Seven Modern Wonders of the World

On Saturday July 7, history will be re-written!

We have all heard of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. On this day, the Seven Modern World Wonders will be declared.

Swiss businessman Bernard Weber, through his New7Wonders Foundation, initiated this project in September 1999. By November 24, 2005, 177 monuments were up for consideration.

To be included on the new list, the wonders had to be man-made, completed before 2000, and in an 'acceptable' state of preservation. On January 1, 2006, the list had been reduced to 21 sites; later it was reduced to 20, following complaints from Egypt.

Some in Egypt view it as a competition to the status of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving monument among the original Ancient Wonders. Egyptian Culture Minister Farouz Hosni said the project was 'absurd'.

Following the complaints from Egypt, the Pyramids were given special status and removed from the voting list.

In its website, The New7Wonders Foundation designated the Pyramids of Giza as an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate, as the only remaining of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It had later been removed from the voting list.

Choosing the last seven out of the shortlisted 20 will be done through voting on the internet. The final list will be announced in Lisbon, Portugal. The 21 finalists listed alphabetically are: Acropolis (Athens, Greece), Alhambra (Granada, Spain), Angkor Wat (Angkor, Cambodia), Chichen Itza (Yucatan, Mexico), Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Colosseum (Rome, Italy), Easter Island Moais (Easter Island, Chile), Eiffel Tower (Paris, France), Great Wall (China), Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey), Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto, Japan), Kremlin, Red

Square and Saint Basil's Cathedral (Moscow, Russia), Machu Picchu (Cuzco, Peru), Neuschwanstein Castle (Fussen, Germany), Petra (Jordan), Pyramids of Giza (Egypt- removed), Statue of Liberty (New York City, United States), Stonehenge (Amesbury, United Kingdom), Sydney Opera House (Australia), Taj Mahal (Agra, India) and Timbuktu (Mali).

We will provide you more details about these monuments in a series of articles about the seven world wonders, starting with the seven ancient wonders, look out for the Little Blue Birdie's Diary for more details...

Janani Amarasekara

Water, the priceless resource

Almost everyday, we hear news and see things connected with water. It may be about a scarcity of water or drought or news of landslides or floods due to heavy rains.

However, water is an invaluable resource of nature and is an essential human need. Two thirds of the Earth surface is covered by water, but 97 per cent of it is undrinkable sea water. Another two per cent is locked up in the polar ice caps. Less than two per cent is freshwater that is drinkable and fulfils other human needs.

Although some countries face the problem of not having enough water, Sri Lanka is blessed with a fairly good rainfall throughout the year. However, at times, we face a severe shortage of water in some areas, whereas at other time we face the threat of flood waters.

Now, all over the world, there are signs of a water crisis as the demand for water is on the increase. The water tables are falling; underground water deposits are depleted; the lakes are shrinking and wetlands are drying up.

It's clear that water use is expanding rapidly and there is heavy demand for freshwater, but the supply of freshwater is limited.

According to the National Water Supply and Drainage Services Board, the causes for depletion of water supply are; the clearance of forest cover, silting of rivers, waterways and tanks, the rapid urbanization and high demand for pipe-borne water and failure to use water sparingly.

Water pollution is also a big problem that has to be tackled without delay. We are to blame for water pollution. Water pollution may lead to water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid.

The removal of the forest cover has a disastrous effect on the fauna and flora and directly affects the water cycle too. The majority of people living in urban areas use pipe-borne water. Much of the tap water is used in a careless manner and wasted.

This is wasting money and resources. Tap water is meant for human consumption but, according to the Water Board, some use tap water for gardening and washing vehicles; it's also wasted due to leaky pipes and taps. At times, these taps are kept open all day long.

Water is a fast dwindling resource. It's our duty and responsibility to protect this priceless natural resource.

L.W. Gamini Chaminda Kumara