The unabated plundering of natural resources!
By: Mohammad Ashraf
We are bestowed with many resources for which we should be highly to the creator as without these resources the life on this planet would have been very pathetic. We do make use of these resources in gratis as we are not being charged for their utility. Since the existence of life on this planet-earth man has been using these resources for his survival and sustenance.
With the advancement in science and technology there has been tremendous pressure on these resources and the emergence of latest technologies have made man too demanding to actually try and suck the resources dry. The industries, directly or indirectly, are taking a great toll on the overall health of the planet by exploiting, excessively, the resources in quick time.
Besides industrialization, the population explosion is also responsible for erosion of natural resources which has nearly doubled in a few decades. The excess growth in population exerts great pressure on our resources and subsequently our resources are disappearing rapidly. Be it the forest lands, the wet lands, the rich resources that are dug out from the core of the earth including oil, we are consuming everything so rapidly that very soon we may have nothing left for our use.
We have been witnessing deforestation, filling of our wetlands, encroachments, constructions on agricultural lands etc constantly and this has led us to a state mindlessness as we can’t see that we are sowing the seeds of our own destruction. As a result of these cheap activities, the forest lands have shrunk, the habitation of wild animals has been disturbed to a great extent and human vandalism has not even spared the water bodies. This has impacted on nearly all aspects of life here and the normal weather phenomenon has got disturbed to a great extent. Our great sufi saint and luminary -Hazrat Sheikh Noor u Din Wali (RA) has aptly remarked “An Pooshi Teli yel wan pooshi” (Our agricultural produce is subservient to forests).
It’s high time for the concerned authorities to stop the loot of our natural resources. The laws meant for the protection of our environment must be implemented in letter and spirit and those indulging in plundering our resources must be dealt with an iron fist.
The writer is teacher by profession and can be reached at [email protected]
