கதையோடு கற்போம் தமிழ் - தலைமுறை

Our earth has been around for many years. It has undergone quite a few changes over these years. However, in the last 100 years human activity has led to some alarming changes to the planet we belong to – melting of ice in the north and south poles, development of industries and infrastructure by clearing forests, creation of more waste or trash which are non-bio degradable.

Human activities and their impact have led to the release of excess greenhouse gases, causing global warming. Increase in the no. of vehicles / automobiles, burning of oil and coal to generate electricity, smoke from the factories are some of the reasons for this alarming situation.

Deforestation is not only leading to an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases but also pushing us into a water crisis. Water is already a depleting resource in developing countries like India. India is a land where people have given up their lives to save trees. But the current state is completely different. It is with ease people cut down the trees without knowing the importance. Since the roots of the trees go deeper into the soil, soil erosion is prevented there by saving the topsoil form being washed away by rains. This topsoil is very important for the growth of crops as it contains more nutrients. Moreover this topsoil when washed away by rains, settles down in the river bed as silt. This reduces the amount of water that the river can hold causing flood. So, we need to ensure that trees are not felled unnecessarily.

Natural resources can be impacted to a point that they can no longer be repaired. Conservation of natural resources needs to be a priority for the business and governments, which tout sustainability as a way to strike a balance between helping the environment and preventing economic or personal hardship. The present communities should be supported without jeopardizing the environment for tomorrow. The impact on air, water and land by the human actions and behavior, can be controlled so that they do not cause much damage while allowing all involved maintaining a comfortable existence.

Vehicle emission
One of the important reasons for global warming is the increase in the emission from the growing number in automobiles. Though this has an impact on the economy, there has to be a balance between the economy and environment. We have to think about alternates like effective public transportation system instead of private vehicles, carpooling, cycling etc., which will reduce the emission.

Conservation of Power
Electricity is generated mainly through burning of coal – a limited resource and detrimental to the environment, too. We need to look at alternates which are relatively better and sustainable on a long term. Solar power is an option.

Solar Energy
Electricity using solar power can be generated using – Concentrated Solar Power plants and Photovoltaic cells. Solar power is slightly expensive when compared to the fossil fuel option. There has to be mechanism that rewards and provides incentives to the owners who install the solar units. Unless there is a mechanism or drive from the government, people will stay away fom installing solar units as it is expensive.

Wind energy
Wind power is another renewable energy option for us. Wherever it is possible, the government should come forward to set up windmills and produce wind energy.

Biomass
We have an alternate option to produce energy from plants or animals – Biomass. These are self- sustainable options for fulfilling our energy needs without affecting the future environment.

Conservation of water
With the development happening at fast pace, the ground water in the country is fast depleting. It is primarily because of the increase in the human population and development. Earlier a single independent house used to utilize the water at a specific area, but now with the raising apartment numbers more and more families started focusing on the same area for ground water. Contradictory to the increasing in demand for the water, the supply is gradually coming down, thanks to the non-maintenance and preservation of our water bodies. There has to a guidelines which maintains and preserves the water bodies, which can be used as a source of water. We are losing so many water bodies as source of water. One good example is the Hussain Sagar Lake, an erstwhile water source for the citizens of the Hyderabad.

Also, there is no proper mechanism to store the rain water. Rain Water Harvesting should be made mandatory in all buildings and also introduced in common areas as this would increase the ground water level. If you observe, in our country itself, one part is distressing from flood whereas another faces severe drought. The irony is because there is no mechanism for water sharing or utilizing it appropriately. There is a definite need to link Rivers which will fulfill to some extent the water needs of the public.

Not only the water source should be improved, but water also conserved to ensure availability for future generations as the withdrawal of fresh water from the eco system is exceeding the natural replacement rate. As citizens we do have the responsibility to conserve water. Business houses should work towards recycling and treating the waste water and utilizing it for manufacturing, agricultural irrigation etc. This way, we will also be able to conserve our habitat also for wildlife and migrating waterfowl.

Waste management
As the human activities have led to the creation of more and more waste, there has to be an effective mechanism which manages these wastes. Waste that create are both degradable and bio-non degradable. As producers of waste, the citizens should be able to segregate the waste like organic, e-waste etc. This will help in easy disposal. Most of the waste that we produce is organic – that can be decomposed, but many are not aware of this fact.

Organic waste
Kitchen waste and food scraps, which form bulk of the waste, can be recycled using biological composting and digestion processes to decompose the organic matter. Once it is decomposed, this can be recycled as compost, which can be used as manure for agriculture purposes. If this is done at the individual household level or at the apartment level, the treatment of organic waste would become easier across the colony, city, state and country.

Paper waste
Another form of waste that we find is the paper waste. As we all know paper is produced from cutting trees, there has to conscious decision to conserve their usage. Certain things are unavoidable – like newspapers etc. But we have a mechanism to recycle them and use it for different purposes like notebook etc. This way we are ensuring that there is no wastage.

E-waste
With technology developing rapidly, another growing form of waste is the electronic waste or the e-waste. Since these materials contain sometime precious metals and contaminants like lead, cadmium, mercury etc., recycling or refurbishing them is a huge challenge. Awareness needs to be created among the public about the dangers that these electronic waste pose and the need for handling them properly. Also, there has to be mechanism in place through which these wastes are extracted from the consumers and refurbished.

While we have some techniques to manage the waste, our intent should always be to prevent the waste material being created as much as possible. This can be done by way of designing / using products which are reusable – viz. jute or cloth bags instead of the plastic bags, reuse of second hand products, avoiding disposable products like disposable cutleries, etc.

Conclusion
So, not only to address the issue of global warming and depleting resources, but to preserve the planet for the future generations, we must start acting immediately in conserving the resources and creating a resource pool. Let us create a living for the future by sustaining our needs.

Let us not be a part of the problem, but instead be a part of the solution.