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Public Health benefits of the Uma Oya project.
Dr. V. W. Jagath Vasanthathilaka.
Consultant Rheumatologist
Teaching Hospital Kandy.
Uma Oya project will bring economic prosperity, enormous health benefits
and that project would definitely help improve living standards for
the people living in Ruhuna. Uma Oya project will not bring Kidney Disease
to Uva-Wellassa and Ruhuna.
There are no kidney diseases observed in the central province for those
who exclusively consume water from the Mahaweli catchments areas. In
fact diversion of water from the central hills will give a relief to
the people who consume contaminated water in dry zones.
It is absurd to made comments on projects without providing any scientific
research evidence to support those theories. So far there is no scientific
evidence what so ever to prove that there is a risk of developing kidney
diseases due to consumption of Mahaweli water.
In fact the evidence is other way around, as an experienced and qualified
clinicians who served in all three areas, (We have served as consultants
in the North central province at the General Hospital Anuradhapura,
Ruhuna in the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital as well as in the Central
province where there is a Centre for Kidney diseases at the teaching
Hospital Kandy).
Our experience is that diversion of water will, in fact lessen the
chances of developing Kidney diseases in the region of Ruhuna that would
bring enormous social, economic and health benefits to the people living
in Ruhuna. Modern clinical practice is evidence based; we use to consume
Mahaweli water instead of water from the Anuradhapura region while we
were serving in the Anuradhapura Hospital.
It is not justifiable, and it is not professional to provide people
with wrong information and generate a fear psychosis. Wrong information
will lead to people consuming more and more contaminated water instead
of uncontaminated water which is drained from Horton plains and Piduruthalagala
region.
If the above mentioned water from the Horton planes is contaminated
people in Kandy will have no other choice other than to drink imported
water from the supermarkets. Our opinion is that people in Kandy can
safely consume Mahaweli water.
While this region of Ruhuna is developing rapidly with the provision
of better infra structure facilities, water supply and the irrigation
facilities also need to be developed on line with the other infrastructure
facilities in order to prevent any public health hazards emerging in
the region. There will be an increasing demand for better public health
facilities in the region.
Presently, water supply is a major problem in the region. In fact,
the Uma Oya project alone is not adequate to meet the demands of the
region; region needs many more such projects. It is difficult to understand
why this project is discouraged on unfounded and baseless heath safety
grounds which are not proven and not acceptable to the medical profession
who are dealing with the patients in these regions.
Uma Oya project is an essential project which needs to be completed
fairly soon in order to improve the public health and living standards
in the region. Public health safety should not be an issue to discourage
such projects, it a curse such fears are created among the people. In
order to improve the public health standards, Uma Oya project is an
essential requirement for the people living in Ruhuna Wellassa region.
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