Will we have to buy the air we breathe soon?

There was a story during the rounds recently on the web that a Chinese businessman has bottled crisp and pure mountain air, which he then sold to a populace starved for clean air. As China’s big cities experience more and more pollution and a haze of pollutants cover their landscapes, the people naturally would want to do anything to get fresh air, even buy it if they have to.

Marketing gimmicks aside, having access to unpolluted air is indeed becoming a rarity indeed. Even here in Sri Lanka, where we are blessed with lush greenery and crystal clear mountain air, pollution is increasing, thus robbing us of having access to clean air.

In Colombo, the air is not the clean air that it once used to be. Increased traffic and vehicles maintained badly let out vast amounts of vehicle emissions that result in an increase of respiratory diseases in both adults and children. There are many who have become asthmatic later in life, thanks to being continuously exposed to vehicle emissions. A high level of vehicle emissions also results in increased levels of mercury in the blood stream, causing various complications and poisoning. Traffic policemen have been found to be exposed to a potentially high level of mercury. Very soon, all of us will have to wear masks when walking or travelling on city streets.

Clean air is something most of us take for granted – we expect it to fill our lungs when we open the doors and the windows in the morning. Yet soon, at the rate pollution is spreading over the country, that could be a dream. There could be a day when we may have to purchase clean air, as the Chinese have had to.

Environmental pollution

We can talk about pollution until the cows come home but what have we done to prevent it, at least in our own little way. How many of us save the bottles and litter we all end up with on a journey to come home and dump in our trash cans? How many of us would prefer to dump it somewhere on the roads when no one is looking. What about our beaches that are littered and other places of interest? How many of us rev up our engines unnecessarily and how many of us would think twice about using plastics when we can easily recycle paper or cloth bags? We are all guilty of contributing to pollution in our own way.

Increased environmental pollution has endangered not only air but water and soil as well. Very soon, we may lose free access to both. Being born in a country that is blessed with good weather, we take so much for granted, especially the resources. It is time to start counting the blessings and take steps to ensure that we do not waste the resources.

The responsibility of keeping the environment clean and safe is a legacy we must pass on to the children. They must learn the good habits of being conscious of the damage one irrational act can cause – from sorting out the garbage to not littering the public roads., ensuring that the vehicles are maintained so that they will emit less pollutants – these are traits we can and must pass on to our children.

Developmental projects

Once exhausted, resources such as clean air, water and soil will be difficult to replace however technologically advanced man maybe. They are God given resources to be cherished, used carefully and taken care of well. It seems we take too much for granted and think that anything and everything can be replaced. Not so and many nations are finding out to their dismay.

There is still hope for us here in Sri Lanka before we reach levels of having to sell oxygen. There are still enough trees that emit pure oxygen and there are trees that we must grow in the city. The recent opening of the wetland park in Nawala is one such move on the part of the government – Nugegoda residents now have a shaded, green area for recreation in a place that once used to be an arid sand pit.

As countries such as China and India manage aggressive developmental projects, the levels of pollution keeps increasing. It is unfortunate that development and pollution seem to go hand in hand but we can do our little bit always in ensuring we keep our little spaces safe.

The future generations depend upon us to take the right decisions in ensuring our cities do not reach uncontrollable levels of pollution.