Environment Fifty Years Ago

50 years ago the environment of our planet was 100 timespurer and more beautiful than what it is today! There was less smoke and smogin the atmosphere. Global warming had not become such an unmanageable problem.Forests had not been cut so much! World population explosion had not affectedthe beauty and purity of life so much.

 Lambs, deer, hares and kids used tofrisk and FROLIC down the VERDANT valleys.  Brooks, rills, rivers and streams flowed downthe slopes merrily! There were green MEADOWS, pastures and terraced fields inplenty!  The pure blue sky withcotton-like cirrus flitting merrily high above looked so beautiful!

The canker of industrialization had not converted the once heaven like townsand cities into hell. The sylvan beauty, for which now we go to hill stations,had not been replaced by factories and MILLS. The skyline dominated by tall pineshad not been replaced by an ugly sight of stacks spewing toxic fumes!

The clear rills and brooks that were picnic spots 50 years ago have now beenconverted into drainage channels, carrying effluents to the rivers, which have becomea bigger channels carrying the muck to the sea! The entire world is losing itsbeauty and purity. The mankind a silent witness to this ugly transformation iswaiting for some angel to come down and do the cleaning, preserving, andpollution managing! That angel will never descend. The entire mankind will dieas a result of its own misdeeds if it does not make ENVIRONMENT its FIRST PRIORITY!

The need of the hour is conserving and preserving theenvironmental beauty and purity of the surroundings. This task is quiteHerculean.  The only solution to thecritical environmental issues is people’s mass participation in saving theenvironment. Mass forestation drive, and stopping the use of fossil fuelsaltogether can solve this problem.

There are other alternative fuels available. The governmentmust act strictly. There should be a ban on fossil fuels. The government mustcreate forest belt near every city or town. Toxic emissions of industries mustbe strictly regularized.  Installation oftoxic smoke and effluents treatment plants must be mandatory at everyindustrial unit. With these measures strictly and immediately implemented theenvironmental health will improve considerably. Unless the people come forward, this mission cannot be accomplished.They must minimize their carbon footprint. They must adopt eco-friendly ways oflife. Government alone cannot do anything. People will have to act proactively.We must not forget that if we have to stand in the categories of advancednations, we will have to make our country as clean and green as them.