Question

calamities caused due to human greed

Answer 1

‘Human greed, not nature, cause for calamities

‘Global warming’ is such a buzz word that every negative event is attributed to it to such an extent that people tend to lose track of its significance. It is not the nature that is causing the calamities, but the human race, thanks to its greed and indifference.

Endowed with rich forest wealth and biodiversity, India is home to diversity in climatic zones and forests, like the northern and eastern hill ranges, Western and Eastern Ghats etc.

Right from Himalayas to Kanyakumari, the country has an abundant variety in floral, faunal and microbial biodiversity.

Tracing the recent history on the occasion of ‘World Environment Day’, one finds that Tirumala, like other major pilgrim places such as Kedarnath and Sabarimala, has been converted into a picnic spot to attract devotees, which led to the felling of trees that are hundreds of years old.

Considered the lung space of Tirupati-Tirumala, several trees, including the rare and endemic redsanders were indiscriminately felled and concretised roads replaced the greenery.

Adding to the already overflowing cup of woes, the recent fire in the Seshachalam forests made the hills go barren all of a sudden.

The severe heat stress due to the temperature touching 44-35 degree Celsius this summer will add to constraints such as water scarcity.

“The per capita water consumption of water is bound to decline further, causing agony to the denizens. Rationing of water through tankers might even be introduced. Citizens will have to be prepared for it”, cautions Rajagopal Velamoor, formerly Director of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasargod (Kerala).

Kedarnath incidents

“Incidents akin to Kedarnath can happen to any hill topography and we should not forget it”, Dr. Rajagopal said and added while renewing his appeal to maintain ecological balance.