Central Chronicle , Monday, January 16, 2006

Correspondent : SS Chitwadgi

Those were the days when environment was hardly a subject much discussed in the sphere of Govt business. It became a major subject onbly when Indian took to developmental activities beginning with first five year plan ending with aggravated status in present days. There are several factors causing this latest status, but the one is the prominent that has brought about the bludgeoning population and inherent problems associated in its welfare. Environment is defined as the natural surrounding or conditions in which a person, animal or plant lives or operates. It is but natural that environment undergoes on modifications as living persons, animals and plants multiply or dwindle. In other words, resources continue to be consumed or otherwise used. This accounts for the new horizon of environment and a number of problmes are derived therefrom in meeting the life demands on the given situation. Resources are based on five fundamental elements viz earth, water, air, fire and sky. Life survives only on the health of the elements and availability of resources in quantity and quality. The new horizon appeared in full swing mostly during the period of free India when national environment consciousness arose. During slavery, India hardly bothered about environment. Thanks to this modern awakening but in its wake came resources stringency in that pollution entered the environmental arena to its utter disadvantage and also disadvantages of the life system because of misuses, over uses and abuses, by humans at large. The top problem derived could be environmental health risks- such as polluted water and insufficient sanitation, indoor and outdoor air pollution, lead poisoning and the impacts of climate change significantly influence the well-being of hundreds of millions of poor people. The links are clear, poor people are the first to suffer from polluted environment. Some of the challenges ahead; integrating environmental management in poverty reduction: In brief a major route to achieve this is through mainstreaming of environment in poverty reduction strategies; global challenges include biodiversity conservation, management of international waters, desertification and chemical management. Human health is highly dependent on the health of the other species and on the natural functioning of ecosystems. We derive important medicines from various plants, animals and microbes. Medical research depends on a host of other species some of which are endangered. The emergence and spread of some human infectious diseases is affected by the loss of certain species such as predators of animals that are hosts for some infectious organisms or that pass on these organisms to us. Were it not for pollutions and an enormous number of other species that make soils fertile and fisheries productive, our food supply would be severely compromised. And at the most fundamental level, ecosystems provide life support services, such as the breaking down of wastes or the purifying of air and water, that make all life, including human life possible.

SOURCE : Central Chronicle, Monday, January 16, 2006