Sri Lanka It's Happening

March 20, 2006

Returned from a visit to Kandy a few days ago. This is my first visit since April of last year. Two things have changed and not for the better. First the traffic has increased, it's getting worse day by day.

The much touted carpark built at the edge of the city center is a totall failure. No one seems to park there. The parked cars, vans and lorries that use to block of most of the streets in the city center are back. Parking fees have increased but that has no effect.

The second major change is that there are less trees in Kandy than there used to be. Strong winds have played their part and so have axes but many of the tree didn't fall prey to either instead they were felled by bulldozers.

Because of the heavy traffic jams, many of the by passes and ring roads around the city are being widened and many of the trees that used to lie along these roads are being felled.

Some of the roads run very close to the river. Upto now there has been a small buffer zone between the road and the high water mark. This area is home to thousands of birds. They are now homeless. Because this is Sri Lanka we don't give a damn.

Posted by raditha at March 20, 2006 1:19 PM