Letters to the Editor: Heartrending scene of hitting a rhino!

A speeding 14-wheeler truck hit a rhino in broad daylight recently on NH-37 in the Kaziranga National Park area. That was a heartrending scene. It wells our eyes with emotions. The impact with which it hit the rhino is beyond our comprehension. These are commonly occurring incidents on the roads and in the railway tracks of Assam. Such acts of men's inhumanity towards plants and animals hit deep down in some corner our hearts. But we are hapless and can do nothing. The Forest Department claims that the rhino has survived. Thank God! However, I have my reservations on this count.

Now the question does arise, what has happened to the strict speed limit norm imposed in that area? It is given to understand that the reckless truck driver got away by paying a fine of Rs 9,000. I would say that this is totally unjustifiable. One lakh rupees would have been also less. The truck should have been seized and the driver should have been jailed. Soft- peddling with such ruffians at the wheel will not stop recurrence of similar incidents in future. Finally, what the laws of the land say/decide is important.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati.

Pollution woes

Guwahati, the capital city of Assam, is one of the fastest growing and developing cities in the country. Being the major port on the banks of Brahmaputra, Guwahati is the urban hub of the North-East India. But today, the city is one of the most polluted cities in the North-East. In fact, Guwahati has one of the highest black carbon pollution levels in the world. Last year a report was released by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), where Tripura and Guwahati have been listed at the top of air pollution index among Northeastern cities. As the air quality is worsening in the city day by day, the coming post-Diwali situation can be almost as bad as Delhi and the NCR. Recently, the Kolkata Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) even issued notices to Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Central Pollution Control Board and Government of Assam and asked them to respond within four weeks. The situation is indeed a worrisome.

With the rapidly growing infrastructure and population, the city unfortunately doesn't have the facilities to sustain such growth. People of the city prefer mostly private vehicles for movement, leading to high energy consumption (fossil fuels). Ultimately, there is high traffic congestion and increased black carbon emission. Besides, the city has an unplanned open burning of wastes disposal in the city itself. Deforestation is another important cause of such pollution. In spite of several forest laws and rules, the forest cover of the city is decreasing and it has now become an industry. The illegal mining of coal, which has continued unabated for decades in the state of Assam, is causing large-scale destruction to the state's rainforests. Industries, on the other hand, are emitting large-scale of pollutants, effluents and fly ash beyond the permissible limits as prescribed by pollution control boards. Besides, the excessive use of plastics and many other developmental activities capable of emitting various pollutants are aggravating the menace of pollution. In order to prevent such air degradation in the city, the Pollution Control Board and state government have been discharging various duties and responsibilities as per the provisions of the Acts and regulations. In spite of that, so far the problem still persists. It is necessary to address ourselves at the local level for the solution and create a pollution-free environment.

Kumar Roshan Dusad,

Mangaldai, Assam.

Challenges of mankind

The global population is projected to reach the 8-billion mark by November 15 this year, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. This suggests that India is on course to surpass China as the world's most populous country by 2023. Reaching the milestone mark of the world population is both a cause for celebration and a caution for humanity to find solutions to the challenges that humankind face today. The challenges before humanity are critical: generation-defining issues such as climate change, conflict and Covid-19 pandemic that have extremely affected the most marginalized and vulnerable sections of world society. To date, millions continue to live in poverty and suffer from hunger and malnutrition. They have no access to proper healthcare and social protection, and are unable to complete quality primary and secondary education. Humanity holds the key to unleashing the unlimited potential of people around the world to address these challenges and the global problems threatening us all.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,

Chennai – 600 091.