Living on the rivers' edge!
In Kathmandu, every morning, on way to office, I cross river Bagmati. For people of Kathmandu valley, its akin to our Buriganga. In so many ways, Bagmati defines their daily life. Elders say, Bagmati is not only a river, “its our living civilization”. Kathmandu's history is intricately linked with 'Bagmati civilization'. It's just two decades back when Bagmati water was just pure and clean as one could imagine! Thanks to mindless civil works, dumping of sewage (municipal and industrial), for most part of the year, passing through Kathmandu valley, Bagmati is today reduced to a narrow drain, with its blackish and stinking liquid called 'water'. For months between October through May, hardly one can pass by Bagmati avoiding its stinking, heavy air!
A similar plight is for the mighty Yamuna, passing by Delhi.
And, Dhaka has thus to 'offer'(!) her Buriganga. Close on the heels run Balu, Turag, Shitalakhya. The Daily Star and others in print and electronic media are bringing out so many dimensions of abuse of our lifelines, called RIVER.
It's certain that our rivers, and pollution therein, have now reached levels that no scientific parameters are any longer required to measure. Our bare nose and eyes would suffice. Each day, those of us who cross bridges across the rivers e.g. Buriganga or, has to reach out to the banks for various purposes, are reminded of a grim destiny.
The abuse of rivers its fast approaching its nadir. It cannot go any worse than the stories and images in the media are brining each passing day. Assuming that the press and civil society activists, particularly much loathed 'environmentalists', cry much, the civic and governmental authorities do not act adequately, unless the millions of us living in closer proximity to the rivers stand up, how else would their voices and actions matter?
End of the day, we simply cannot resign to the classical isolation paradox i.e. even if I do not act, in collective interest someone else would step in and take the corrective action(s)! Well, that's been our ill-conceived refrain vis-à-vis the common property resources: rivers, wetlands. Their voices are not to be heard, but felt. And, as they say in Africa, 'when mother nature starts talking back, it's point of no return'!
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