Check on farms that are a health hazard

Food is a vital need for human beings and water is indispensable in our lives. The media often highlights people having to walk long distances to fetch water.

We find that there are many poultry farms, piggeries, dairy, cattle and goat farms close to residential areas. The smell, fly and mosquito menace as a result is disgusting. Dengue is rampant in these areas.

In the Kandy district, especially in rural areas and close to abandoned tea estates, there are many poultry farms that use water from streams close by that people downstream use for drinking. This causes many health hazards.No doubt big companies maintain clean and well run farms but the same cannot be said of some of these smaller farms.

Invariably the lorries come late at night to collect these birds and disturb the peace and sleep of the people living close by. The deep litter is thrown in the vicinity and is a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes.

It is high time the health authorities checked on these farms and enforce standards of cleanliness or take more drastic measures to streamline their operations for the protection of people living in the vicinity. Kingsley Durairaj Pannipitiya