Occasional Musings

I just came across an article that broke my heart.

Recurring fish deaths in Bengaluru lakes signs of irresponsible governance: IISc

And the worst part, this is nothing compared to the chaos and havoc we induce on a day-to-day basis.

An excerpt from the article :

IISc started the study after mass fish deaths in Ulsoor lake two months ago, the latest in a series of events revealing the state of pollution in Bengaluru. Foam covers the surface of Bellandur, the city’s largest lake, which caught fire twice last year.

After studying samples of water and dead fish from Ulsoor lake.. IISc said the fish choked to death after oxygen levels in the water suddenly fell sharply.

Steady flow of untreated sewage into the lake and high levels of certain toxic substances could have depleted oxygen levels, the study said.

What are we doing guys? Dumping sewage into lakes is not a survival mechanism. That is definitely gonna come back and haunt us. Probably people are going to eat fishes that are mildly toxic from eating chemical waste and plastic. And then what? I don’t see a happy ending anywhere in the vicinity.

I’ve mentioned multiple times that sewage management and pollution is one of the most mind-boggling things I could land myself into. Every time I see a garbage truck on the road *mostly having stuff flying out of it without proper covering technique or net and also gross revolting liquid leaking from it * , my mind goes numb. Oh god. Another truck-load is accumulated in the Pallikaranai garbage dump which was meant to be a marshland!

This is definitely not a Chennai or India problem; Worldwide almost all countries are dealing with this crisis. “Out of site, Out of mind” is not working here. It’s time we realize that.

But what could we do, other than just sit and feel sorry for our city and future. ? They might be very elementary steps , but if everyone does it collectively – that’s all the change we need.

Categorize your waste into degradable (vegetable waste, food waste etc) and non-degradable (plastic, rubber,glass etc) when you dispose. *cant stress this enough*

Reduce the waste YOU are responsible for.
- Take one serving at dinner, later get more. Don’t throw away food *people are DYING because they do not have a drop of dirty water in certain countries. Knock some sense into yourself!!*
- Avoid plastic as much as possible. My heart breaks every time, each tiny product is packed in multiple layers of plastic bubble wraps. WHY?!? Use paper bags and cloth bags. Putting a price tag on plastic covers is not helping, obvio.
- That kitkat wrapper you threw from your car MATTERS!! Don’t be a jerk 🙂

Reuse and Recycle. If you can’t, or if you are not crafty in making vases out of plastic bottles, don’t throw it in the waste. Make sure it reaches people who collect old plastic and use it for recycle.

I probably think we are beyond the point of repair. But please try?