| Environment – Every Human is a Stakeholder
Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to now he hasn't been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wild life's become extinct, and the climate's ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day. - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov While it is difficult to agree that man has not created, one cannot fault Chekov for his observations on the destructive nature of humans. The all encompassing environment is very much a part of our existence. We cannot wish it away. We see it, we feel it, we smell it. When we find it conducive we are ecstatic and thrilled with nature’s bounty. But when it is disagreeable we get repulsed. As Indians we have always remained in close touch with nature with all its caprice, its changing seasons, its varied terrain and climate, its brisk, refreshing mountain air, the bracing sea breeze, and the cool desert evening after the scorching heat of the day. However, how many of us do really know or care about the deterioration of the earth around us, the depleting natural resources, the pollution, the lack of green cover and biodiversity, or about living in harmony with the five kingdoms of nature? To understand, we must examine related subjects that are impacting environment and consider various options to stem the destructive course. Water Water is a powerful gauge of sustainability. It is also an indicator of the level of social development in a particular society. It is not an exaggeration to say that water is life. That there is a scarcity of water for drinking, domestic requirements and irrigation is a reality. Ground water table is fast sinking and is also getting contaminated due to leaching of pesticides and domestic waste. The off take is much more than the recharge due to increase in population and the ever growing demands of agriculture. Conservation, recharge and replenishment are the mantras to be adhered to. Unless these steps are taken, the day is not far off when each one of us will be queuing up to get a couple of buckets of drinking water. Interim and short term measures are not the solutions. Authorities may suggest measures like reducing wastage by repairing broken pipe lines. This, however, is a long drawn process and not an alternative for immediate action. Rain water harvesting, cleaning of river bodies, preventing effluent-laden drains from entering rivers, ensuring minimum flow for flushing and aiding self-rejuvenation and watershed management have to be put into action with immediate effect. We have wasted too much time and energy in setting up committees and formulating grandiose plans that never see the light of day. A holistic view has to be taken for conservation and the only solution is rain water harvesting, both in the urban and rural sectors. Legislation must be brought in to ensure that every community, especially group housing, has roof-top rain water harvesting systems put in place. The cost should be shared both by the government and the beneficiaries. Instead of just constructing underground tanks the water should be taken down through perforated pipes to recharge the aquifer. All drains should be prevented from entering the river bodies. Setting up of effluent and sewage treatment plants is the order of the day. Only a part of treated water may enter the river while the rest may be used for horticulture. The problems that thwart optimum use of treatment plants are shortage of water and erratic and insufficient electric supply. Water can be augmented by drawing less from the river for municipal supply (as raised and augmented water table would make up the shortage) and captive power generation units could meet the shortage of electricity. This would also increase the river flow and help in flushing the river. In the rural sector, wherever feasible, small check dams should be constructed to capture as much of rain water for recharging the aquifer and preventing runoffs. All these activities will create livelihoods for the marginalized and weaker sections of society like eco-tourism, river monitoring, mushroom cultivation, furniture making from water hyacinth, pisciculture, horticulture, floriculture, vermi-composting and so on. Air Air pollution is not just a major factor in environment deterioration but the root cause of several respiratory diseases leading to increased spending on health care and wastage of useful man-hours. The major culprits are vehicles and industries. It was with great effort that in Delhi, through a judicial order all buses and three-wheelers using diesel were asked to switch over to CNG fuel. Effective action to shift industries, especially the small-scale, to satellite towns is still to be implemented. Power plants and air polluting industries have still to put in place clean air development mechanisms. In reality it has been observed that the polluting vehicles put off road in one town find their way to other towns. The three wheelers that were banned from certain cities for billowing smoke is a case in point, they were welcomed in small towns as they provided cheap transport for the masses and livelihoods to the drivers. Little thought here is given to the health hazard they are creating for people especially young children. Efficient public transport system should be introduced for commuting and reducing vehicular traffic on roads. As has become the norm, public works in towns are carried out without proper planning. Roads are dug up for laying cables, sewer pipes, water supply and so on. Once the job is over the pits are filled with earth and tarmac is poured in attempt to restore the road to its original condition. This loose earth is a source of dust and increases the suspended particulate matter to unacceptable levels. Strict instructions should be given to the civic agencies in this regard and digging and sealing should be done under supervision. Frequent random checks should be made on petrol pumps to ensure the supply of approved quality of fuel and the traffic police authorities should be more vigilant and challan vehicles that are discharging smoke - even though they may carry requisite pollution-free certificates. Solid Waste Management Solid waste is one of the major causes of environment degradation. Besides the obvious creation of dirt, filth and obnoxious odour it is a source of diseases taking take a heavy toll on human lives, especially children. Providing health services to the poor involves huge amounts of public money. Thanks to the unavoidable rural-urban migration the population in towns/cities is bursting at the seams. For example, the NCT of Delhi adds on 5 to 6 lakhs of people each year. Delhi generates 6500 tons of garbage every day while only 5000 tons is removed by the MCD and NDMC. It is a disgusting but common enough sight in Delhi, municipal dumps overflowing into the roads, with cattle, dogs and rats feeding off it. At present the garbage, still unsegretated, is taken to so-called landfills that are nothing but larger dumping grounds. The rag pickers, mostly children, take out what can translate into small sums of money, all the while exposing themselves to various hazardous infections and injuries while handling glass pieces and infected syringes. Unless we take immediate action to segregate household waste at source we will not be able to properly utilize or recycle the waste. Housewives have to realize that while it takes them a few minutes to segregate the waste in the kitchen, the same exercise could take hours at a dumping site . Also when waste is left to the rag pickers for sorting, they pick up just the recyclable material and leave the rest strewn around. It has to be ensured that no waste is collected from houses unless it has been segregated. The collection should be done by specially recruited and trained rag pickers with prior verification by the local police, they should also be issued uniforms and IDs. The resident welfare association (RWA) should not employ the municipal karmacharis for this job. After the segregated waste is collected it should be brought to the earmarked composting area in the locality. Such an arrangement will create livelihoods for this weaker section of community and incidentally keep them away from unlawful activities. The subscription from the houses and a part of the sale proceeds of compost will ensure an income, both for the RWA and the workers. The municipal authorities should set up retail outlets for sale of compost for horticulture and floriculture, for which there is an assured market. Statistics show that the disorganized activities of around 200,000 ragpickers in Delhi saves the municipal authorities of up to 10 lakhs each day! Greening There can be no last word on the benefits to be derived from trees. Besides reducing pollution they provide the much needed shade, fruits, prevent soil erosion and water run-offs, shelter for animals, greenery, rise in water table, attract rain and of course provide large vistas its priceless beauty. We religiously celebrate Van Mahotsava every year during the monsoons. In towns the celebration of trees need to be planned to be more effective. Every year the town administration should come out with a document of the number of trees to be planted, the species, the nurseries that will provide saplings free of cost, the locations for planting and responsibilities. The civic agencies should also make arrangements for digging up pits, providing manure, tree guards where there is no fencing and watering of saplings. Once the plan has been formulated all the stakeholders should join in for a massive movement towards permanent greening. Generally, there is this misconception that for greening activities massive amounts of water is required. Hardy, indigenous species are drought resistant and once they get a good supply during the monsoons, they take root and are able to withstand the ensuing months without much water. Why don’t we try the Thailand experience where the government insists that each school-going child plants and nurtures one tree every year? Caring for Surface Water Most of the towns and cities in India are located besides a river, a lake or any water body as the very survival of the populace is dependent on this vital resource. In India the rivers are regarded holy and Gangama has astounded us by her refusal to buckle despite all the degradation she has been subject to over decades. Most water bodies have turned into dumping drains for sewage, effluents and other wastes. As per the reports from Swatcha Ganga Abhiyan, an NGO headed by the Mahant of Sankat Mochan Temple at Varanasi (the Mahant, Shri Veerbhadra Mishra is a Magsaysay awardee and was the Head of the Hydrological Engineering Department of Benaras Hindu University), Ganga in Varanasi is in an advanced stage of pollution. Effluents from industries are draining into the river, the electric crematorium does not function - half-burnt corpses are thrown into the water and the town’s waste also finds its way to the river. The Mahantji asks, “you call her Ganga Maiya, but you have no qualms in treating her in such a dastardly manner”. The same goes for all other so-called sacred rivers in the country and the Yamuna in Delhi is not far behind the Ganga in pollution. Immediate steps have to be taken to ensure that - no drain water goes untreated into the river but is utilized for horticulture, that slums are relocated from the banks, water hyacinth is removed and used for mushroom farming and making furniture, desilting of the bed takes place, religious ceremonies do not pollute, ensure all sewage and effluent treatment plants are working to full capacity, aerate the contaminated water with oloids and there is effective policing of the river front through up a River Monitoring Authority. Conclusion Urban environment is an issue that merits serious consideration. Each one of us is a stakeholder and without personal prejudice or too much emphasis on inconveniences we should wholeheartedly join in the effort to keep our towns and cities clean and green. The administration and the local government should head the initiative and shoulder responsibility without shifting blame and making excuses for non-compliance. Unless strict enforcement is ensured there will just be one crisis after another like the Mumbai floods last year, mainly caused by choking drains. It will be a great day when our urban zones turn zero garbage areas and each denizen can enjoy basic amenities of safe drinking water, fresh clean air and clean and healthy surroundings. However, urbanites must not lose sight of their responsibilities - my waste is my responsibility and I have to ensure its utilization and proper disposal – should be the guiding principle. q
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