Environment-unfriendly activity

The result is that cropland around the industrial units is being polluted, adversely affecting both soil fertility and production.

That most industrial units and factories do not have a scientific waste disposal system is an open secret. Environmentalists have long been crying hoarse on the highly negative impact of unplanned and haphazard waste disposal. A number of suggestions have also been put forward to keep things under check. But it is evident that the laws and rules are being violated with impunity -- a point made clear once more by the report from Savar.

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We regard this as defilement of the environment that cannot be tackled by some seldom-enforced laws. It is a hazard that has to be contained at any cost if we don't want to expose ourselves to an environmental catastrophe. As things stand now, very few people are actually aware of the impending danger. Consequently, corrective measures are not being taken to ward off the menace.

Environment certainly doesn't feature prominently in our planning. Many examples can be cited to prove the point. The Demra canal area which was cleared of squatters last year, has again been occupied by them. So the enforcement of law has turned out to be a temporary affair. Again, the DCC authorities have decided to turn a wetland in the city's Khilgaon area into a graveyard. The point to be noted here is that we are mortgaging our future to an insatiable money-making appetite of some shortsighted people.

The decision-makers will have to deal with the menace immediately or else our progeny is condemned to a bleak future.