Burning of electrical wire: Stop this hazard

The print and electronic media have given wide publicity to the recent incident where 43 students, academic staff and some parents of a leading school at Panadura were hospitalised, following the inhalation of poisonous toxic fumes as a result of burning of electrical wires and appliances by unscrupulous elements in an adjacent property.

This is not the first time that the print media have highlighted this health hazard. Local government authorities and the Environmental Police are well aware of this act although they have not taken adequate precautionary measures to nip this menace in the bud. As far back as December 20, 2021, the Island newspaper gave wide publicity in their Opinion column to the ill-effects of burning of electrical wires and appliances including discarded computer boxes in open air by druggists and garbage collectors in order to retrieve copper contained in the inner cables, which fetches a good market rate due to the economic downturn in the country.

When the electrical wires are burnt, it generates an acrylate fume which is injurious to health. Even more injurious is the burning of oil coated nitrile rubber or neoprene coated wire or mends of furan dioxin wires which generate combusting gases that have fatal effects including suffocation, breathing difficulties, vomiting and giddiness. Children who are exposed to these combustion gases should receive immediate hospitalisation as they could even die as a result.

The government should immediately intervene and what is required is a massive education drive covering all stakeholders and the intervention of the law in the prosecution of errant gangs who openly flout the health guidelines. The Environmental Police could play a pivotal role in the eradication of this menace with the support of the public.

The end of Railway Avenue, Nugegoda where I live has become a notorious location, as far as this issue is concerned. Garbage collectors who collect all the electrical wires, appliances, oil contained rubber coated rubbish in the town bring them over to Railway Avenue and burn them in full sight of the public and sell them to the two garbage shops on Poorwarama Road.

I would like to warn school authorities and the Nugegoda Police and the MOH Nugegoda that the next casualty of this burning menace could be the children of two leading girls schools and neighbouring residents.

The Panadura incident should be an eye-opener for all civic-minded citizens and authorities to swiftly move in.

Unfortunately the Police has a tendency to give errant collectors a mere warning against the repetition of such misdeeds without producing them before a court of law. Deterrent action is the need of the hour, if a major calamity is to be avoided. Athula Ranasinghe

Nugegoda