Letters to the Editor: Musings on World Wetland Day

Musings on World Wetland Day

Zero rhino poaching in 2025 is a rare conservation victory, and the Assam government deserves praise for it. But environmental stewardship can't survive on a single success story.

While the government celebrates its achievement in protecting the one-horned rhinoceros, it remains conspicuously silent on a far graver failure, the rapid destruction of Assam's wetlands and green spaces. The wetlands are not empty water bodies; they shelter hundreds of migratory birds, sustain fisheries and farming livelihoods, absorb carbon, regulate floods, and act as frontline defenders against climate change. More importantly, wetlands serve as the cultural core of Assam. Assamese folklore, festivals, food systems, and community life have evolved around these watery landscapes. Yet unchecked urbanization, encroachment, and neglect are shrinking wetlands at an alarming pace, eroding biodiversity and weakening the state's overall environmental health.

If saving the rhinoceros is a matter of pride, the disappearances of wetlands should be a matter of public mourning and urgent policy actions. Conservation can't be selective. Government must protect not only its iconic species but also fragile ecosystems that sustain life, culture, and climate resilience.

Hitesh Chandra Kalita

Pathsala, Nityanand

Uncontrolled hill cutting in Guwahati

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the alarming issue of uncontrolled hill cutting in Guwahati.

Guwahati, once known for its scenic hills and green cover, is rapidly losing its natural balance due to indiscriminate hill cutting for construction purposes. People are recklessly cutting down hills in areas like Kharguli, Nilachal, Narengi, and Hatigaon to make way for buildings and roads. This has led to frequent landslides, soil erosion, flash floods, and loss of biodiversity, especially during the monsoon season. Unscientific construction on hill slopes has endangered the environment and posed serious risks to human lives and property. Despite existing environmental laws and guidelines, illegal hill cutting continues openly, indicating weak monitoring and enforcement. I urge the government and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority to take strict action against illegal hill cutting, ensure proper land-use planning, and promote sustainable development. Public awareness and community participation are equally important to protect the city’s fragile ecosystem.

Without immediate action, Guwahati could potentially experience irreversible environmental damage in the near future.

Rishika Ligira

Guwahati

Civic Apathy

at Paltan Bazaar

Paltan Bazaar, home to key transport hubs and offices like Bijuli Bhawan, serves as one of Guwahati’s busiest and most visible commercial areas. Unfortunately, it also reflects some of the city’s worst sanitation failures. Persistent garbage heaps, illegal dumping, and overflowing waste points have turned parts of this locality into a public health hazard. The stench, stray animals, and scattered waste are not occasional sights but daily realities. Pedestrians are forced to walk past piles of rotting garbage, while shopkeepers and commuters inhale foul air in an area meant to represent the city’s economic pulse. During rains, the situation worsens as clogged drains mix waste with stagnant water, raising the risk of disease outbreaks.

What is more alarming is the normalization of this neglect. Despite repeated complaints, waste collection remains irregular, and enforcement against illegal dumping is minimal. For a city aspiring to be clean and modern, such conditions at a major gateway are unacceptable. Sanitation is not just about machines or announcements; it demands consistent monitoring, accountability, and civic discipline. Paltan Bazaar deserves urgent attention before neglect becomes irreversible.

Bhaskar Deka,

Pragjyotish College

Crossfire

With the approach of the assembly election in the state, the gullible electorates are caught in the crossfire between the rival political parties, catching the voters flat-footed. We the gullible voters have started seeing political leaders changing their political ideologies overnight to join another political party whom he or she abhorred days ago. We have even seen our firebrand opposition leaders willing to change their religion for the sake of power through an appeasement policy.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the state's voters to take action and make a difference. It is now or never.

Lanu Dutt chowdhury,

Guwahati.