In the 21st century, the word awareness is quite familiar among people. We verbally tell each other to be aware. We look for formalin-free food in the market. We want comfort in vehicles for transportation. We take to the streets to hold processions and meetings to assert our rights. We join movements to bring about social and political change. But how aware are we of the environment in which we live? Do we ever think of a proper movement to protect the balance of the environment to protect the existence of mankind? No one even thinks of such a movement. World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5th worldwide to increase awareness among people about the environment.
The relationship between humans and the environment is very close. Protecting the environment is as important as protecting life. A survey shows that 28 percent of the people who die every year in our country are due to various diseases caused by environmental pollution. Therefore, in order to maintain the balance of the earth and sustain the existence of mankind, utmost importance must be given to protecting the environment. We are a part of the environment. The natural elements of the environment are limited. People cannot increase them if they want to. However, through sufficient awareness, the environment can also make natural elements suitable for long-term use. Plastic products are a threat to the environment. But we are constantly using plastic. We have to come out of this trend. We have to be proactive in using plastic products to protect the environment. A healthy environment is the prerequisite for a healthy lifestyle. We must remember that we get the oxygen we need to survive from the environment. However, this important element is constantly being polluted by our own various reckless activities.
Everyone knows that water is another name for life. In fact, the other name for pure water is life. Polluted water is a threat to life. Despite the fact that one-third of the earth’s surface is covered by water, the amount of safe water is very limited, only 34.6 percent. We are polluting water by mixing harmful chemicals from various industries like ammonia, chloride, cyanide and various metals like zinc, mercury, lead etc. with water. In urban areas, various garbage, waste materials such as daily cooking peels, water used for cooking, and discarded food items are mixed together in the sewers and polluting the water of rivers and streams. Unusable polluted water is causing the existence of bacteria, microorganisms, earthworms, snakes, frogs, various beneficial animals, fish, and aquatic animals.
Nowadays, almost everyone suffers from various complex diseases including lung cancer, vomiting, headaches, chest pain, nose and mouth irritation, asthma, nervous system problems, mental instability, and respiratory diseases. Similarly, biodiversity is disappearing in the world. Trees are our best friends. There is no alternative to planting trees today. But we are cutting trees indiscriminately, which is very sad. According to environmental scientists, a country needs to have 25 percent of its total area of forest to maintain environmental balance. But our country has 15.58 percent of its total area of forest. Its amount is decreasing day by day. Our country has a forest conservation law, but the law is not properly implemented. In this situation, the administration must properly implement the forest conservation law to maintain the balance of the environment. Above all, the slogan widely used in our country, ‘Plant trees, save the environment’, must be implemented at the field level.
The writer is a researcher. Email: [email protected]
