By Rev. Fr. G L Khing
Lots of measures have been taken by the Government and NGOs to safeguard our environment. All the same human existence has become a threat to the environment. We threaten our very existence by our careless living. The more we pollute the environment, the more we negate our life. We appreciate a clean and serene environment for it gives us clean thoughts and decent living. Those who live in a clean environment live a better life. People living in polluted environmentare prone to numerous sicknesses and diseases. Often we appreciate other States for cleanliness and healthy environment and forget to implement the same in our State.
The capital of Nagaland, Kohima is facing numerous problems with regard to environment. Most of these problems arise from our own kitchen,drainage andtoilet. Pollution can be prevented on a daily basis by every individual. Some important places of preserving our environment are
1. Homes: Home is the first school of learning. Parents and children must learn to keep their homes neat and clean. The way parents and elders take care of children is reflected in their daily lives. Children coming from a clean home are able to keep themselves and their surrounding clean. A clean home will enable children to respect any place of living. Many people keep their kitchen and other rooms neat and clean in order to promote homely atmosphere. Dirty homes encourage children towards lesser care for the environment in which they live.
2. Schools and Colleges: We spend 15-20 years in Schools and Colleges. If every Student can become agent of preserving our environment then a massive change can come about within a short span of time. Today, many Schools and Colleges have taken up EVS as a subject. Eco Club is also formed with the aim of protecting and preserving our environment. Principals, Headmasters and teachers must teach Students the importance of clean environment both in and outside Schools and Colleges. Students must learn the art of preserving life and environment.
3. Church: A place of worship like Church must promote clean environment. The Church and its surrounding must be kept clean for cleanliness is next to godliness. All members must be taught to keep clean the benches, kneelers and other furnitures of the Church. There are some Churches where tea and snacks are served inside. This is not advisable for by this we turn a place of worship into a tea shop. We cannot eat and drink inside the Church as we do in hotels and restaurants. A place meant for worship should be clean enough to worship, pray and sing. The surrounding of the Church must provide good atmosphere. The Church has lots to do in conscientizing its members with regard to preservation of environment. The Church must become the best environment for all people.
4. Public places: Today, public places have become dumping ground in cities like Kohima and Dimapur. All waste materials are dumped in public places like stadiums and football grounds. Such habitual defaulters must be brought to task by cleaning up waste materials from time to time. We see many notice boards where it is written, “Do not litter here” or “Do not throw garbage here.” The funny part is that people still throw garbage in those places in spite of those warnings. Warning becomes invitation for many people. We must keep up the dignity of public places for they reflect the social life of the people. Social life is a combination of individual life.
All Private and Government offices are built for the purpose of promoting better atmosphere of work. Yet, today some offices are filled with waste materials and dirts. A small dustbin in the office room is filled with spittles of paan and other tobacco products. The smell from such dustbin is a good welcome note for the guests and visitors. Smokers continue to smoke inside the offices. We don’t interfere in the personal life of anyone. But it is good to keep our offices neat and clean. In some offices, a corner of the room is used for spitting and collection of waste materials. Those working in Government or Private Offices must keep their places of work in a hygienic atmosphere. This will enable us to promote healthy atmosphere of work and relationship.
We all buy vegetables, meat and other commodities from the nearby market. Most vegetables are sold along the footpath in rain and sunshine. Pieces of meat are kept on dirty wooden planks for sale. We are all used to buying and eating such items. Unhealthy practices of selling and buying have become so random that theyare seen as something acceptable to the public. Market places should be hygienic enough to attract customers. For this, both the seller and the customer can play a vital role. Waste products must be thrown at a proper assigned place. A healthy market will only give us healthy living. Constructions of marketing sheds in many places have promoted local vendors to sell their product in well-established marketing sheds.
All houses are attached to bathrooms and toilets. Kohima is one of the most crowded cities of Nagaland. Many toilets are constructed in such a way that neighbours are forced to drink such purified water. Scarcity of water in Kohima has forced many families to dig wells and ponds beside their houses.Many families have their own water source just below the toilet of their good neighbours. Off course, dirty water is better than no water. When it rains, the residents of Kohima city are happy enough because together with the rain, they can release water from their septic tanks. This is one practice which no one can question because we all do what we want. But this unhealthy practice is polluting the environment. Those living along the streams or drainages will continue to inhale the foul smell of the septic tank if there are no alternatives made available for the good of the colonies or wards.
A good drainage system keeps the environment healthy. Waste materials and plastic products must not be thrown into the drainage for they pollute the environment to a great extent. There are families who throw all waste materials into the drainage as though the drainage belongs exclusively to them. Drainages are not dustbins. A responsible living will bring about a healthy living. Most often we become the cause of our own sicknesses and diseases by our negligence.
Thousands of people travel on roads. We have seen people throwing waste papers and plastic bottles from their cars even as they travel inside the city. We must not turn the roads into dustbins. Can we stop such habit to keep our city clean? A responsible behaviour by each individual can turn our State into an Environment friendly zone.
Many villages have their assigned places of burial. Places assigned for burial are eitherkhel wise or clan wise. Such practice of burying the dead at a proper place keeps the environment clean. But in towns and cities, many people are tempted to bury their loved ones beside the house. This can be unhealthy for cemeteries have their own stories beneath the ground. We may decorate cemeteries with the best marbles but what flows beneath will pollute water sources. Are there some people who are drinking such polluted water or breathing such air in our cities? If so, we must encourage each other to bury the dead in common assigned cemeteries. Neighbours are unhappy when a dead body is buried beside the house. The dead man tells not tales but living men and women can teach each other the best way of living together.
Environment Day is not only about planting trees but it is also about planting and nurturing healthy human life. As we commemorate ‘World Environment Day’ let us learn to keep our environment clean by putting into practice some of the basic elements of promoting our environment. We must become agents of clean environment. A green Nagaland can only come about by our conscious contributions.
