Are the earth's resources depleting? And if so, what happens to what has always been drilled into our minds during our student days that the earth's resources never get depleted as they get replenished continuously, proportional to the usage?
The thought has been at the back of my mind ever since a group of environmentalists had raised the alarm of depleting potable water from the wells in our neighbourhood. Many of the 'ever' full wells have either dried up completely or have very, very low water levels. Even the well in the backyard of my ancestral house is low on water but since the household consists of my mom, my sister and my niece, the amount is adequate to look after their daily needs. My sister works up the motor to fill up the overhead tank, every morning, to cater for their requirements.
We'd - at least, I'd reckoned so - attributed the receding water table, over the last few years - to the extreme heat and erratic rains that have been recurring without let up. But after hearing what the environmentalists had to say, a doubt has been nagging my mind and hence, the query with which I'd begun this piece. They seem to be sure about the fact that the present state is attributable to the soft drink manufacturing unit and want me to help them to have the unit shut down/shifted elsewhere!
It was about eight years back that Usman and Zaheerabeewi had shifted from their hometown, about a hundred odd kilometers from our place, to set up their soft drink manufacturing unit. Towards that end, they'd met all the local families explaining the nuances of their project and in the process, had come and met my mom and dad too. My dad had reservations about the project on three counts which were:-
(a) The effluents and the associated waste had to be disposed off in a proper, hygienic and scientific
manner.
(b) Sincerely hoped that it did not affect the water table due to increased usage of water.
(c) The workforce would be drawn from the available local talent.
He'd voiced his apprehensions at the simple inaugural ceremony of the project but had gracefully added that he did not want to come in the way of an entrepreneurial initiative that was providing job opportunities!
Zaheerabeewi and Usman had this point, uppermost in their minds, when they'd asked for help for their son's re-employment when I met them over the last weekend.
I need to be fully aware of the factors before I give my advice to the environmentalists. And if I go the whole hog with them, what about the rehabilitation of Usman and his family? A Hobson's choice, really!
Tailpiece.
1. Weren't my dad's apprehensions right? I'd, then, laughed off his misgivings by saying that the earth's resources always got replenished according to usage.
2. A test case is 'Plaachimada' where a Coca Cola bottling unit had to be shut down, a few years back, after the local residents had agitated against depleting water resources and effluents wreaking havoc in the surrounding water pockets!
The thought has been at the back of my mind ever since a group of environmentalists had raised the alarm of depleting potable water from the wells in our neighbourhood. Many of the 'ever' full wells have either dried up completely or have very, very low water levels. Even the well in the backyard of my ancestral house is low on water but since the household consists of my mom, my sister and my niece, the amount is adequate to look after their daily needs. My sister works up the motor to fill up the overhead tank, every morning, to cater for their requirements.
We'd - at least, I'd reckoned so - attributed the receding water table, over the last few years - to the extreme heat and erratic rains that have been recurring without let up. But after hearing what the environmentalists had to say, a doubt has been nagging my mind and hence, the query with which I'd begun this piece. They seem to be sure about the fact that the present state is attributable to the soft drink manufacturing unit and want me to help them to have the unit shut down/shifted elsewhere!
It was about eight years back that Usman and Zaheerabeewi had shifted from their hometown, about a hundred odd kilometers from our place, to set up their soft drink manufacturing unit. Towards that end, they'd met all the local families explaining the nuances of their project and in the process, had come and met my mom and dad too. My dad had reservations about the project on three counts which were:-
(a) The effluents and the associated waste had to be disposed off in a proper, hygienic and scientific
manner.
(b) Sincerely hoped that it did not affect the water table due to increased usage of water.
(c) The workforce would be drawn from the available local talent.
He'd voiced his apprehensions at the simple inaugural ceremony of the project but had gracefully added that he did not want to come in the way of an entrepreneurial initiative that was providing job opportunities!
Zaheerabeewi and Usman had this point, uppermost in their minds, when they'd asked for help for their son's re-employment when I met them over the last weekend.
I need to be fully aware of the factors before I give my advice to the environmentalists. And if I go the whole hog with them, what about the rehabilitation of Usman and his family? A Hobson's choice, really!
Tailpiece.
1. Weren't my dad's apprehensions right? I'd, then, laughed off his misgivings by saying that the earth's resources always got replenished according to usage.
2. A test case is 'Plaachimada' where a Coca Cola bottling unit had to be shut down, a few years back, after the local residents had agitated against depleting water resources and effluents wreaking havoc in the surrounding water pockets!
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