More about Rubber

Rubber Leaves

The botanical name of the Para rubber tree is Hevea brasiliensis. The  tree belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. This tree is an important member of the genus Hevea. It is of major economic importance because its sap-like extract (known as latex) can be collected and is the primary source of natural rubber.

Rubber Fruit

Rubber Seeds

Rubber tree is native to Brazil, and found only in the Amazon Rainforest. Increasing demand for rubber and the discovery of the vulcanization procedure in 1839 led to a boom in that region, enriching the cities of Manaus and Belém. An attempt was made in 1873, to grow rubber outside Brazil. Seeds were exported from the lower Amazon area of Brazil to London UK by Henry Wickham, a local planter acting for the British Government. After some effort, twelve seedlings were germinated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in England. Once established outside its native country, rubber was extensively propagated in the British colonies.

The rubber tree was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1875. The first rubber tree was planted in Henarathgoda Botanic Garden of Gampaha district in 1876, but the tree was uprooted by a cyclone in 1988.  Efforts to cultivate the tree in its native South America were unsuccessful. Today most rubber plantations are found in Southeast Asia particularly in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

The Road: Our Frustration

I am frustrated!

It was so hard to arrange a vehicle to transport material to the building site. Last week, I hired a tractor to transport one cubic meter of river sand and 15 bags of cement . He took three turns to transport sand just one kilometer distance to the site. He demanded Rs 1750 per turn, which is quite unfair. When I think back, all the trucks and tractors we have hired so far have charged us excessively. They all say that the road is so bad that they have to charge a big fee to transport material to the site.

Heavily Washed Off Section of the Road

Yes, the road is bad only about 300m, the other section is carpeted or flat land where road is not damaged. How I hate to know that out of desperation, I had to pay a higher fee for transportation!

Rock Paved Section of the Road

I am determined to put the stop to this malpractice. The three wheeler (tuk tuk) drivers are the same. Last week, my mom, son and I wanted to hire a three wheeler to go to the Estate. There were nearly ten three wheelers in the park, but they said that they were not willing to go up. One guy agreed, but all three of us had to walk along the road, beside the three wheeler, which went up only with our bags.  I had to pay Rs 300 just for the empty three wheeler that went up.

Concreted Section of the Road

 I have a feeling that the three wheel drivers and truck owners in the area have ganged up altogether to raise the fee, citing the bad condition of the road as the reason for higher charges. They have created a monopolistic situation out of the misery that the villagers face due to the bad condition of the road. A lot of villagers cannot afford to repair or build their houses due to the difficulties of transporting construction material. I am thinking hard to find a way to get the road repaired. Perhaps I need to approach politicians to urge them to repair the road.

Roads: Prerequisit for the Rural Development

Have you ever thought how important roads are to take development to the remote areas? Until you get the first hand experience in a remote hilly region, you won't understand how important roads are for the day to day lives of villagers in those remote areas. You got to carry everything (from food to construction material) miles and miles until you are breathless and collapsed due to tiredness. Even you are sick, there is no other way to come down other than walking to look for medical help. I don't know how villagers handle medical emergencies in these areas. It gives me a shiver to think how fatal it could be for a pregnent mother to go to labour in the middle of the night. Perhaps the villagers are used to the above circumstance and adapting the local methods to cope up the situation.

Roads are an essential infrastructure to bring the development to the remote regions. The Government of Sri Lanka is all going out to develop its road network. Although some people criticize the government action I am fully supportive knowing how essential it is for the lives of masses. Besides, how could I work in the same field if I don't see how important the roads are to the community?

When I came back to Sri Lanka after ten long years in New Zealand, what I witnessed was a horrible condition of the road network. It was shocking to see how bad the roads were with huge potholes and clogged side drains. Although there is an influx of cars in recent times the road network has not been widened and improved to accommodate more vehicles.

Dehiowita Pradeshiya Sabha area is the second largest Pradeshiya Sabha area in the country. While the trunk roads have been improved, the local road network is not yet developed, particularly in the hilly areas. Unfortunately our rubber estate is situated in one of those remote areas. As nearly a kilometer distance to the road is not motorable, due to the bad condition of the road, it costs us a fortune to transport building material to the site. Finding a suitable vehicle that can travel along the hilly and raggedy road is a daunting task. Each time when we hire a vehicle, we are to keep few people standby in case the vehicle needs a support for pushing upward. This makes the construction work difficult. I wonder how the villagers carried bags of cement and other heavy construction material to higher elevations to build their houses! I feel the remoteness and rural character are still preserved as the area is not motorable. When we looked for the rubber lands, we found that the land prices were quite low due to this reason.

Concreted Section of the Raod

The villages said that they had only a footpath a few years ago. Now they have a 15 ft wide road which has been paved halfway through. Despite all these difficulties, the villagers are happy of what they have already got. What I heard is the villagers collectively improved their road by paving it. It needs more support for these people. Although the labour is available, they need material support to build the rest of the road. The politicians come and go, new administrations are set up in local governments with newly appointed politicians, but the problems of the villages are still unsolved…

Monsoon Rains...

Sky is dark,
Heavy with the clouds...
It's going to rain soon,
I have no doubts...

Rustling and bustling
the leaves in the air ...
Wind is howling
Swinging the trees
from here to there...

Darker the evening
And Colder the air...
Rain lashed out
With lightning and thunder!
Making me scare...