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| Sunday, 28 July 2002 |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
In the Sunday Observer of April 28 Mr. K.H.J. Wijedasa claims that the sacred Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura is reckoned as the oldest surviving tree in the world. In response Dr. S.K. Vadivale points out in the same newspaper of June 9 that there is a board at the foot of a huge mango tree in the precincts of the Thira Ehamparanatha Swami Kovil in Kajipuram, which reads 'This mango tree is more than 3500 years old'. Will someone let me know what is the life span of a mango tree? It is also very interesting to gather from Dr. Vadivale that there is a tree in Tasmania with base (roots) occupying a ground area of one hectare and claimed to be more than 10500 years old. At the Buddha Gaya on the Ganges people still worship a scion of the bo tree which Gautama Buddha sat in a trance until enlightenment came upon him. A cutting of the same tree, is said to have been planted 245 BC at Anuradhapura. A cyprus in Tule, Mexico, which is 4,000 to 6,000 old years is believed to be the oldest surviving tree. It is 125 feet in circumference. The oldest tree in the world was supposed to be the famous dragon tree, Dracena, of Tamerite, which was blown down in 1868 with a trunk forty five feet in girth, it was said to be 6000 years old. Professor Bessay counted 1,147 annual ring of growth. A large part of Sumatra, a tropical island over a thousand miles long, is covered with impenetrable jungle. Starting at an altitude of about 4000 feet the forests extend to the summits of all but the highest mountain. The giant tree known as the Yarinquin is remarkable for its dense masses of aerial roots. FAZEER RADIN, I was interested to learn today that the Cabinet has approved a proposal to construct a coal-fired power plant at Trincomalee. The decision has been taken that the benefits which will accrue from this will far outweigh any environmental problems which may arise. This is precisely what I reported in my lecture at the Institution of Engineers in 1988 (Please see the following article : "Coal-fired thermal power and the environment" in Engineer-Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, volume 16 of 1988, pages 48-52). This lecture was also published in THE ISLAND as follows: "Coal-fired thermal power and the environment" in THE ISLAND of 26 March 1988, pages 8-9. This only goes to show that the country would have been saved a lot of grief if decision makers and the general public had read and taken to heart articles published by informed scientists. If the present decision had been taken at that time we would have been well on the way by now to becoming an industrialised country and the improved economy would have made a very substantial contribution towards the reduction of the poverty which leads to conflicts and crime. We would also have saved for the time being the very large sums expended on feasibility studies on the Norochcholai and other sites. Major environmental benefits which can arise following the construction of coal-fired plants include the following: 1) Once the economy improves and the general population can afford to use electricity and gas for cooking, we will no longer need to cut down our forests for fuelwood. It should be noted that many factories also still use fuelwood for their operation. Fuelwood and agricultural residues still constitute the major source of energy in this country.It is quite unnecessary that we continue with such practices in the twenty first century. 2) Once we have a stable and reliable source of power and energy (independent of monsoons), we can invest in an electrified urban and suburban rail system which will take the pressure off our roads and eliminate to a very large degree the pollution emitted into the environment by our vehicles. (A functioning electrified rail system will also reduce the deaths and injuries reported every day on our roads.) Another benefit of using the option of coal as an energy source is that should another "Gulf War" occur the economy of this country could quite easily be strangled if a blockade takes place of shipping from the Middle East. Coal is obtainable from a multitude of sources. If the problem of siting a coal-fired plant at Norochcholai was the presence of a shrine, the possibility should be investigated of moving the shrine to another location. This is not impossible - for instance, archaeological sites are moved if they are in danger of being submerged following the construction of a dam. The concerned parties can find the funds to undertake this. Another lesson to be drawn from the present problem is the need to have more and better science education at all levels of society. In the twenty first century not only decision makers but also the general public need to have at least a sound basic science education to equip them with the capacity to take and understand informed decisions. If we continue as we are, we are destined to remain for all time gatherers of firewood and suppliers of cheap labour to the rest of the world (and the dump of used vehicles and other equipment rejected by the Japanese). ROHAN H. WICKRAMASINGHE , During a recent visit to Sri Lanka, I took the opportunity of visiting the TRI, where my father worked during 1960s, before migrating to Australia. The picture in my mind of the TRI was, one of well maintained Bungalows, manicured lawns, trimmed hedges - all in all - extremely pleasant and beautiful surroundings. However, when I visited the institute at the beginning of this year, mainly to have a look at the two bungalows we lived in, I was most shocked and ashamed to see the deterioration in the standard of maintenance of the premises within the institute. Bungalows, gardens and lawns were over-run with weeds, some of which were over 2 to 3 feet in height. There was total neglect and the impression I got was that the bungalows had not been occupied for a long period of time. However, I was given to understand that all bungalows were occupied! During my stay at the TRI, when maintenance was of the highest order, there were several Europeans on the staff, whereas at present directors and staff are 100% Sri Lankans. Having seen the present conditions at the TRI, I had no alternative, but to come to the conclusion that the aesthetic values of the Westerner is far superior to that of the Sri Lankans, where this institute is concerned. These conditions being tolerated by the board of the TRI, is a matter for surprise. ANSLEM PEREIRA, The opening words of the historical novel Talisman by Sir Walter Scott states as follows: "Burning sun of Syria had not reached its highest point in the sky when a knight of the Red Cross who had left his distant Northern home and joined the army of the crusaders in Palestine was..." Times have changed and it appears even the Pope regrets and laments in confession for the word Crusade the Red Cross is associated with. The editor has well begun by printing Israel Ambassador's letter. The demand for an apology standing from his high pedestal of Diplomatic immunity appears to be like looking down on underlings after having come from base degrees up to a top rung presently controlled from Jerusalem. The whole world has seen the injustice to Palestine in the name of so-called democracy or the world order termed by the one and only world policeman whom Shakespeare would have seen and described thus "Yon B... is like Cassius with a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous." I have heard that sinners continue to sin from the day of crucifixion until they are fully loaded with sin up to the brim for their final self explosion and destruction. Palestine was there from time immemorial and will continue to be there ever after despite obstacles but with sympathy from all over the world. Y. AMERASENA DE SILVA, In February 2002, two land deeds were sent for registration to the provincial capital. Only one arrived after registration after a period of about two months. Four visits to the Land Registry was made on four consecutive days to trace what had happened to the other deed. On the first day the relevant clerk was on leave and there was no one able to help. On the second day the clerk did a casual search and said it is with the chief clerk. The chief clerk was not available on the third day. On the fourth day surprisingly all the connected officers were available and still the deed could not be found. The strange thing is out of the two deeds only one was registered. But both deeds have been acknowledged as received for registration. Since the second deed could not be traced, the Lawyer has to re do a fresh deed. There is absolute confusion in government departments. When one goes to a government department, one will observe that hardly any one is at work. Chairs are empty. On inquiry, one is told he was here just now, perhaps he has gone out may be to toilet, canteen or to collect his child from the day-care school. Staff officers have absolutely no control over their subordinates because they do not do any work either and very often not in their seats. The other matter is that the public are made to understand that they (the public servant) is doing them a great favour and expects some sort of handout to get a document attended to. Hence all manner of obstructions are placed until the public decides to give a handout and soon after that the document arrives as if nothing had gone wrong. Last month, I happened to go to the Labour Secretariat at Narahenpita at 3.00 p.m. Only one lift was in operation and a large crowd had assembled to use it. I used the stairs to the 4th floor where there was no one in their seats. Some were found standing in groups discussing perhaps what they were going to do that evening. The impression created was that there was no work to be done. I managed to find a staff officer in his cubicle and got some information that I needed. I wonder how the Government is going to motivate the public servant to do a job of work, honestly, and how the Administrative Staff Officer will control his subordinate staff. DISGUSTED CITIZEN, International school in Gampaha The College of World Education, Gampaha Campus, was declared open by Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku in the presence of Deshabandu Karu Jayasuriya MP, Minister of Power and Energy, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene MP, Minister of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees and Ruth Archibald, High Commissioner for Canada. This school located at Miriswatte in Gampaha, was started under the guidance of Dr. Frank Jayasinghe, a pioneer and the senior most international school administrator and educationist, with over three decades of experience both locally and abroad. Mrs. Maryanne Hills is the principal and she holds a Master's degree in Education from the USA. Equipped with a science laboratory, computer laboratory, music room, basketball court, a swimming pool built to international specifications, and facilities for a variety of indoor and outdoor sports, the aim of the school is to give each student a complete education. The school is also affiliated to Singapore Informatics, a member of Information Holdings Ltd. Singapore, leading to British and American university degrees. The academic year will commence in September of each year and the total student capacity will be 1000. Speaking at the opening, Dr. Frank Jayasinghe said that the aim of the school was to equip its students with the foundation and skills for a university education or professional studies, be it medicine, engineering, banking, business management, IT or any other field. "Character building, personality development and self discipline are areas which will receive our highest priority," he said. Students could now enrol for the forthcoming academic year, with applications being available at the school. |
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