Fog, mist, haze, rain and Lotus Tower

There was a riddle which went like this. “A man switched off the light and went to sleep. In the morning he switched on his radio and listened to the news and then committed suicide “

Who was this man?

He was a Light House Keeper!

These days the visibility in Colombo is very bad early mornings and at night due to fog, mist and haze in the morning and heavy rain in the evenings.

However, observers find the white strobe (flashing) lights are off in the Nelun Kuluna.  This is a gross violation of Air Safety practices in the land. Those lights should be on 24/07.

Fog is a cloud at ground level and the tallest building in Sri Lanka must be seen even in fog. Is it someone’s idea of saving money? There are helicopters carrying VVIP’s and tourists, operating in and out of helipads in Colombo. A few days ago, there was even a patient transfer to the National Hospital by an SLAF Helicopter.

It is a well-known fact that pilots, being human, sometimes don’t see these man-made obstacles even in good visibility. Hence the use attention getting strobe lights.  An ounce of prevention is better than a ton of cure.

The silence of the Regulator, Civil Aviation Authority, Sri Lanka is deafening.  Air Safety should be everybody’s business

GUWAN SEEYA