Every year, on 5th June, WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, we all take a pledge of keeping our environment clean and pure, by planting a tree or keeping a newly planted pot in the surrounding of our houses. For, if we plant a tree, we can get air for ‘free’ !! Whatever is happening in the world of politics notwithstanding, it’s the duty of each and every normal, educated and sincere human being to commit himself for the conservation of the environment wherever he may be and whatever economic condition he may have.
We, in Qatar are very fortunate to see the government take utmost care in ‘flowering’ the roundabouts and pedestrian-pathways. Its wonderful to see the trimmed hedges made in the form of walls around the bends near the traffic signals. Even trees like date-palm are carefully transported and planted near the road leading to the airport. Everywhere one can see the birds chirping in the ‘green-spots’ amidst the sandy environment.
I remember when I was in Abu Dhabi, world-class techniques and skills were used to lay ‘carpets’ of grass around the city overnight. In Al Ain, the ‘gardening’ of the roads was worth seeing. The efforts of the Dubai administration in reducing the menace of congestion and over-crowding by relocating the residential areas and industries away from the main city were commendable.
But we the citizens of the Mother Planet are a deprived lot. Apart from the danger of natural calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes, there is a threat of terrorism and pseudo-fundamentalism that is continuously engulfing one region or the other with the loss of lives and properties.
Today, the powerful nations agree that it’s a ‘lose-lose’ situation when there is a war, because no one can be the winner after the war, as the environment becomes unfit for survival. Trees are felled to make ways for battle-tanks, forests are cleared to have full vision of the enemies, landmines are not removed even after the war is over, fishes die due to oil slicks and dumping of harmful wastes in the water bodies, etc, etc.
The Ukranians have been unlucky since last February due to the menace of invasion by the Russians, that has bought widespread destruction not only to human community but also to the environment in various ways :-
1. Landmines have destroyed thousands of hectares of arable land.
2. Chemicals and toxic materials introduced in water bodies by the rebel forces are causing a major ecological threat in and around the region.
3. Depleted uranium shells used in missile heads lie scattered around the battle-zone, causing irreparable damage with their harmful radiations to the life remaining in the effected countries.
4. The so-called biological warfare produced deadly germs that remain for years even after the end of the conflict.
5. The pollution caused by the use of modern artillery and weapons notwithstanding, the warring forces damaged the ecological balance of the region by making it unfit for natural habitat.
The region has been the victim of brutal forces, resulting in the abuse of natural environment in the name of elimination of terrorism.
We must UNITE against all sorts of warfare – be it military or terrorism, so that we can force the ambitious countries to give-up the plans to become ‘trigger-happy’ just in the name of eliminating terrorism.
The Indian leadership has been pursuing this matter right from the days of the assassination of late Indira Gandhi way back in 1984, and even today remains an active member in the World Forum to avoid any form of man-made destruction of life and property.
We all have to realize before it is too late, that the responsibility of conserving the Earth’s resources lies with us. Unless we appreciate and take care of Nature’s legacy to us, one day the resource scarcity will lead to large-scale perishing of all life forms on Earth.
For, the Earth loves us, let us all love it back !
