CMC out in force to ensure a squeaky-clean city

Public Health Inspectors (PHI) in Colombo have commenced inspecting star class hotels, restaurants and café’s in the city to ensure hygiene, quality and safety of the delegates arriving for November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Colombo Municipal Council’s (CMC) Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam told the Sunday Times that initial raids found star class hotel gardens were breeding mosquitoes and were not maintaining freezer temperature standards for storing poultry. “It is not only hotel kitchens that will be checked, the plants outside too will be inspected. The rooms will be checked for disease control measures, while kitchens, freezers and storage rooms too will be inspected,” he said.

“The quality of drinking water will also undergo laboratory tests,” Dr Kariyawasam said.

“As there will be foreign delegates, foreign media personnel and foreign visitors, they will not only consume food served in hotels, but may visit restaurants and cafés in Colombo. Therefore, all these will be thoroughly inspected,” he added.

Legal action will be taken against those who fail to meet the standards.

“We have purchased several new thermometers to continuously check freezer temperatures. There was a hotel that stored chicken at - 5, when it should have been - 18,” he said.

He said that by November, PHIs will also be checking workers’ health records and hygiene. Garbage disposal will also be inspected.

CMC’s Public Health Department Chief Food In- spector M.D. Lal Kumara said it has been made compulsory for all food handlers to get the typhoid vaccine.

He said the CMC has started a mosquito control campaign with fogging and cleanup programmes.

“Car parks are becoming major breeding grounds in the city. Therefore, we have instructed hotels and other private and public car parks to be kept clean. State and private institutions, military barracks and schools too will be inspected,” he said.

According to him, fogging is done in some areas and along canals from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m, which records the highest biting intensity.

Mr Kumara said about 60 labourers have been deployed in five trucks to travel around the city and collect discarded containers and other garbage thrown on main roads.