Longing for that once clean Lanka

As one who has spent more than a decade in your beautiful island nation as an expatriate official representing an Indian Bank and later two other top Indian conglomerates in very senior positions, I have always loved Sri Lanka for varied reasons, particularly its cleanliness,orderliness and more importantly, the hospitality of the lovely people of this nation. Even after completion of my assignments,my wife and I continue to visit Sri Lanka often as our daughter has now settled here and also for the other reasons mentioned above.We always used to talk about the cleaniness of Sri Lanka at every opportunity to those who had no opportunity to visit Sri Lanka, the little paradise on earth.

However, of late, I am really pained to note that the cleanli- ness has taken a beating in the country and it is shocking to find garbage littered and strewn all over. Even the uncovered storm water drains remain blocked with garbage dumping resulting in stagnation of water and serve as a convenient breeding place for mosquitoes. No wonder people get affilicted with the most dangerous dengue fever and fall victims to Elephantiasis and Malaria.

I hope and pray the urban and municipal councils take note of this and see that the garbage is removed then and there and adequate actions taken against those who litter the roads and by- lanes with garbage.

I really long to see the once most clean and litter-free Sri Lanka again. Tharcius S. Fernando

Wattala