle, it receives the highest rainfall in the country. There is a tributary of the Mahaweli flowing past the three locations. The distance from Ambagamuwa and Watawala is about four miles, but the difference in elevation is about 1,500 feet, the elevation at Watawala being 3,500 feet and the elevation at Ambagamuwa being 2,000 feet. Cannot this difference in elevation be tapped to produce a substantial quantity of electricity?
Lewella in Kandy: The Mahaweli forms a loop around Kandy. One end of the loop is Peradeniya, the other end is Lewella. The distance between the two points is about five miles but the difference in elevation is about 200 feet. Taking into consideration, the large volume of water of the river at Peradeniya, cannot this difference in elevation be harnessed to generate a substantial quantity of electricity?
Elpitiya: The elevation of Elpitiya is not availabe to me. But the map indicates the possibility of a viable hydro-electricity project. If successful it could also control floods on the lower reaches of the Gin Ganga.
If one or more of these locations shows the potential for a commercially viable project for hydro-electricity, it could not only provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the public but also save much needed foreign exchange for the country.
Wickramasinghe Kaduwela
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