CHALLENGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT II

The world is always on the verge of war, the last year has brought some highly volatile conflicts in the Middle East. Syria, Iraq and Yemen are at the behest of militants, the countries where all this mayhem is on are rich in crude oil and many other minerals. The poverty in most African countries has kept on increasing. 

Readers might be thinking why I am talking about all this, right? Well war is a drain on the resources of the world. The amount of fuel spent on carrying out attacks in enemy territory by land, air or water is a lot. The cost of rebuilding a war torn country takes a toll on the natural resources as building whole towns and cities dries the coffers of a country where everyone is unemployed as business is crippled by the war, it's an herculean task in a poor country.

The growing poverty and malnutrition is also a challenge as more and more forests are at threat to grow food and fill stomachs of the poor especially in agriculture dependent nations where the soil increasingly loses its fertility. In Africa, wildlife conservation also takes a hit due to conflicts as the government machinery loses precious control over the law and order situation which can be a serious problem.

In order to generate electricity at hydroelectric power plants, fertile land can be lost and fragile ecosystems are put at stake. In India, many dams have been protested against vociferously due to their effect on the environment. The Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand has damaged the fragile ecosystem in this pristine hill state.

The pilgrimage centres where towns have expanded unplanned to accommodate the inflow of pilgrims in huge numbers. The result was weakened soil which destroyed these towns in the flood of June 2013, where the buildings standing on this soil were pulled into the current of the river leaving no possibility of people stuck inside the buildings to survive. 

All hilly areas are prone to landslides and if there are no trees to hold the soil, then the results can be catastrophic adding fast flowing flood waters to the same and the damage can be compared to the damage caused by earthquakes.

The last two years brought terror in the form of floods to two hilly regions killing thousands and leaving lakhs of people without any shelter to survive harsh winters in the mountains. 

The Earthquake in Nepal showed how cruel Nature can be if man becomes greedy to earn money and disregard the consequences of haphazard tourism development. Well, the peaceful Nepalis are now devastated as the Earthquake wiped out tourism the only industry which can be productive in harsh and untamed hilly terrain. 

The aid and relief programmes will be seriously hampered by the arrival of the monsoons, as thousands of villages remain cut off from the world by road and air with many people homeless with nothing but, tents to provide shelter. Damage caused by earthquakes or floods can be manifold in fragile and dangerous hilly terrain. 

The poor are always going to increase and if development isn't done sustainably then the results can be catastrophic if a natural calamity or a war occurs. Hence, peace and sustainable development are essential prerequisites for a pollution free and safe Environment for generations to come.