Wasting water:
We have always
taken water for granted. Ask a child ‘Where
does the water come from?’ and you will receive a quick answer ‘From the tap!’
Leaving the taps
running while scrubbing the dishes, leaving the water flowing while washing
clothes, taking a shower for half an hour, using more than one tank full of
water to flush the toilet, not recycling waste water, not practicing rain water
harvesting – we are guilty of it all!
An estimated 1/3rd
of the world’s population live in countries that are severely water strained.
And yet it is disheartening that those in access of adequate water misuse it.
We have so perfected the art of misusing water resources that in the process we
have created deserts, poisoned water bodies and drained ground water tables.
I live in
Bangalore. This cosmopolitan city of 10 million is at times severely water
strained during summer. And I witness the drilling of at least one bore well in
my locality every week. Our search for water has led us to nearly 1500ft below
the surface. And it seems we are all willing to dig deeper. But in this
acclaimed city I do not see adequate drainage and recycling mechanisms. I do
not see concern and vision in both the people and the government officials.
It’s a pitiable scene out here.
In the city of
Chennai, the official claim is that only 19 of the 28 water bodies can be
restored. NASA’s imagery has revealed that Middle East’s water bodies are fast
disappearing. We today can count the last remaining free flowing major rivers
of Europe using just one hand. And yes we made one of the world’s largest
lakes, the 68000sq km Aral Sea disappear!
Taking water for
granted – our first mistake.
Excessive fishing
I hail from the
coastal city of Mangalore – famous for its fishing industry. I grew up watching
mammoth trawlers haul in tons of fish load, processing plants tinning the fish
for export and ice factories making merry.
Fishing has been
one of the oldest occupations of mankind. It was always a very lucrative and
rewarding profession that drew more and more people towards it. Today this
trend has breached the sustainability limit. Technological advancements have
made us go into deeper waters for longer periods with larger, meaner trawlers.
In fact we have so exploited these benefits that today the global fishing fleet
is 2.5 times larger than what the oceans can sustain-ably support. As of this
day 52% of the world’s fisheries are fully exploited and 24% are over
exploited! We have so exploited our coastlines that we are now towards those of
poorer countries. Of course they won’t question our move or motive! We give
them pittance via our aid programs. In the course of the last 60 years we have
practically destroyed the fishing industry. We are now harvesting smaller
younger fish thus damaging the breeding mechanisms.
The
coup-de-grace of all this is that we are getting less food from the sea,
damaging nature’s delicate balance and destroying a thousand year old industry.
Remember the cod collapse in the Grand Banks in Canada – 40,000 people were
suddenly unemployed!
Over fishing –
our second mistake.
Introducing species
Throughout
history man has traveled and explored the globe in his quest for various
worldly possessions. And more often than not, man entered into this quest for a
new land to deal with shortage of arable land back home (mostly destroyed by
unscientific over agriculture). And as a result of these adventures, man
discovered new continents, inhabited them and called them his new home.
The moment man
started living in his new found home, he started observing his surroundings. At
times he didn't like what he saw. Native plants appeared to be weeds and native
animals / insects to be rodents. He remembered that back home he had a natural
solution to problems like this. Thus he introduced new species of flora and
fauna from his previous home here. And yes initially it did eat everything he didn't like, but slowly it started eating even what he liked! His solution
turned into a problem. He was back to square one!
Confused?
Rabbits were
introduced in Australia as a source of food in farms. They were soon released
into the wild by Europeans who missed their usual hunting adventures. The
result – rabbits are officially called pests in Australia. When man discovered
the islands of Mauritius, Fiji and Hawai’i he was confronted with an
uncontrollable rat infestation. To counter this he introduced the Small Indian
Mongoose. But soon, many other species of animals inhabiting these islands fell
prey to the fast moving mongooses leaving them ‘locally extinct’. We have
similarly introduced species in other corners of the world thus meddling with
the delicate local ecological balance.
Invasive species
– our third mistake.
Chemicals, Toxins and
Pollutants
The 21st
century is heralded as an era of innovation, technological advancement and
better lives. In our search for a better, healthier and peaceful life we have
invented, utilized and misused numerous chemicals and toxins in the form of
cleaning agents, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, medicines etc. Today we
are dependent on a range of chemicals which on the plus side offer a lot of
benefits and comfort to our lives. But alarmingly most of these chemicals have
severe damaging effects not just on the flora and fauna around us, but also on
our health and those of our children.
Between the year
1930 and 2000, the production of man-made chemicals increased from 1 million
tons to 400 million tons annually. The amount of pesticides sprayed on crops
has increased 26 times in the last 50 years.
In the course of
this lifetime we have polluted water bodies, poisoned the soil around us and
intoxicated our own food! We have messed up badly and got it all wrong.
Chemicals,
toxins and pollutants – our fourth mistake.
Climate change
The most debated topic today, the question
of our survival. Will be brace this storm?
The IPCC reports time and again have
categorically put the blame of climate change on the selfish attitude and
demeanor of mankind.
Global warming and climate change – our final
mistake!
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