Daily Times

Human progress has largely depended on the harnessing of natural resources in the shape of food, fuel, and other useful aspects of life. The human beings developed their colonies and communities only after exploiting the sources of nature and, so, made tremendous progress in making their life easier, comfortable, and faster. But while doing so, human beings forgot that there’s always a limit of doing things.

They crossed their limit not only in the speed of increase of the human population but also the harnessing of human harnessing of natural resources. This very slowly but surely caused a disturbance in the ratio and balance of human beings and nature. Consequently, the sources started to deplete in reversely proportional to the increase of population and when the ecological system could not afford any more pressures, it started to react.

The reaction was in the shape of pollution of air, water, and soil accompanied by the soil erosion, landsliding and melting of the glaciers. All this may seem natural, but it has its consequences. For example, we breathe the air which is out of quality now and we drink water which is now rapidly depleting in the shape of potable water. We use soil to grow crops which is now decreasing in its quantity and quality.

Human beings need to exercise maximum control in order to keep the temperature of the earth as minimum as possible.

In the year 2024, we are facing the problematic air conditions, lack of rains, severe weathers as the response and reaction of nature for the greedy and irresponsible use of sources. Human beings need to take heed to such a situation and try to establish such regimes which can revert back the quality and quantity of natural resources with the assurance that the next coming generations would be able to use and employ these resources in order to create universal sustainability for their life. For this purpose, at least the following measures must be taken.

Firstly, all human beings must stop using pure drinking water for the purpose of washing, sweeping and using in the factories. They must preserve potable water underground and on the ground. The water used by human beings and the water that falls in the shape of rain must be stored in Great Lakes or in great underground tanks and this water may be used for washing the roads or cars or other things and for sanitation and factory purposes, industrial purposes. But the potable water should be preserved as much as possible. We should also invent new ways and means to water and irrigate our crops, vegetables and our animals. For this purpose, innovative ways of saving water and consuming it as little as possible should be used.

Secondly, air pollution is now the biggest issue for the mankind especially for the Pakistani people because Lahore and Multan, two major cities, are suffering from very bad quality of air. It is our doing because we have not taken care of the things which were necessary for us. for example, we have increased the number of vehicles which consume fossil fuel and admit very dangerous smoke from their silencers and nobody has employed any techniques or technology in order to reduce the emission of these gases the developed countries are installing number of devices into their engines so that air may remain as clean as possible. We also burn plastic and rubbish which releases toxic materials in the air and similarly we have established unchecked, unreserved and unattended factories which are emitting smoke in huge quantity into the air.

Soil erosion and landsliding are other major issues associated with the melting of the glaciers because of the rise in temperature. Human beings need to exercise maximum control in order to keep the temperature of the earth as minimum as possible. Tree plantation and greenery are a major solution for such purposes. For example, we are cutting down the trees and then trying to plant fresh ones which takes a lot of time. Tree falling is faster than the growing of trees. Therefore, it is the requisite that human beings should stop cutting trees and then make it mandatory by enacting laws in the parliaments that trees must be equally grown to the cutting of the trees. It means that the overall constant number of trees can be maintained.

However, above all, sensitization about the preservation of nature is the essential most step that the children at the school level, young men at college and university level, and the villagers and city dwellers, all should be sensitized about the importance and significance of preserving nature. They must be taught the ways and means to keep nature reserved for the sake of next generations. It is right time to do so because if we fail to do so, our next generations would have to migrate to some other planet because the earth planet would become inhabitable, unlivable and unbearable with the passage of time.

The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @Profzee