Threat of desertification
The World Day to combat
desertification was marked yesterday across the continents. This
year's theme was 'Conserving Land and Water Securing Our Common
Future'. The significance of the topic could not be
overemphasized given the threat faced to the planet's very
survival by the rapid degradation of the environment and
consequent depletion of all water resources. It has been found
that desertification directly affects the lives of more than 650
million people in 110 countries and threatens more than one
billion people within 40 percent of the Earth's surface. Today,
more than 135 million people worldwide are at risk of forced
migration mainly due to climate change and other aspects such as
deforestation.
It would be more correct to say that the world as a whole
today, is almost on the brink of a major environmental upheaval.
The rapid melting of glaziers as a result of global warming,
fast dwindling of forest cover, the drying up of rivers and
waterways, the rise in the ocean level and the extinction of
animal species are but a sample of this phenomenon.
Experts warn that if the world fails to act collectively to
arrest this trend very soon vast geographical areas of the
planet would be wiped off the map and with it populations. A
majority of the developed countries should take the major share
of the blame for this state of affairs. They only pay lip
service towards environmental protection and international
protocols signed in this regard in their race to achieve
economic development and technological advancement.
In the melee environmental considerations are put on the back
burner. As mentioned, environment treaties more often than not
are observed in the breach by these countries who never tire of
preaching to others of the need to protect the environment.
There is therefore a need for fresh initiatives on the part
of world leaders to resolve to take positive action to stop the
erosion of the planet's natural resources which needless to say
does not have an unlimited lifespan.
Sri Lanka too has been remiss on her responsibilities towards
environment protection. The rapid urbanization in the name of
development and progress has taken its toll on the country's eco
system. No longer can one forecast with any accuracy the
climatic patterns such as rainy seasons as in the past. The
indiscriminate destruction of forest cover, unplanned
construction and the inexorable drive for urbanization have
caused the drying up of canals, waterways and reservoirs.
Already warnings have been made about the gradual depletion of
our natural water resources and the possibility of migration of
people looking for fresh pastures as is already happening in
many parts of the world. Urgent steps therefore are needed to
arrest the causative factors that result in the drying up of
fertile land and the danger of desertification.
In Sri Lanka under this year's theme titled "Let us ensure
our future security through the protection of water and land
resources", the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry has
launched various programs such as tree planting projects to make
the country more verdant. We hasten to say that such tree
planting campaigns will be an exercise in futility if steps are
not taken to stop the wilful destruction of the environment by
the indiscriminate felling of trees, destruction of forests and
forced encroachments on protected reserves carried out more
often than not under the benign eye of politicians.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has always emphasized the virtues
of sustainable development and has promised to come down hard on
those responsible for the destruction of the environment.But
concrete action is called for to stem the rot. One has only to
travel along the coastal belt to see the forlorn expanses of
barren tracts that were once thriving coconut land. These lands
have been denuded of their lush vegetation and parcelled out by
property developers for housing projects.
This scenario is today witnessed in every part of the country
with the result, that very soon Sri Lanka too will be reduced to
a barren landscape- a mockery to its once proud hydraulic
civilization. Therefore, those planning tree planting campaigns
and such projects should first combine to halt the slide into
desertification of the country by protecting the country's
ecological balance. The Government had already passed laws to
appropriate all fertile land that are not put to cultivable
purposes. This is a step in the right direction in arresting the
country's gradual desertification. |