Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka, urged relevant officials to take immediate action to mitigate the risk of dengue in Colombo, particularly with the onset of the rainy season.
He also advised the preparation of a special awareness program to educate school children and parents through the Ministry of Education during the Dengue Prevention Week, which will run from May 26 to June 1.
Additionally, Mr. Ratnayaka directed authorities to work on reducing the risk of dengue around public institutions, religious places and new construction sites. He emphasized the need for relevant departments to enforce regulations against those who do not comply with these preventive measures.
Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka issued these instructions during a progress review meeting on the current status of the dengue control program, held today (20) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was chaired by State Minister for Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff to the President, Sagala Ratnayaka, along with Chief of Defence Staff, General Shavendra Silva, to review the implementation of the decisions taken in the previous meeting and assessed their current progress.
The measures implemented in the past period to control the spread of dengue and their effectiveness were discussed at length, with a particular focus on the health medical officer divisions in the Western Province, where an increase in dengue cases has been observed.
Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Palitha Mahipala, commended Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka for his leadership and guidance in controlling dengue and affirmed that the Ministry of Health will extend its fullest support to this program.
Furthermore, there was deliberation regarding the complete removal of hazardous trees within the Colombo City or the trimming of branches to mitigate risks. Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka also recommended the development of a program aimed at replanting trees to compensate for those that are removed, along with the provision of progress reports on this initiative.
Additionally, a discussion concerning the upkeep of a pristine and appealing coastline, along with the identification of the most appropriate method for wastewater disposal into the sea, was convened this morning (20) under the leadership of Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka.
The central focus was to establish a task force dedicated to executing this program, in consultation with President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Various officials from relevant line ministries, heads of security departments and other stakeholders participated in these deliberations.
