Arugam Bay - PottuVil
Following a report of the USAid meeting in PottuVille this afternoon SwissHits has submitted this summary.
Basically, no news.
The locals were impressed with colourful posters of a simple bridge and technical essays.
One hopeful young man asked about maintenance of the old as well as new bridge, hoping to gain a future painting job and some employment.
“Composite high tech. galvanised steel construction will not rust” was the swift answer.
Overall, a rural, local population is not qualified to understand the difference between a high quality cast iron bridge (which will never rust through) and a low cost rolled (mild) steel one.
Which is OK as long as the coating remains undamaged.
Only an expert can say if life expectancy of the old German made landmark box girder bridge exceeds that of the new, plain US replacement.
In conclusion, it was a successful public relation exercise on a local level.
It remains to be seen if an educated and better informed international Community is equally impressed.
0 Responses to “USAid meeting”