Let us build Streets in our cities, not roads, drains, footpaths, etc.
Let us build Streets in our cities, not roads, drains, footpaths, etc.
In Indian cities, every year many people meet watery grave by getting washed away in road side storm water drains. Many die and thousands injure falling into trenches or pits dug and left uncovered on roads in urban areas. We build beautiful roads with public money and then mercilessly dig them up and destroy them, ostensibly for another developmental work. It happens all the time, so much that it seems to have become a part of our culture.
We dig roads for laying pipelines and cables of myriad sorts, to build drains and underground sewer lines and to build foot paths, kerbs, medians etc. Several departments partake in this annual mindless ritual of development and the road takes the toll; people suffer, injure, lose their lives and vehicles endure more wear and tear and consume more fuel; Our cities become more dirty directly and indirectly. Our hard earned money goes literally down the drain!
So many essential services in India depend on digging of roads to lay the utility lines. Electric poles, telecom poles, water supply pipes of all sizes from mains to service lines, underground sewers, drains, footpaths, medians, etc. have traditionally been the road-killers. Now, as our country is developing more and more, so much that we beat our chests in pride till it aches, many other essentials joined list: underground power cables, gas pipes, TV Cables, internet cables, all drains and mains forgotten in earlier plannings, construction of metros, flyovers and what not?
Well all this mayhem is not the only thing that make our roads a mess. The webs of cables on poles, ugly cables, roll bundles of them big apparatuses of many kings of modern TV and internet services lay hanging from beautiful lamp poles adorning road deviders. What use of those costly aesthetic poles? Then come the umpteen festivals, political jamborees and campaigns that disfigure streets and whole cities alike.
When all things go in the most distinctly Indian way: in a chaotic, unplanned unaccountable and uncoordinated manner; never to be owned up by those who are responsible, the rains descend to prove their humour. With no way for even a drizzle to drain away our world class cities get flooded, even those without a name-sake river! Holy mess for a holy land!
Climate change: We still have a tiny chance. Time for Climate Ostriches to note and act!
We lived in denial and recklessness about global warming. Now, it’s here. Hot and scalding! Before asking do people and governments change at least now, let us ask if all of us admit to it atleast now? Led by unfathomable leaders like Donald Trump and Brazil’s Bolsonaro and happily ignored by deniers in people, the Climate Change might have reached the point of no return and as some scientists say the march can still be halted if we act with resolve. To ignore them is like the proverbial ostrich.
The indications are many. The Ice melt rates in Arctic, Antarctic, Greenland and glaciers is more then predicted. Disease causing vectors, especially mosquitoes, are increasing as predicted. Another dooms day prediction coming true is lowering of crop yields which should be of immediate concern to the govermnets.
Corals are bleaching at surprisingly higher rates, endangering marina fauna.
All glaciers are receding or disappearing altogether. Snowlines of mountains are moving higher disturbing mountain eco-systems.
With 1/3 of entire insect population to disappear, bees, wasps and other crop pollinators are vanishing putting strain on global food security.
Wild fires and forest fires are raging like never before in both extent, intensity and duration.
Thousands of animal and plant species going extinct, some even before identification.
Drying estuaries, swamps and heating up of oceans and permafrost would release huge amounts trapped carbon into atmosphere.
Melting of prehistoric ice and thawing of permafrost may release, God knows, what kind of pre-historic micro-organisms!
The melting polar icecaps would unleash unprecedented oceanic disturbances. Besides sea level rise, cyclones, hurricanes, tornados, etc., would increase in damage potential.
Melting of fresh water by millions of tonnes every month would alter salinity and temperature of sea water, consequences of which is unimaginable on global weather patterns with changing ocean current and wind flow patterns.
Seasons are shifting and weather element differences between seasons are blurring.
Fast rates of changes of air, land and water temperatures, shifting seasons, changing precipitations and oceanic changes would strain life forms’ ability to adapt and millions of species are going to extinct.
The list is not exhaustive and in the face of this much evidence, to deny the global warming and climate change is idiotic irresponsible and suicidal. Its time the Climate Ostriches lift up their heads out of sands of criminal ignorance and see the harsh global reality!
