Clean water for a healthy world

Winner:

The Planet Earth is called the 'Blue Planet' as 75 per cent of its surface is covered with water. A long time ago water shaped the land areas of the Earth which we live in.

Water is our life blood and the best cleanser ever. Water is so much a part of us as it comprises three fifths of the human body in the form of blood, saliva, urine and sweat.

Water has played a massive role in the development of human civilisation by providing food, power and a mode of transportation.

Many ecosystems thrive in bodies of water. Lakes, rivers, ponds and seas, as they are the habitat of many living beings ranging from bacteria to large fish, birds as well as plants. Water has an impact even on the weather conditions.

Water vapour in the environment makes the air humid. It is water in different forms that falls to the Earth as rain, snow, sleet and hail.

Water in all its greatness is one of the biggest natural forces on Earth. Unleashed suddenly, water can create destruction in the form of tsunamis and floods.

The World Health Organization considers water to be polluted if its composition has been altered. Human activities pollute water in many ways. Sewage water, by-products of industrial and agricultural activities and radioactive substances enter rivers and even seeps into the ground and contaminate ground water.

The pollutants then enter the bodies of fish and pass on to the people who eat the fish. The gravity of water pollution is that all living beings will be affected by it.

March 22 has been named the World Water Day to raise awareness among people to conserve water. 'Clean water for a Healthy world' is this year's World Water Day theme. Let us do what we can to keep water clean because it is too precious a gift to destroy.

Nillasi Liyanage,

Grade 11F,

Musaeus College,

Colombo.

A trip to the hill country

Winner:

The hill country in Sri Lanka is very beautiful. I went to Nuwara Eliya recently. The ridge along the mountain range was fantastic. The mountain looked wonderful. They were very fresh and had green tea plantations all over which made them took more fresh and beautiful.

Nuwara Eliya is very picturesque and I felt like staying there for ever. My father played golf at the golf course. I saw the Pidurutalagala mountain. It was a grand spectacle since it is the highest mountain top in Sri Lanka. We also visited the Haggala Gardens, Victoria Gardens and World's End. The latter is a fascinating place. I went on pony rides with my family and ate plenty of ice cream. We visited a nearby carnival too. There were lots of tourists, mostly foreigners.

We also went on a mountain trek and visited the major waterfalls in Sri Lanka. I bathed in some of them. The water was chilly. Our trip to the hill country was a very thrilling and memorable one which I cannot forget in my life.

A. R. Fathima Noofa,

Grade 8A E/M,

Mahmud Ladies' College, Kalmunai.

Life story of a rose

Winner:

I am a kind of a rose and my name is blue rose. I lived in a flower shop called the Flower Garden.

I am proud of myself because people take me for decorations at weddings and other occasions. I am used at funerals too. My friends are blue bell, anthurium, sunflower and poppy.

One day a foreigner came into the shop and bought me. I was so sad to leave my friends. On the way I fell from her basket. She didn't notice me falling. I lay on the street for sometime. Many people walked past me but no one cared about me or took any notice of me. I was scared of being trampled by someone. Soon a small girl came by and picked me up.

She took me to her home and placed me in a flower vase along with other flowers. She then kept the vase in a bedroom which seemed to be hers. I stayed in that vase for about three days with the other flowers with whom I soon become friends. Because of the water in the vase and the spraying of water daily by the small girl, my new friends and I were fortunate to stay alive for at least three days. However, it did not stop us from withering. Day by day, our petals fell off one by one.

After we withered completely, the girl put our withered bodies into separate flower pots. Then we were buried and watered. I grew day-by-day into a healthy flowering plant and I gave birth to many blue roses. I was once only a blue rose but today I am a happy blue rose plant.

Fathima Nazra Johar,

Grade 9AE,

Lindsay Girls' School,

Colombo 3.

Impact of computers

Winner:

Science and technology have played a major role in the development of man. From the days of communication using pigeons, the modes of communication have improved where information virtually floats in the air today.

Scientists and technologists have achieved much in the recent past. Among all their achievements the computer plays a key role. It has its own special place.

The computer can be defined as an electronic machine that can acquire, manipulate, reproduce and communicate data at a very high speed, maintaining a high level of accuracy.

The data is only a representation of facts using symbols. The data may be numerical, textual, pictorial or vocal.

Today the computer has taken over the entire world. In homes, factories, schools, hospitals, offices and hotels the computer is used in a big way. Because it is an enormously flexible tool that can be used in a variety of ways, depending on needs and resources, computers carry out most of the important work today.

The computers are here to stay in the modern world and the more we understand them, the better will be the days ahead of us.

With their help we can develop our skills.

A.F. Sajeetha,

Grade 10I,

STR/Muslim Madya Maha

Vidyalaya,

Sammanthurai.

Health is wealth

Winner:

We have heard that "health is wealth". A human being needs food, shelter and clothing to lead a healthy life. It is very important for us to eat nourishing food to stay healthy. We must eat food which contain all the nutrients but today many people have got into the habit of eating fast food which is very harmful to our health. We must always eat fresh and natural food which is home made. By taking a balanced diet and doing exercises daily, we can keep our bodies strong and healthy.

We can lead a healthy life by keeping our homes, gardens and clothes clean. When our gardens or homes are unclean we could contract many diseases. For example, because of the clean water collected in tyres, coconut shells and gutters, the dengue mosquitoes breed and the deadly dengue fever spreads. By destroying the places where clean water collects we can stop these diseases from spreading. We should also keep ourselves clean. Otherwise we may catch various diseases, due to the lack of personal hygiene.

Even though we wear old clothes, they should be clean. We can lead a healthy life without contracting any diseases if we do the above mentioned things.

Ovin Amaratunga,

Grade 8 - A,

Marist Stella Branch

School, Bolawalana.