Colombo Municipal Council Area Research Articles

Analysis of garbage collection network of Colombo district using centrality measures

Waste management is a common problem faced by all developing countries. Colombo city faces the biggest garbage problem than other cities in Sri Lanka. Even through many studies were carried out for waste management problem using different approaches, there were very few research findings were available using graph theoretical approach. In this research, applications of graph theory in garbage collection procedure are depicted. The study mainly focuses on analyzing the garbage collection procedure of Colombo municipal council area in western province through constructing garbage collection network and using centrality measures. Centrality measures are used to compute the importance of any node in a network. Colombo municipal area divides into 6 main administrative districts, and each of these is divided into municipal wards with several junctions and streets. Garbage collection network was initially constructed by assigning a node by a location in google map, and an edge by a street or a path between two locations. Constructed network is an undirected unweighted graph and betweenness, closeness, degree, and eigenvector centrality measures are used to find central locations of the network. By identifying central locations, some machines or recycling trucks can be placed in that central places to deposit the waste. Next, a weighted graph was constructed by taking the weights of an edge as a fraction of weight of collected garbage between two locations. Collected garbage weights and betweenness and degree centrality values for weighted graph are used to identify the shortest paths between central nodes in each municipal ward. Garbage collection trucks can be followed this shortest path in order to reduce their fuel cost and collection time.

Modified Traffic Analysis Zones Approach for the Estimation of Passenger Flow Distribution in Urban Areas

This research captures the complex interaction between land use and transportation in an urban context. Even though several land use–transport interaction models at both micro and macro levels are available, there is a necessity to address the intermediate-level model with acceptable accuracy and without intensive data requirement. Further, consideration of road networks and land use in the traffic analysis zone demarcation is a significant requirement to enhance accuracy in estimating passenger flow distribution. This research provides a methodology to identify modified traffic analysis zones (MTAZs) based on traffic flow distribution and to redistribute macrolevel trip origins and destinations into MTAZs considering the road network and land-use character of the area. The core objective of the research is to develop a methodology to demonstrate the relationship between trip production/attraction and land use, to propose a method to redistribute macrolevel origin-destination data into MTAZs based on the identified relationship and to propose a method to assign estimated traffic flows to the road links. The methodology intends to guide the land use and transportation decision making. The methodology is developed based on both spatial and statistical analysis utilizing software and tools, such as ArcMAP, SPSS, and MS Excel. A case study covering the Colombo Municipal Council area, which is located within Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka, is presented to demonstrate the application of the proposed methodology. According to the validation results, the proposed methodology has increased the accuracy of passenger flow estimation compared with the administrative zone-based conventional passenger flow estimation methodologies.

An overview of water quality within the Colombo Municipal Council area; A retrospective report analysis

Access to safe and quality drinking water is a fundamental requirement and a basic human right. Water quality is determined by its biological, physical, and chemical properties. Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area consists of the largest population who utilize pipe-borne water supplied by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB) Sri Lanka. The objective of the study was to assess the water quality of the drinking water under selected parameters within the Colombo Municipal Council area. In this quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional study, 268 water analysis reports from 1st July to 30th November 2021 were considered with the permission of the Ethics Review Committee of KIU (KIU_ERC_21_194A) and relevant authorities of NWS&DB. Data on selected parameters such as color, turbidity, pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Free Residual Chlorine (FRC), the total number of coliform bacteria, and the total number of Escheretia-Coli (E-Coli) were extracted. Data analysis was done using SPSS (Version 25). All values were considered based on reference ranges of Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) guidelines. The study indicated that, among nine water schemes and four water reservoirs, the highest contributions for purification were from the Maligakanda water scheme (15.9% n =56) and Maligakanda water reservoir (51.6%, n=139). All the samples were fully treated water and the mean of the color was 4.03 Hazen Units which was within the permissible level, though ( 3.7 % n=10) of samples exceeded the range. The mean value of the turbidity was 0.49 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) which was within the permissible level and only one sample had deviated from the maximum permissible level. The mean pH value was 7.33 and except for one, all other samples were within the permissible level. The mean value of the TDS was 24.51mg/L and the majority (95.8 %, n= 257) of FRC values varied between 0.6-0.8mg/L which was within the permissible level, while 3.39% (n=10) of samples had 0 mg/L. All samples were free from coliform and E-Coli. Most of the samples were within the permissible range of color, pH, turbidity, TDS, FRC, and free from Coliform and E-Coli which can be recommended for use.

Leave No One Behind: Senior Citizen's Perceptions on Public Library Services in the Colombo Municipal Council Area, Sri Lanka

JULA provides a forum for the publication of research and developments done by university library professionals and opens the doorways to explore the current topics related specifically to university library profession. Full text articles available.We invite you to contribute scholarly work to ‘Journal of University Librarians Association (JULA)’, which is a double-blind peer-reviewed, biannual journal of University Librarians’ Association, Sri Lanka.Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka is now indexed in EBSCO and LISA.

Why the Utilization of E-Government Services is Poor? – A study with the Citizens in Colombo Municipal Council Area in Sri Lanka

One of the most important elements of an e-Government system is the interaction between users and e-Government systems, specifically the adoption and utilization by those users, who are the main target of such systems. However, even after taken numerous efforts to develop an e-service system in Sri Lanka, its utilization and adoption are still at a very poor level. It indicates as the rate of online submission of applications is 1.16% and for license/ permits it is 0.18%. Thus, this research aims to investigate, analyze and understand the key factors that influence users’ adoption and utilization of two e-Government services: e-Vehicle revenue license and e-Police clearance certificate in Sri Lanka with a holistic approach. The conceptual framework was developed by studying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Web Trust models and theories related to technology acceptance and usage, in conjunction with a review of e-Government adoption and utilization literature. The study population was the Colombo Municipal Council area with 561,314 individuals. A random sample of 203 chief occupants was selected and the response rate was 96.5%. Respondents’ demographic details, educational qualifications, internet experience, e-Government usage and as well as preferences when obtaining e-Government services were included. The results showed significant (5% level) moderate positive relationships among utilization and “usefulness”, “ease of use”, “trust in the internet” and “trust in the Government”. Moreover, “usefulness” (β=0.445) and “trust of the government” (β=0.379) were found to be the significant (5% level) influential factors in adoption and utilization with model adequacy at 36.5%. Similar to the literature, the findings ensure that when the usefulness and the trust are at a higher level, the adoption and utilization also be at a higher level. The- challenges for citizen-centered e-Government applications were identified as a lack of users’ trust in the internet service providers, level of security standards, quality of e-Government systems, reluctance to share, exchange, and store their personal information specially the financial information in the online platform. However, the positive factor is the citizens perceive and experience e-Government systems as simple to use and useful. Further, they intend to accept and use it. Based on the interviews held with the uses, implementing simple and useful e-services and e-transactions, enhancing the reliability of the services, improving the accessibility options of the implemented e-services and e-transactions, and increasing the awareness of implemented e-services and their benefits were highlighted as their suggestions to develop the existing e-Government systems and services in Sri Lanka. The most important fact emphasized here is the implementation of a one-stop e-Government portal for all the services. Actions taken to enhance the digital literacy of the citizens from their school level will be benefited to successful adoption and utilization of e-services in Sri Lanka.

Managing Streetscape Vegetation for Sustainable Urbanization in Sri Lanka

Streetscape vegetation is an essential part of the urban ecology that supports the urban vegetation ratio, provides thermal comfort, maintains the visual image, and provides a sense of belonging and psychological relief to the urbanites. Hence, planting and proper maintenance of the streetscape vegetation is significant, especially, amidst escalated urbanization. The Sri Lankan streetscape is enriched by vegetation. However, poor planning and management decisions have become a threat to the prolonged lives of the vegetation. Therefore, it is crucial to mitigate the damages enforced upon them to create a sustainable and livable urban environment. This research aims to identify the factors affecting the proper maintenance of streetscape vegetation. Under a qualitative research approach, a three-step methodology has been adopted to conduct the study. A literature review was carried out identifying the factors affecting the streetscape vegetation maintenance followed up by interviews with three Sri Lankan urban landscape experts. Two case studies have been conducted in the Colombo Municipal Council area observing the challenges to proper maintenance and identifying the most significant factors to be considered during planting and maintenance. It is evident that current streetscape vegetation is subjected to numerous challenges. With the urbanization, the demand for utilities such as water, electricity, telecommunication, sewer, and storm water management has been increased resulted in the expansion of underground lines and frequent maintenance activities, damaging the root systems of streetscape vegetation. The intensified pollutants discharged from vehicles and the traffic congestion affects the growth of vegetation. Negligence of responsible managing authorities have increased the materialization of abandoned streetscape vegetation clusters. These challenges can be mitigated by considering factors including. Planting climate-compatible trees, plants that are immune to Sri Lankan tropical climate. Selecting native trees will boost sustainable urbanization with minimum maintenance effort. Selecting vegetation that promotes biodiversity, yet does not generate safety and comfort issues to street users such as easily breaking and falling branches, fruit-bearing trees in the center medians, pests, and birds attracting trees and plants near transit stops or pedestrian predominant areas. Planting trees with appropriate tree root radius and spread to prevent damages to the underground utility lines. The findings of this study will be benefitted to urban planners, designers, landscape architects, and other management personals during the decision-making and streetscape vegetation management process. The academic community can be benefitted through identifying core literature and research gaps to explore in the future.
 Keywords: Urban streetscape vegetation, Maintenance, Factors affecting, Sustainability
 Acknowledgement: This work is supported by the Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD)-DOR Grant affiliation with the Ministry of Higher Education and University Grants Commission and funded by the World Bank

Risk factors associated with childhood asthma in 5 – 11 years old children

Background: Various factors are known to precipitate an attack of asthma. Though no obvious causes can be found in these instances however since our climate and environment differ as do our habits and diets from those in other countries it is pertinent to examine whether the trigger factors in Sri Lanka are also different. So, the mothers of the asthmatic children were questioned regarding the likely precipitating factors pertaining to the present attack. Methods: In order to identify the risk factors for childhood asthma in children in the age group 5 – 11 years a community based cross sectional analytical study was conducted in the Colombo Municipal Council area in the Colombo district. The sample size included 683 children in the age group of 6 – 11 years residing in the Colombo Municipal Council area. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: Childhood asthma was statistically significantly associated with the following factors: Child’s history of eczema(p<0.05), exclusive breast feeding beyond six months (p<0.05), location of house near dusty environment (p<0.001), main fuel as firewood (p<0.05), place of sleep(p<0.05),the type of mattress cover(p<0.001), burning of mosquito coils (p<0.05),birth weight less than 2.5kg(p<0.001), Family history of asthma(p<0.001), and smoking habits of the father when at home(p<0.001). The other factors which were looked into were the age of starting the complementary feeding (p>0.05), age of starting the formula feeding (p>0.05), family history of allergy (p>0.05), these were not significant. After the logistic regression birth weight less than 2.5 Kg has shown the strongest association with childhood asthma (OR 5.35), Whereas starting of complimentary feeding before 6/12 has a protective effect (OR .24). Conclusion: Birth weight less than 2.5 Kg has shown the strongest association with childhood asthma

Identification of Suitable Areas for Concentrated Development in Colombo Municipal Council Area, Using GIS Based Multi-Criteria Evaluation

More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, which are becoming increasingly congested because of uncontrollable population growth. Zoning is an essential tool in successful urban planning which is a method used to regulate the land use and making concentrated development zones. Defining this concentrated area need to follow some scientific method, because urban areas are connected with complex activity system and different indicators are used to find out those activity systems. Hence different indicators are needed to find the concentrated development zone. GIS based Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method can be used to identify the different suitability in urban planning perspective. Colombo is one of the emerging cities in South Asia as well as it is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. Even though there are under- utilized lands available, it is difficult to get the highest and best use from present use. On the other hand, city need to address the demand for commercial and other developments. This study aims to identify most suitable areas for concentrated development within Colombo Municipal Council area. A GIS based multi­criteria analysis was used to identify the most suitable areas for concentrated development with the criteria of Roads, Population density, Building density, Railway stations, Underserved settlement and Sewer network. The outcome shows that several areas within Colombo Municipal Council area have the potential for concentrated development, yet some areas of concentrated development zone does not. Further four criteria were used for urban growth evaluation which includes: Slope, land fertility, distance to urban center, and distance to road. The final suitability map identified four levels for suitability as Very High, High, Moderate and Low. Keywords: Suitability analysis, Multi Criteria Evaluation, Zoning Plan, Concentrated zone

Spatial distribution of crimes in urban areas: An insight from Sri Lanka

Similar to other Asian countries, it is forecasted that the urban population in Sri Lanka will continue to increase at an accelerating rate and the majority will be living in urban areas by 2022. Urban crime which is a major challenge that cities face is assumed to spread with the increasing population. They are clustered geographically generating a substantial economic struggle. The related theories argue that criminal opportunity is the root cause of crime and physical environmental design makes an influence on the criminal opportunity. Therefore, a need of identifying how the built environment and different land uses become an opportunity and make an impact on the spatial distribution of urban crimes is evident. This study aims to do a hotspot analysis within the Colombo Municipal Council Area, Sri Lanka to identify the spatial relationship of urban crimes with different land uses. The data on 627 crime incidents occurred in 2018 were obtained from crime records of police stations in Colombo North, South and Central police divisions and were analyzed using Kernel Density Estimation in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software. As per study findings, seven wards were identified as crime hotspots. Further, findings reveal that robbery and drug arrest incidents are common around low-income residential housing areas while property theft records are common around hospitals, cinemas and concentrated commercial areas. Vehicle thefts are often recorded near lakes, offices and playgrounds whereas housebreakings are recorded near housing schemes. Finally, implications to mitigate these impacts were also presented. Keywords: crime types, GIS, land use, spatial distribution, Sri Lanka, urban crime

A GIS based approach to neighbourhood physical environment and walking among adults in Colombo municipal council area, Sri Lanka

BackgroundPhysical Activity (PA) promotes health and wellbeing and walking is one of the easiest and commonest way to incorporate activity into everyday life. This study examined the association between the objectively measured neighbourhood physical environment and walking among the adults in Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area in Sri Lanka.MethodsA cross sectional study was carried out and primary data collection carried out to assess walking, socio-demographic characteristics and geo location of residence. Secondary data was obtained to assess neighbourhood environment from existing spatially referenced data from the survey department of Sri Lanka. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to calculate density measures (residential density, land use, connectivity and access) and distance measures, which were then correlated with walking.ResultsA sample consisted of 284 adults aged 29–59 years with a mean age of 40.6 (SD,10.9) years. The total mean minutes walked a week was 175.8 min with a standard deviation of 214.0. The mean and the standard deviations of walking per week for transportation and leisure were 158.4 (SD,196.6) and 17.5 (SD,70.1) respectively. Residential density measures, building foot print area, length of major roads, number of intersections, number of bus stops, and distance to nearest major roads showed significant moderate degree of correlations with total minutes of walked per week, (p < 0.001). These results were similar with walking for transportation.ConclusionThere is indication that neighbourhood features are associated with walking among the adults in the CMC area using secondary data on physical environment. This paves way for further exploration to understand the relationship between neighbourhood physical environment and walking which could be used for effective interventions to promote walking.

Land Use Management in Colombo Municipal Council Area

Colombo city is the commercial capital and the largest city in Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. It is the financial Centre of the island as well as a popular tourist destination. As the vast development in the city and the increase of the need of people, People used to gather in the city as well as around the city. So the land requirement of the city is being increased in various ways. So that monitoring the land use against the land use requirement is essential to identify the land use changing patterns in the city. The objective of this study is to detect the land use changes in the Colombo city Municipal Council area between years 2000 and 2016 using spatial data, non-spatial data of Colombo city and analysis data using GIS software.

A simple screening tool to identify women with previously undiagnosed prediabetes and diabetes mellitus in the community

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; In the current context of rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCD), simple low-cost screening tools are essential for identifying individuals who have glucose dysregulation at its early stages. Therefore, we developed and validated a screening tool for dysglycemia (defined as HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt;≥5.7%) with the potential to identify undiagnosed prediabetes and as well as diabetes mellitus.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; A sample of 2800 women representative of Colombo Municipal Council area was screened using fasting blood glucose for dysglycemia. All (n=272) newly diagnosed dysglycemics and a further 345 normoglycemics were recruited following confirmation of glycemic status by HbA&lt;sub&gt;1c&lt;/sub&gt;, to enable ROC analysis. A pretested questionnaire and the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) validated for Sri Lanka were used to generate variables for the risk score.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; A risk score for dysglycemia with a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 87% and AUC of 0.941 was developed with two common symptoms of dysglycaemia, history of recent increase in frequency of passing urine and recent reduction in vision, one common food related practice, inability to resist sugary food and one indicator of sedentary behavior, TV viewing time and a single anthropometric measurement, waist circumference.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;A tool to identify prediabetes is currently unavailable and this new tool fills this gap. Further, the tool is designed to include women with previously undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. Inclusion of lifestyle parameters having a known association with dysglycemia increased the strength of the tool. Early identification will ensure targeting of interventions at the point of maximum effect.&lt;/p&gt;

School-based physical activity intervention in 11-13-year-olds: study protocol for cluster randomized controlled trial

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Targeted strategies to enhance regular physical activity appear to be promising to promote health and well-being of adolescents. This article reports the design of a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based physical activity programme on the rate and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sitting time including screen time, and health-related physical fitness parameters among 11-13 year-old adolescents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; This is a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 360 adolescents from government schools in the Colombo Municipal Council area, Sri Lanka. An individual school was considered as a unit of randomization and the 12 selected schools were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control (six schools) and intervention groups (six schools). The intervention group follows a physical activity programme for 30 minutes on three school days per week, for three consecutive months in addition to the standard practice. The primary outcomes are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity rate and duration and sitting time including screen time. Secondary outcomes are the health-related physical fitness parameters: cardiovascular fitness, muscle fitness and flexibility, and body composition. All the outcomes are measured at baseline and three-months following the intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Discussion:&lt;/strong&gt; The outcomes of this study will be an evidence-based intervention programme with the potential to be incorporated into the national education system thus promoting health and well-being of adolescents in Sri Lanka.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Trial Registration&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;: &lt;/strong&gt;Registered at the Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry (SLCTR/2018/028).&lt;/p&gt;

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices relating to Leprosy among Public Health Care Providers in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Leprosy remains a serious public health problem due to its ability to cause disability. The prevention of leprosy ultimately lies in the early diagnosis and treatment of the individuals having leprosy, thereby preventing further transmission. In Sri Lanka, 46% of new cases identified in year 2013, were late presentations and this caused to 7-8% patients to present with deformities. It has been observed that lack of awareness among health staff has contributed to this late diagnosis. To describe knowledge, attitudes and practices towards leprosy amongst public health care workers in Colombo Municipal Council area, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross sectional survey was carried out in Colombo Municipal Council area by distributing self administered questionnaire among all public healthcare workers (n=178) from January to February, 2015. Hundred and fifty three participants (86%) identified ‘hypo pigmented patches’, 64 (36%) identified ‘skin nodules’ and 36 (20%) identified ‘thickened nerves’ as suspicious sings of leprosy. More than one fifth of participants believed leprosy is easily transmitted by touch. Sixty one (34.3%) health care workers were scared of leprosy and 77 (43.3%) didn’t want to reveal to a friend that if a family member gets leprosy. Another 49 (27.5%) didn’t want to share materials with a patient. A significant minority (22.5%) believed that patients should be kept apart from others. Including leprosy in continuous medical education and refresher training is crucial in early diagnosis of leprosy as certain gap in knowledge was identified. An emphasis needs to be placed on education regarding transmission and low rate of infectivity of leprosy as study revealed certain misconceptions and prejudices still exist even among healthcare workers.

Legal and institutional limitations for the conservation of built heritage in Colombo

The built heritage in urban areas is severely threatened due to the increased demand for land and buildings for more profitable uses in the process of urbanization and urban development. Even though the areas have been identified and declared as conservation areas they have been kept aside and unattended which leads to several other harmful effects. Conservation on the other hand has become a challenging task due to various impediments and drawbacks in the institutional and legal structure in developing countries. The main objective of this paper is therefore to identify the limitations of the existing institutional and legal framework relating to the conservation and management of buildings with architectural and/or historical values in the city of Colombo by highlighting the issues and challenges in conservation of built heritage in emerging increased urbanization. In Sri Lanka, there are many measures taken for the protection of built heritage. Among them Department of Archaeology is the key institution overseeing the general legislative and policy framework. Colombo- the Colombo Municipal Council Area- which is selected as the case study of this article bears a historical value as it is located in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean. Currently Colombo is the Commercial Capital and the primate city in the country. Urban Development Authority (UDA) as the pioneering institution in urban development in the country has taken steps to conserve and manage the historical properties in Colombo by way of regulations and development projects along with the other stakeholders like Department Archaeology, and Colombo Municipal Council. However there are many issues and challenges still faced by the authorities in conservation and management of historical properties in the context of urbanization and urban development.

Lifestyle patterns and dysglycaemic risk in urban Sri Lankan women.

Specific dietary patterns are associated with the risk of chronic disease. An in-depth understanding more reflective of lifestyle would be possible when assessing the synergistic effects of both diet and physical activity in pattern analysis. In the present study, we examined the biochemical markers of dysglycaemia and cardiometabolic risk in relation to lifestyle patterns using principal component analysis (PCA). Urban women (n 2800) aged 30-45 years were screened for dysglycaemia using cluster sampling from the Colombo Municipal Council area. All the 272 dysglycaemic women detected through screening and 345 randomly selected normoglycaemic women were enrolled. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and a quantitative FFQ were used to assess physical activity and diet, respectively. Anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis and biochemical estimations were carried out. Lifestyle patterns were identified based on dietary and physical activity data using exploratory factor analysis. PCA was used for the extraction of factors. A total of three lifestyle patterns were identified. Women who were predominantly physically inactive and consumed snacks and dairy products had the greatest cardiometabolic risk, with a higher likelihood of having unfavourable obesity indices (increased waist circumference, fat mass percentage and BMI and decreased fat-free mass percentage), glycaemic indices (increased glycosylated Hb (HbA1c) and fasting blood sugar concentrations) and lipid profile (increased total cholesterol/TAG and decreased HDL-cholesterol concentrations) and increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations. For the first time, we report lifestyle patterns and demonstrate the synergistic effects of physical activity/inactivity and diet and their relative association with cardiometabolic risk in urban women. Lifestyle pattern analysis greatly increases our understanding of high-risk behaviours occurring within real-life complexities.

Assessment of the quality of childcare centres in the Colombo Municipal Council area

Background: There are 2 dimensions of childcare quality: process and structure. The interactions, activities, materials, learning opportunities, health and safety routines refer to process quality. Structural quality includes the group size, adult-child ratio and professional training of staff. No large scale studies are available on the quality of Sri Lankan childcare centres. Objectives: To assess the quality of preschool and day care centres in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area and to evaluate how structural inputs and cost influence the process quality. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional qualitative study Method: Process quality was assessed using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised. The cost and structural quality was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Overall process quality was mediocre, with 25% preschools being of poor quality and 6% being of good quality. Over half the centres did not have appropriate number of staff. Eighty percent of child groups were larger than appropriate. Only 8% of centres were led by a graduate. Of the teachers, 90% had preschool teacher training. Smaller student groups cared for by a higher number of staff had significantly higher process quality. Better quality preschools cost more. Conclusions: The quality of care provided by childcare centres in the 6 Medical Officer of Health areas of CMC area was mediocre. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health , 2013; 42 : 200-204 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljch.v42i4.6263

SURVEY OF THE PRESENT STATUS OF STREET TREE PLANTING IN COLOMBO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL AREA and SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

Urban Forestry embraces parks, avenue planting or street trees, boulevards, cemeteries,parking places etc. It plays an important role by providing aesthetic beauty andenvironmental pollution by absorbing vehicular emission. Colombo, which is thecommercial capital of Sri Lanka, is plaqued with high population density and highcommercial activities. Urban forestry has II significant potential in improving aesthetic &amp;environmental aspects of the city.Objectives of this research project were to identify the existing situation of the street treeplanting in the 15 sub divisions of the Colombo Municipal Council Area and to give somerecommendations for improvements. 2 trunk roads were selected per division randomlyand the status of trees in these roads was recorded. Measurements of crown size, height,diameter at breast height, height of the first branching, widths of roads, sidewalks, andcenter medians were measured and recorded. Observations done in status of maturity, pestdiseaseattack, root pattern, foliage characteristics such as whether easily decayable ormoderately decayable and small or large leaves, land use patterns such as commercial,service &amp; administration, residential and recreational land use &amp; recorded.According to the results, a difference in the status of street trees in the 15 sub divisions inthe Colombo Municipal Council Area was identified. The sub divisions can be rankedaccording to the total crown area per kilometer as follows: sub divisions 7, 14, 3, 11, I, 2,5, 10,6, 13, 12, 15,8,9 &amp; 4. The sub divisions can be ranked according to the number oftrees per kilometer as follows: sub divisions 7,10,14,1,13,2,5,6,12,11,3,15,8,9 &amp; 4. The subdivisions can be ranked according to the number of species diversity per kilometer asfollows sub divisions 7,13,12,14,'1,5,2,11,15,8,10,6,3,4 and 9. Terminalia Catappa(Kottang), Polyalthya longifolia (Willow) Samanea Saman (paramara), Delonix regia(Maimara), Casia fistula (Ehala) &amp; Plumer.ya spp. ( Araliya) represent 5 or more than 5 %in the sample survey. 56 tree species were identified in the study area.Out of 30 selected street SItes, 7 were identified as sites, which need immediate planting programsand another 17 sites needs planting program. &lt;) street sites need immediate pruning operations asthey have trees with first branching height of less than 2.00 meters, which may interrupt the trafficnow. 6 street sites were identified as site" which need immediate removal and replacementoperauons as they have over-matured trees, which may become hazardous trees if necessary actionsare not taken. Out of 15 sub divisions surveyed, 7 were identified as affected with pest-diseaseattack. Further, some recommendations are Identified as to improve the existing situation of thestreet tree planting in the study area and a draft action plan for 5 years was drawn. Further scientificstudies such as species, which can reduce soi' erosion, pollutants absorbers, etc. are needed forbetter management of urban trees.

Private sector contribution to childhood immunization: Sri Lankan experience

The main service provider for childhood immunization in Sri Lanka is the government sector. However, utilization of private sector for childhood immunization is increasing rapidly. Existing national immunization data does not routinely include statistics on private sector immunization delivery adequately. To estimate the proportion of children immunized in the private sector; describe socio-demographic characteristics of private sector users and compare these with government sector users. A community-based crosssectional descriptive study was conducted using a pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. This was done in the Colombo municipal council area using the WHO 30 cluster methodology. The total number of households in the sample was 553. Out of the 5,028 total immunizations reported in the present study, around one-third (2,544) was obtained through the private sector. Nineteen percent (104) of children were exclusively immunized from the private sector. The distribution of usual immunization provider was - government sector 72.3% (400) and private sector 27.7% (153). Significant differences were observed (P < 0.001) between private and government sector users with regard to family income, social class, ethnicity, religion and educational level of the mother. The age-appropriate immunization among the 12- to 23-month age group was 92.3% (144) in the government sector, whereas it was 95% (38) in the private sector. Among the 24- to 35-month age group, it was 91.7% (121) and 92.7% (76) respectively. The age-adjusted immunization coverage rates were almost same among the government and private sector users except for the measles vaccine, where the private sector users had significantly (P = 0.016) higher coverage. Utilization of private sector immunization services is high in the Colombo municipal council area.