News

News

Noise pollution raises loud complaints
The Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council has received 40 complaints against noise pollution since it began its campaign in June this year, much of which have been against mosques and Buddhist temples.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said, many of the complaints were against the call for prayers in mosques and the 'pirith' audio cassettes in temples. One temple has been taken to courts, following complaints. Except the Bamabalapitiya mosque, other mosques are yet to reduce the volume of their loudspeakers. Dr. Kariyawasam said notices would be sent to all places to keep the volume low as per provision in the by-law on the Operation of Gramaphones and Loudspeakers.

Other complaints were made against lottery sellers, schools for using sound systems during assemblies, playgrounds for using loudspeakers during sports activities, food outlets - with specific reference to preparation of kotthu rotti, Karoake bars and restaurants.

Noise levels should not exceed 60 decibels during the day and 50 decibels at night. Dr. Kariyawasam warned that noise pollution could result in health problems and a loss of productivity. "In a bedroom or a classroom, the noise level should be 30 decibels. Since most schools are by the side of the road, children suffer from loss of attention and forgetfulness which are symptoms of ill-health due to noise pollution," he added.

As a result of noise pollution, he said, people could also suffer from headaches, mood changes, social conflicts and in some instances, can lead to heart problems, hypertension and indigestion.

Parties gearing up for PC polls
Political parties have stepped up their campaign for Provincial Council elections with speculation that the President is planning to order elections in five provinces simultaneously early next year.

The People's Alliance which holds power in six Provincial Councils has shown signs of going for an early election. The Sunday Times learns that President Chandrika Kumaratunga is to summon the Chief Ministers of the six councils to discuss the impending elections.

Uva Chief Minister A.M. Budhadasa told The Sunday Times, although the Chief Minister has the power to dissolve the Council and call for nominations, the Council would be dissolved if the President decides.

"If the President who is the leader of the party wants to hold the election before the due date we will consent to it. We have not been informed of such a move. The term of the Uva Council expires in April" he said. The UNP which holds power in the Central Province is said to be determined to complete its term which ends in April.

Central Province Chief Minister Wasantha Aluvihare said that he would dissolve the Council only if the Prime Minister orders him to do so. However last week the UNP commenced issuing application forms to prospective candidates. Within two days more than 300 forms had been collected.

Application forms, available at the party headquarters at Sirikotha, for Rs. 100, will be issued till September 2. According to a party official once the applications closed, an interview board will examine the applications. Selections will be done at district level. Meanwhile, the People's Alliance last week appointed a committee headed by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake to meet party organizers. According to sources the PA is to spearhead its campaign with the ongoing harassment meted out to PA members by the Government.

The JVP which commenced a ten-day house to house campaign on August 9 also used the campaign as a membership drive. JVP spokesman Wimal Weerawansa told The Sunday Times that the party was able to hold more than 1000 pocket meetings which included the Eastern Province as well.

'We explained to the people the current political situation , and the Government's secret pact with the LTTE. We also had a membership drive" he said.

Measles immunisation islandwide
By Faraza Farook
The Epidemiological Unit is targeting two million children during its 'catch up' measles immunization programme which is currently in progress in the North and East and to be implemented in the rest of the country on September 5.

Parents are advised to ensure that children in the 10-15 year age groups are given the measles immunization vaccine regardless of whether they had been vaccinated previously.

The 'catch up' immunization programme is to be held in two phases - the first phase targeting those between 10 to 15 years and during the second phase targeting those in the 16 -20 age group. The second phase is expected to be launched next year.
The extra dose is being given notwithstanding any previous immunization more as a precautionary measure.

Though the 'catch up' immunization project would be primarily a school based programme, mobile clinics and special temporary centres will be set up to reach the non-school-going children in the target age group.

Epidemiological Unit Acting Director Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe said immunization was still being carried out in some difficult areas through mobile clinics with the aid of local, international and non-governmental organizations.

Although incidences of measles have been low since the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1984/85, an outbreak was reported in 1990 where 4004 cases were recorded. Sri Lanka suffered from another measles epidemic from September 1999 to June 2000 when more than 15,000 cases of measles including 23 deaths were reported to the Epidemiological Unit.

About 48% of the cases during this time were in those of the 10-19 years age group.In Sri Lanka, the measles vaccination is first given nine months after birth and then a second dose is given on completion of 3 years along with the Rubella vaccine.

Child specialist Prof. S. Lamabadusooriya said vaccine efficacy is estimated to be high (about 90%) when given at nine months due to the presence of maternal antibodies. However, 10% of those who receive the vaccine do not develop an adequate immune response and remain susceptible to measles later.

As the number of susceptible individuals increase, an outbreak can occur. The Epidemiological Unit is looking at a successful coverage of over 95% to restrain measles transmission. During this campaign the Epidemiological unit calls for the support of parents to ensure that their children get a supplementary dose of measles vaccine, regardless of prior disease or vaccination history.

Across the board cuts affect Elections Department
By Shelani Perera
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dishanayake has criticised Treasury officials for slashing 10% of the Department's budget allocations, claiming that the officials have failed to understand the nature of the expenditure.

Mr. Dishanayake told The Sunday Times that the cut has curtailed day-to-day administration. "When a minister decides to curtail expenditure by 10 % the cut is imposed on each and every function, without looking into the importance of each one. The gravity of imposing such a cut is not taken into consideration" he said.

"One of the first casualty has been the telephones. I have been given Rs. 5000 per month, for my phones. Earlier I had three phones where the rental was nearly Rs. 2000. I disconnected one phone. We have cut down on postage when sending letters to the 26 Elections offices. We now send all the letters meant for each district in one large cover, whereas earlier we used to send them individually to officials" he said.

Back to News