Global problems of degrading environment and climate change call for united action to ensure that Mother Earth provides us resources for our needs and not for our greed. The underlying message of this year’s World Environment Day – Biodiversity – is that human beings should harness natural resources in a sustainable manner and not at the cost of other species on the earth. Orissa POST takes a look at the critical issues of air & water pollutions and how the pandemic has curtailed the pollution levels.
Bhubaneswar: Adversities always teach us invaluable lessons. This unprecedented coronavirus crisis, when safety of human beings is of paramount significance, has prompted the administrations globally to restrict movement of vehicles and operation of industries, bringing a sea change in the environment.
The air quality in the Capital City of Bhubaneswar has seen an improvement with 60 per cent drop in the presence of particulate matter (PM) in the first 10 days of nationwide lockdown. A report released by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) for the period between March 21 and 31 confirmed the improvement in the air quality.
The air has become cleaner due to restrictions on transport services and construction activities across the state. The PM 2.5, which is mostly generated due to combustion and is responsible for respiratory diseases, fell from 32 microgram per cubic metre to 12 in the Capital City. This has taken the air quality of Bhubaneswar from ‘moderate’ category to ‘good.’ But, the air quality in the city is most likely to return to the moderate category soon due to easing of curbs, said a few experts.
Environment activist Shweta Agrawal said India’s carbon dioxide emission has come down for the first time in 40 years due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. “Air quality in the country has improved a lot. Mother earth has given the hints about the way our footprints are polluting the environment. Still, very few of us have learnt this lesson. Now, we will see more vehicles on roads as people are scared of using public transport,” Agrawal added. She claimed that the government is allowing operation of more coal mines to tackle economic slowdown. “We need to understand that mankind can survive only with biodiversity and by maintaining balance in ecosystem. But we’re still doing the opposite. We’re burning forests, polluting rivers and brutally killing animals. We need to understand that we have built our houses by encroaching upon their habitats. Earth is the home for all. Live and let live should be our motto,” Agrawal said.
Environment scientist and secretary of Odisha Environment Society, Jaya Krushna Panigrahi, said this year’s theme for the World Environment Day is biodiversity. He claimed that wild animals are now living a peaceful life due to the lockdown over coronavirus.
“Due to lack of tourist movements, noises and other perceived threats, the zoo animals are now experiencing a serene and natural environment around them. This will lessen their mental irritation and frustration. On the other hand, it will ensure natural behaviour of animals including their courtship. Nandankanan Zoological Park bears a good testimony to these behavioural changes in the captive animals during the lockdown,” he said.
Environment activist Soumya Ranjan Biswal said 2020 will be remembered as a great year for Odisha wildlife. During the lockdown, hundreds of migratory birds were spotted in Astarang coastal area.
The number of migratory birds in the locality has gone up due to restrictions on fishing activities, he added.
This apart, in March this year, the Olive Ridley turtles were seen nesting on Rushikulya rookery coast near Purunabandh village in Ganjam district during daytime after a gap of seven years, thanks to Covid-19 induced lockdown.
Meanwhile, the recent killing of a pregnant elephant in Kerala proved the fact that animals are still in danger.
When rivers turn toxic
As many as 19 rivers including a stretch of Mahanadi have become polluted due to release of untreated sewage and industrial effluents from urban areas. According to the data presented by Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Arukh in Assembly recently, the water of Mahanadi flowing from Sambalpur to Paradip has been polluted due to the release of sewage and effluents of towns into it.
Similarly, Kathajodi river stretch from Cuttack to Urali, Budhabalanga (from Mahulia to Baripada), Rushikulya (Pratappur to Ganjam), Gangua (Bhubaneswar), Daya (Bhubaneswar to Bargarh), Brahmani (Rourkela to Biritol), Nagavali (JK Pur to Rayagada), Kuakhai (Bhubaneswar), and Luna (Bijipur) also turned polluted. With an aim to prevent further pollution in river water, the government is constructing sewage treatment plants in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Talcher and Rourkela towns. The process is also on for setting up of such septage treatment plants in 114 places of the state, official sources said.
Arindam Ganguly and Biswa Bushan Mohapatra OP
