The Island Opinion Saturday 29th October, 2011 9 Potgul Statue Water scarcity - reply in Seeduwa eply to Siri Gunasinghe’s ’m writing this to report to you of a ‘Interpreting problem that has risen due to an R the Past: A look Iincreased number of illicit water back at the Potgul pumping plants in Seeduwa and sur- Statue’, The Island rounding areas. As a result of this exer- 26 and 27 October. cise the ground water availability has The only way of reduced to dangerous levels leaving the Don’t ruin identifying an area residents in a very bad predica- ancient religious ment. statue is by a con- Our hometown is Seeduwa, which is a sideration of its highly residential area very close to the he audio visual media in the Parakrama ings of thousands of school chil- iconographic attrib- Katunayake Airport and the Export utes, which are Processing Zone. Over the past few recent past highlighted some dren and spectators. How disap- detailed in texts to years a large number of illegal busi- Tdistressing and depressing pointing it would have been for the enable devotees to recognize them. nesses that extract water for industrial happennings over the thoughtless spectators to see the game being I have (Digging into the Past, 2005), washing plants and other various pur- actions of some individuals abusing Samudra disrupted for several hours and given reasons why Siri Gunasinghe’s poses through high-powered pumps have authority. One TV channel showed then being abandoned. (1958) rejection of the statue having sprung up like mushroom. They dig people who are earning their liveli- In the wake of such unexpected alienate farmers and fishermen. been one of Agastya has no basis, and deeper than 100 feet from the surface hood in and around Parakrama encroachment on what is rightfully Another incident highlighted was confirmed from the ancient literature and destroy all the water resources Samudra being disturbed and dis- their territory and domain the authori- when disruption of an inter-collegiate that it is indeed a representation of unobstructed and continue the extrac- placed by the landing of a sea plane on ties are sure to alienate vast sections of cricket match in Kandy occurred as a this sage who had connections with tion nonstop. No action has been taken that placid and serene expanse of the populace. One hopes that the heli- result of an unexpected landing of a ancient Sri Lanka. However, this old to curb this so far due to various irregu- water. Nobody who loves the scenic copter users apologized to the schools helicopter on the playground. Unless it friend of mine has persisted in not larities and malpractices of the local beauty of Parakrama Samudra would for causing disruption of the match, had been an emergency landing due to accepting my identification. institutions and complaints to those like it be sullied by a sea plane which which would have been the unintended a technical fault the authorities should SG has not refuted my iconographi- institutions haven’t borne any results is also likely to pollute the water consequence of a ‘spur of the moment have found some other venue to land cal identification but has preferred to yet. Katunayake-Seeduwa urban council (unlike boats and canoes rowed by fish- response’. instead of a crowded playground. This select Kapila (one of the two remain- and the Seeduwa police station were ermen with oars). Use of sea planes in N. Amarasekera thoughtless act smacks of abuse of ing possible sages) as having been rep- informed several times by many area inland waters is not an environmental- Colombo authority with scant regard to the feel- resented by this statue. No reasons for residents yet the situation is getting ly friendly sight and is also likely to his admittedly tentative identification worse as the frequencies of water are given but SG has suggested that a bowsers have increased. We even con- connection may have been Kapila tacted the Central Environmental Vihara, built by Parakramabahu I Authority but were told that they are (1153 - 1186). He has ignored the evi- not responsible for the ground water dence brought forward earlier by resources. Overwhelming majority of Declare a day of Paranavitana and later by me to show people in Seeduwa is against this hazard that this statue belongs to a period sev- but are helpless against the political and eral centuries earlier than this king. financial might of the few businessmen mourning for Gaddafi Furthermore, SG has stated vaguely who own these illegal operations. that some scholars believe that Kapila We cannot fulfill our daily needs of to scuttle the President’s is a Sri Lankan personage. It is well water due to scarcity of it even though efforts at eradicating terror- CMC: no known to scholars interested in Kapila we are surrounded by so many water ism that this sage was of Indian origin and resources like a river (Dandugam Oya), by blocking funds and provi- mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana Negombo lagoon and several canals. We sioning of arms, it was the gen- action on Book 3, Mahabharatha and Bhagavat- cannot operate our water pumps for erosity of leaders like Gaddafi gita. more than two minutes and they break- that enabled Sri Lanka to None is so blind as he who does not down often due to absorbing various dengue acquire the fire power so des- see. other elements without sufficient water perately needed to defeat a bru- he Dengu eradication programme of Raja de Silva to support a continuous flow. There will tal and well armed terrorist the public health department of the be long term consequences as the water group, the Tamil Tigers. It is resources in the aquifers are drained TColombo Municipal Council (CMC) common knowledge that seems to be a now entity where the and the water tables are destroyed due President Rajapaksa visited Maligawatte NHS is concerned. to this irregularity. Also there is the Libya several times during the A big hue and cry is made by its chief threat of salt water intrusion of the final years of the war and he Give the poor medical officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam aquifer-due to excessive pumping which never came back empty hand- about this particular programme and its might contaminate freshwater supplies. ed. On one occasion, a few t’s matter of regret that Sri success offenders for breeding mosquitoes Everybody including our children hours prior to his departure from Lanka has not declared a day of are prosecute and fined. devil his due specially has become sick due to poor Libya Col.Gaddafi is known to have Imourning for Col. Muammar However this writer has had the experi- oday’s The Island [27/10] car- water quality. Roads have become dilapi- called President Rajapaksa and Gaddafi, President of Libya, brutal- ence of making complaints to Dr. dated due to consistent traffic of these inquired from him whether he is ries an interesting article on ly assassinated by a NATO spon- Kariyawasam himself on numerous occa- heavy water bowsers. Resultant dust/ happy with what he got and TLibya by that perceptive polit- sored mob. sions regarding the drain in front of his smoke due to traffic/ roads have made ical columnist Gwynne Dyer. He Col. Gaddafi was Sri Lanka’s whether he wants anything more. apartment being blocked and water not the air unbreathable at most times. If refers to the state of Libya ruled by friend. The financial assistance Col. Gaddafi was not a saint and flowing – but no action has been taken to this continues any longer we will have “King” Idris whom Gaddafi given by him to Sri Lanka was piv- we all know that. Yet, we have to date. The apartments on either side of no option but leave this area we have expelled 43 years go.. It was “a otal in our victory against terror- remember him for the good he did mine has been closed with concrete. lived for generations. nation of semi-nomadic, socially ism. As pivotal as the funding from and these acts were numerous. The Further, the ministry of housing and Premaratna Wanninayaka conservative herdsmen.” Whatever citizens of countries like Canada, peace and freedom from fear we Sri NHDA says no new unauthorised con- Seeduwa. his flaws, Gaddafi transformed it Australia, USA,UK, France, Lankans enjoy today were made structions will be permitted at housing possible because of friends like into a modern nation where “four- Norway was to sustained terrorism schemes, but it continues unabated. fifths of Libyans live in cities. They by Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka for Col.Gaddafi. I wonder what the response to this will With respect to my muslim com- are pretty comprehensively detrib- thirty long years. President be from the CMC, Ministry of Housing alised, and they have modest but Rajapaksa has the backing of the patriots, as a Christian I say, may and NHDA Authorities Hidden Economy... his soul rest in peace. regular incomes and small families. nation should he take a bold deci- Lal Gunesekera Women have more freedom and From page 8 sion of this nature. At a time when Maligawatte NHS Rontjen Perera equality than they do in most Arab Western nations named above tried countries, and the vast majority of The entry of multinational companies in Libyan sown their own homes” the commodities market has increased the This was the country that NATO speculative activity and reduced the ability ,and its running dogs, have of the government to procure enough food- “bombed into the Stone Age” as grain to sustain the public distribution sys- Terrorized by the LTTE shown by the visuals of pre and tem.