Wonder of jogging tracks

Today jogging tracks are found in many areas of Sri Lanka. In the past the most popular jogging track was the Galle Face green. Later jogging spread to Kiribathkumbura in Kandy, the area near Diyawanna Oya close to the Parliament and to Independence Square, Colombo 07. Now plans are under way to build jogging tracks in several other selected cities and towns.

These are most useful for people who do sedentary jobs - among them clerks, administrative officers, company directors and CEOs.

Jogging as a means of improving physical fitness began in Britain in mid-17th Century. Walking , jogging and other exercises are essential for a healthy life. Physical exercises are most important in preventing/controlling diabetes, heart ailments, high blood pressure and mental depression.

William Shakespeare talks about jogging in his play The Taming of the Shrew written in 1593 and Australian Author Rolf Boldrewood refers to it in his 1884 novel My Run Home. This led to the subject being cited in dictionaries.

Proper weight and height depending on a person's age is vital for physical well-being. Jogging or waking fast for a time period between 30 and 60 minutes a day is a very good exercise. This exercise should be done at least four days a week.

It helps to develop an efficient and fruitful lifestyle thus making an important contribution to the progress of a community and a nation.

The focus of this article is on the jogging tracks of Oruthota, Gampaha and Kelaniya-Mahara which have been built under the Rivers and Waterways Management Project of the Sundara Gampaha (Beautiful Gampaha) program. Dawn was breaking and the first rays of the sun were upon Gampaha when we began walking along the newly-built jogging track on Oruthota.

The track-building was done under Western Provincial Council Minister Nimal Lansa's direction on the advice of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

The objective is to promote physical fitness and good health among the people in accordance with the Mahinda Chinthana Vision, said R.M.S. Bandaranayake, General Manager of the Western Province Road Development Authority, which is handling the project.

The area where jogging tracks have been built was earlier a marshy land and had abandoned paddy fields.

The lack of a system to allow the smooth flow of water from the Ooruwal Oya caused floods in Oruthota. Today the entire irrigation channel system has been properly built.

The scientifically built jogging tracks are located in an attractive environment.

The Ooruwal Oya flows calmly. The repaired channels and canals have helped re-cultivate the abandoned paddy lands.

The approach roads to village have been developed. Protection for river banks has been provided at a low-cost.

Hundreds of plant varieties including herbal plants cultivated on either side have added to the beauty of the surroundings. These include aquatic plants that help purify water. Thermal power is used providing lights to the jogging tracks. The Butterfly Bridge there looks identical to its counterpart in Galle.

This project is part of an extensive program focused on Attanagalu Oya river basin in the Gampaha District. It will become a waterway connecting the Gampaha Botanical Gardens and the Pilikuththuwa Forest and improve the living conditions of the people.

The project will help to protect and improve the natural environment and water resources in the area. Increased cultivation of different plant varieties have helped yield more springs bringing water to wells.

Dharman Wickremaratne