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Health
the hot side of cold weather “Most of the patients complained of running noses and breathing difficulties. At times such as this people usually prone to asthma face the danger of contacting an acute form of the disease,” she said. Haputale district hospital director Dr. S.A Thalagala said in Haputale during this cold season, babies soon after delivery showed signs of suffering from the wheeze. “Soon after delivery, we have to place most of them in incubators to keep them warm,” he said. Dr. Thalagala said most of those who have fallen ill in Haputale were Tamils and they were reluctant to seek hospital admission last week because of Thai Pongal festivities. He however said this would change from next week. Dr. Thalagala also said the cold climate was causing the viral flu to spread faster and many were falling prey to it. In Nuwara-Eliya, many preferred to remain in their homes rather than in hospital to recover from illness. This being the coldest area of Sri Lanka, Nuwara-Eliya reports the minimum temperature. According to Meteorology Department statistics, Nuwara Eliya recorded a temperature of below zero. On February 8, 1914 Nuwara-Eliya recorded a temperature of -2.7 centigrade which is the lowest temperature ever to be recorded in Sri Lanka and the second lowest temperature was -2.6, which was on January 14, 1929. On March 2, 1921 the temperature was recorded as -1.7 C and on December 28, 1930 as -1.1. C On December 27 the temperature recorded in Nuwara-Eliya was 6.0 C while the average temperature for December was 9.6 C and during the past two weeks of this month, the lowest temperature recorded was 8.7C. Last Tuesday, it was slightly higher and recorded as 12.6. “People may suffer from minor ailments, but many patients do not come to hospital preferring instead to remain indoors and recover from their illness rather than exposing themselves to the cold weather by walking in and out of the hospitals,” Nuwara Eliya Base Hospital general physician Dr. S.M.S.D. Samarakoon said. Meanwhile Met Department Deputy Director S.H. Kariyawasam said, “The North-East monsoon establishes itself during the latter part of December and continues till February. During this period it is nothing unusual to experience cold weather with the rains falling in from Sri Lanka’s northern slopes,” However, he said the cold weather experienced during the day time was a result of the cloud concentration which blocks the sunlight entering into the earth’s atmosphere. “This occurrence is due to a mild disturbance in the southeast of Sri Lanka. And the cold wind is a result of the wind blowing from the North of Asia, from areas such as the Himalayas,” Mr. Kariyawasam said. The Met Department says the effects of this atmospheric disturbance in the weather could affect areas such as Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Bandarawela, Kandy and the hilly parts of Kegalle. However residents in Colombo and Kalutara too have commented on the unusual mist and cold weather especially in the mornings. The department says to some extent weather is affected by the alleviation of the land, as the highest place will have a lower temperature than the land near the sea level. Dr.
Kariyawasam added that global warming too has had an immense impact
on environmental fluctuation and results in its many negative repercussions.
Many climatic disturbances during the past couple of months were mostly a result of man-made damages to the environment” he said.
He said NBRO was in the process of tracking down the vulnerable areas in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla districts. The Badulla District secretary Dhanapala Thanthri said there were no reports of landslides, but they were alert to the possibility in vulnerable areas such as Haidamulla, Uva Paranagama and Alugolla. “In
case of a landslide we will take necessary action to relocate people
in schools and temples, till the situation improves”, said
Mr.Thanthri. “Four
people were relocated after a landslide in Walapola Estate, electricity
was cut in Maha oya and a road in Padiyapellela was blocked, and
the Road Development Authority had taken steps to clear the path”,
he said. Precautions
for heart patients Dr. Athukorale explained that when the blood clots and becomes sticky the smooth flow of blood along the artilleries is hampered and the resulting block may very well result in death. “In
Sri Lanka, especially during December, January and the early part
of February, many private hospitals are filled with patients suffering
from heart attacks and most of them are in the Intensive Care Unit”,
he said. |
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