Non communicable diseases:

High among schoolchildren

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The Chief Medical Officer of the Ayurveda Department ,Colombo Municipal Council, (CMC), Dr. Padma Shanthi said last week that over 80 per cent of schoolchildren in the country have been detected with high blood pressure, arthritis and cholesterol due to environmental pollution.

She said excessive stress and consumption of fast food by children are also the reasons for having these non communicable diseases. Dr. Padma Shanthi said it is the sole responsibility of parents and elders to pay special attention to the health conditions of children.

She advised them to take steps to prevent children from engaging in activities for long periods of time without a break, and also from eating fast food too often.

She told the Junior Observer that as an interim measure to reduce the percentage of children being victims of the non communicable diseases, medical teams comprising two physicians , pharmacists and a nurse have been deployed to visit homes, especially shanties where many children live under unhygienic conditions.

She also paid attention to young schoolchildren who are engaged in numerous activities for long periods and said that they should have more free times to reduce stress.

“After our medical teams complete their visits, they will refer needy children to appropriate dispensaries for specialised treatment.”

She said the CMC spends a large sum of money on Ayurveda drugs to prevent the non communicable diseases.

ANCL sponsored Mihintale Aloka Pooja marks 50 years

The Mihintale Aloka Pooja organised by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House) for the 50th time will be held at Mihintale from June 3 to 5.

The Aloka Pooja illuminations will be sponsored by the Ceylon Electricity Board and Abans this year too.

 A Poson Week has been declared from June 1 to 7. A Mihindu Perahera will also take place on June 3, the inaugural day of the Aloka Pooja illuminations. The perahera will begin from the Rajarata University premises and wind its way to Mihintale through Isuru Uyana Mawatha.

The Mihintale Poson festivities will be held under the patronage of Mihintale Raja Maha Viharadhipathi, Ven. Walawahengunawewe Dhammaratana Nayake Thera.The Mihintale Poya Ge constructed in the premises of the Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara on a directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will also be opened on Poson.

The Seema Malakaya of the Mihintale Poyage built under a programme jointly sponsored by Lake House and Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd will be opened on June 4.

Sil campaigns and dansals, etc will take place as part of the festival.

The road network in the Mihintale Sacred Area was renovated and modernised at a cost of Rs 35 million under the Gavernment's Deyata Kirula development programme. The Mihintale Aloka Pooja programme has been held since 1962 sponsored by Lake House .The Aloka Pooja illuminations are sponsored by the Ceylon Electricity Board and other companies.This year's Aloka Pooja which will be held over three days is expected to draw over two million devotees to Mihintale during the Poson season.

 History reveals that the annual perahera and Mihintale Aloka Pooja had been held with great pomp and pageantry down the ages from the time of the Sinhala kings to pay homage to Arahat Mahinda Thera. Mihintale which was in a state of neglect following foreign invasions was given a new lease of life with the renewal of the Aloka Pooja 50 years ago.

The late Viharadhipati of the Mihintale Raja Maha Vihara Ven. Walawahengunawewe Ratanapala Ratanajoti Nayaka Thera and the late D. R. Wijewardene should be remembered with gratitude as the pioneers of this meritorious service.

Steps taken by ANCL (Lake House) to bring about a social and cultural re-awakening in the Mihintale area in conjunction with the Mihintale Aloka Pooja speaks volumes for the grandeur and significance of the historic event.

- Rohana JAYALAL

News in Brief

by Rohana JAYALAL
 

Use water sparingly

Water is a natural resource which should be used sparingly at all times . However, as a result of the prevailing high temperature and the drought conditions, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has urged the consumers in Colombo to use water sparingly and also avoid , as much as possible, using pipe-borne water to wash vehicles and also to water plants in the garden.

The prevailing hot weather conditions has led to the excessive use of pipe-borne water in the Colombo area thereby reducing water pressure too in many areas . Some consumers have complained to the Board that there is only a trickle of water in certain areas.

Do not waste this valuable resource. Use water carefully at all times.

Year Five Scholarship exam in August

The Commissioner General of Examinations, WMNJ Pushpakumara has said that the Year Five Scholarship Examination will be held on August 26 with no changes to the structure or content of the examination papers. There will be no changes in the time allocated to answer question papers too, according to the Commissioner General.

As in the past there will be two papers, one to evaluate human skills and abilities of the student and the other to ascertain the knowledge gathered by the students from the lessons learnt in Grades 3,4 and 5. He said as the second paper will be based on the three text books used in Grades 3,4 and 5 ,students who have studied them well would have no difficulty in answering the question paper.

Early warning system strengthened

With the objective of improving disaster preparedness in the country, especially in the coastal areas, the Meteorological Department together with the Regional Intergrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System (RIMES)has undertaken to strengthen the early warning systems in the country. Under this , the early warning systems will be improved in Kalutara and Potuvil as a pilot project.

Commissioning of Upper Kotmale hydro power plant

The Upper Kotmale hydro power plant will add 150 megawatts to the national grid once commissioned this month. Almost 96 per cent of the construction work is already completed and it currently generates 75 megawatts.

The construction work of the Upper Kotmale project was divided into five categories for easy management .They are;preparatory work, main civil work, hydro mechanical work,electro mechanical equipment and transmission line.