When it comes to retaining the integrity of our environment, the primary onus lies on the government -- by improving the state of our waste management infrastructure to clamping down on brick kilns, there is a laundry list of measures that the administration has yet to take to this end.
However, as citizens, we also have a large part to play to make sure that our surroundings are reflective of a people which values environmental integrity -- the recent story of a pond being turned into a veritable dumping field testifies to just how integral personal responsibility is when discussing the state of our environment.
As reported by the Daily Star, a pond belonging to the government has fallen prey to wanton waste dumping on the part of locals and a traders from a nearby kitchen market. It bears mentioning that the pond has often served as a vital source of water for firefighters to douse flames, which is why clogging it up has the potential to endanger lives were a fire to break out.
It is disheartening to realize that the primary culprit of the sorry state of our water bodies has always been people themselves -- not only do we pollute our rivers and water bodies by all the industrial waste dumped into them from factories and other industrial sites. Coupled with the abundant human waste which is released into them, we have all the makings of a public health disaster.
Yes, the government needs to actually facilitate proper waste management facilities, but that does not mean that the wider public can yield personal responsibility.
The upkeep of the environment is a cooperative effort, and it is entirely clear that we need to be much better at it.
