How do we celebrate Earth Day? Let me share an instance of how we humans are plundering our planet Earth, causing severe ecological damage in our never-ending quest for the profits. Our planet Earth is a beautiful place but human quest for profits is causing an irrepairable damage to the planet.
Jhalana Dungari (Dungar means hill in local language) is a classic example of the damage caused to the local ecology. It’s a hill range that forms a natural barrier in the East direction.
Incidentally, Jhalana Forest in Jaipur is famous for the Jhalana Leopard safari, among the wildlife enthusiasts in India. These hills have contributed to the city’s development by way of supplying stone for construction of houses and buildings, for years. Stone crushing units lined the base of this hill range until the court decision banned their activity due to the proximity to human settlement and ecological reasons. This picture shows the scars of mining. The rock in the foreground is all that is left of a small hill! Such an eyesore!
While the blasting activity may have ceased in Jhalana hill range which is also a protected forest, the stone crushers moved out of the city, to nearby locations post-1990s. They now run in many surrounding areas which are only a few kilometers away from the urban settlements. Various incidents point towards strong nexus between mining/quarry mafia and political power centers engaging in illegal mining activity. Take a close look at this picture. Â The entire hill has been blasted away.
The mining activity and blasting cause severe ecological damage, impacting both flora and fauna. It robs them of their natural habitat. Continuous blasting causes noise pollution; the ever-present dust particles contribute towards air pollution. Not just birds and animals, it also impacts human life. Constant exposure to dust particles causes asthma.
Read related post:Â Earth day! Stop cutting trees
I understand that we all need resources for the quality of life and it is Earth where we all turn to. But we also need to make sure that we adhere to all legal compliance and safe practices. Damage to the local ecology needs to be curtailed. This is one of the many issues we all are facing.
Does celebrating Earth Day helps in contributing to any cause? Does celebrating Earth Day, make any difference? I will love to hear your response.
Check out other stories in Conservation and Environment in Jaipurthrumylens
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Relevant Point made, hope people will sit up notice.
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Let’s hope so. Thanks for reading and sharing your your thoughts here
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West is the perfect example of how they control such activities. Blame it on the corruption in India, construction companies get by by bribing politicians!
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Well said. This corruption exists everywhere in developing and under developed countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. It thrives because of strong nexus between such mafias and politicians.
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Unless and until we don’t curb our greed ….. the need to live in harmony with nature and enjoy its fruits will not come about. We are falling into an abyss …… Hope each one realizes this because a few realizing it will not help!
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True. I guess our materialistic greed is fueling for such “mis-adventures”. Payback will definitely be expensive.
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Very interesting points, Arv. I think similar stories regarding quarrying and mining can be found in many countries worldwide and I agree, it is all totally damaging to the environment. Your photos show how much so! The main problem lies in the ever-increasing need for building materials (and I include forests in this) for homes and other structures in towns and cities. As with many ecological problems, I think one of the main reasons behind this is the massive population explosion over the past century. People need homes etc. But you’re right in saying we need better control of these activities for the sake of our planet’s future. And I’m also sure you’re right in saying much of it is done by unscrupulous companies for sheer profit.
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Quite valid Millie! I understand our need for accommodation but it just doesn’t end there. The trouble is our wasteful ways! How do you justify demolishing usable stuff for new and trendy interiors? I wouldn’t like to get into socialistic model here but we certainly need to think about wasteful way!
You have pointed it out very well that it’s prevalent in other countries too!
I’m just hoping that mankind understands the implication well before it’s too late! we are already witnessing loss of many species of living organisms… probably a warning sign!
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