INDIA ENTERS THE POLLUTION AGE
by Hasnain Ziuaddin
Indian Correpondent

I am a 14 year old kid with an interest in writing articles about present lifestyles. I also have a vast imagination. You could say I have created a virtual world. If you want more info about me and my article, email me at halk@bom7.vsnl.net.in or hasnain@prontomail.com. Suggestions on any topic are welcome. Thanks.

Welcome everyone! This is the first article I've written. If you are interested in the topic of environmental degradation, and what you can do about it, then you should read this cherished article. But if you're not, you have clicked on it for what we Indians call "timepass," and you need not be here.

This article sheds light on the senseless environmental degradation of India, mainly the metropolitan city called Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Even at my young age of fourteen years, it has become clear to me that the cause of this pollution is the poor mentality of the world's citizens. (Certainly this article is not meant for only Indians, as there is environmental degradation all over the planet.)

Every saint and demon knows how the environment is being degraded in India and in what way they have been a part of it. And even though people know what is causing it, most do nothing to help solve the problem.

For thousand of years the people of India believed the river Ganga to be sacred and worshipped her. The water of the Ganga was considered so pure that our ancestors stored it in sealed containers and, many years later, when a member of the family was on his death bed, the sealed vessel would be opened and a few drops of the preserved Ganga-jal (which means water) was poured into his mouth. Today, drinking water from this same river could easily hasten one's end, for the Ganga is no longer pure. This is because along its course from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, numerous factories have sprung up over the past few decades that throw their poisonous waste products into the once sacred river.

Even oceans have not been spared. More than 1,000,000 tons of oil have polluted the oceans encircling India. And since oil does not evaporate, it accumulates year after year.

More dangerous is the poisoning of the atmosphere. In Mumbai, gaseous chemicals are emitted from the city's high concentration of factories. And foreign companies are settling on Indian soil only to kill thousands of poor people with its pollutants. And yet, these companies enjoy success from the people whose environment they are destroying, as Indians readily buy the goods produced from these factories. Smog-producing vehicles worsen the already dismal situation. As a result, nearly 60% of the population in India have asthma.

Then there's the matter of land waste. Each day in India, at least half a bucket of garbage is thrown out from an average household. In India there are at least 100,000,000 families. That means 50,000,000 buckets of solid waste every day. In a year, nearly 20,000,000,000 buckets of waste find their way to garbage yards. And if these yards are not accessible, people throw their waste wherever they want to. If only Indians would try not to produce so much waste, our country would be cleaner.

It is clear that pollution has invaded all the land, water and air of my country. And yet a new pollution has arisen called noise pollution. Noise pollution has reached such heights in Mumbai, that many people have hearing problems because of it. Indians could help alleviate this problem with simple measures. For example, on busy roads, when traffic signals are red, motorists start honking their horns for no reason at all. If we could just be patient and wait for the green light, noise pollution would decrease significantly.

Sadly, these problems are caused by the mentality of the people. Most people just don't see the harmful effects of pollution. Although people all over the world have made millennium resolutions to become millionaires or to work for the advancement of technology, they forget about the environment. But what good are resolutions if we don't care for our health? Perhaps they should subscribe to the notion that "health is wealth." That is my resolution, and I will stand by it in hopes to inspire others to work for a better place to live in.

Indeed, India is a beautiful place filled mountains, plateaus, plains, rich soil, grains, crops, beautiful flowers, wildlife and, most importantly, people gifted with intelligence. My hope is that individually and collectively, each of us uses the resources of our intelligence to preserve my beautiful country. Thanks to all of you who have read this article and I am sure you will cooperate!

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