Sir: It is sad to note that the massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh in India has killed over 50 people, sending the shockwaves across the world. The equally shocking report is about the worrying flood-situation in the countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. The nature’s fury always poses threats to the mankind. Till date there have been various reports of the natural disasters like landslide and earthquake killing the numerous people the world over. Almost all the countries in the world have the best technology. Then what is the reason for such natural tragedies? All the countries have to dig deep into the actual facts and figures. The people and the countries today are in a rush, running from pillar to post to achieve everything in life. They don’t have time to spare/spend for others. The hectic lifestyle even stops them from thinking of the Sun, the Sky and the Earth that are the real torchbearers and creators of the world. Urbanization and realty-related activities have so far taken a heavy toll on the layers of Mother Earth. In fact I have immensely seen such activities in Mumbai during my job tenure now. Furthermore, my native districts of Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, India are now battling against the drought conditions caused by monsoon failure. The Tamiraparani (river) that is the lifeline of Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari is now under the threats of illegal sand mining and exploitation. As a result, the Tamiraparani is now grappling with possible ecological damage. As a person hailing from these areas, I am always concerned about such bad things. Remember, we have only one Earth. Even a small mistake committed against Mother Earth will have the ripple effect somewhere. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each and every country to take all the possible steps towards safeguarding the Earth — through the activities like encouraging mundane lifestyle and increasing green cover to name a few. P SENTHIL SARAVANA DURAI Mumbai, India Published in Daily Times, August 18th 2017.