N.U. ABDUL RAZZAK UDAYAR
SHARJAH
“A snake was hit by a car. A woman picks him up, feeds him and gets him to a full state of health. But then he bites her, injecting her with his deadly venom. On her death bed, she asked “After all I did why me? ” The snake says, ” You knew I was a snake when you picked me up! “
This story reminds us that handling the untouchable can cause great harm and hazard ending one’s precious life but in Sri Lanka, Greed knows no bounds among a tiny slice of the population. This was clearly witnessed as a crowd of the fisher folk of the coastal belt from Colombo to Negombo were seen making a bee line to the beaches to collect the debris that fell off the ill-fated cargo vessel M VX Press Pearl that is anchored 9.5 nautical miles away from the Colombo Harbour under the Singaporean flag.
Hope against hope this huge ocean liner is on fire and the efforts of the dousing operation is a wild goose chase as the weather conditions and the chemicals in the ship react violently. Sri Lankan Navy and the other authorities are in a brave battle to save this vessel and our marine environment from an imminent disaster of huge health hazard.
It is openly revealed that this ship has got 25 tons of nitric acid and some other poisonous chemicals, cosmetics, plastic items and different other goods and commodities in over one thousand containers. The relevant government authorities and the Police have given the warning even not to touch any items of debris that gets ashore or floats in the beaches of the coastal region from Colombo to Negambo or any other coastal areas of this island.
Unfortunately, a silly crowd of people who live close to the coastal areas such as Pamunugama, Dungalpitiya, Ja-Ela, Sethahappaduwa, Negambo, Kochikade are on a big hunt to collect the goods, plastic items, bags of unknown stuff, snacks etc. that ashore or were floating or got stuck at some shallow areas of the beaches of these areas. People of different ages from the elderly to the children were seen hurriedly carrying these untouchable ‘treasures’ to their homes. These free loaders have committed two offences. They have firstly simply violated the quarantine regulation and then secondly collected the things that don’t belong to them. This is serious as they are lethal and the Police have already asked them not even to touch them.
All those who collected these goods are under a big health hazard as the venomous acids have already leaked into the sea in huge amounts. First of all, all these violators of the law should undergo a screening to check whether they are exposed to any danger. Unfortunately, there were a few children in the footage that was telecast by the national TV channels. Who knows the exact number of children and others who were in the hunting of these goods of untouchable? The Grama Sevaka officers should be directed to get the exact number of persons who were involved in this unwanted collecting of debris. There was a footage where a collectors shows that he has got kit cat chocolates and some other types of eatables. What will happen if these dangerous eatables are foolishly consumed.
The President has rightly instructed the authorities take the right steps to save this nation from any unwanted environmental hazard. Let us strengthen President’s hands to lift Sri Lanka out the imminent pandemic and this latest health hazard. A prompt punishment to these violators will certainly be an eye opener to stop all such freeloaders who cares not a single hoot on health throwing caution to the wind to get engaged such illegal activities.
