Bangalore faced heavy rains during the last few days. Water flooded in many of the low lying areas and traffic stopped for many hours, many vehicles are lost. Still it is raining and no one is able to predict what will be Bangalore’s face after a few days. The same thing happened in Bombay a few weaks back. But in Bombay the situation was too horrific. This is the case with most of the cities. Our cities are not able to with stand any natural phenomena which deviates slightly more than the normal level.
Humans live in societies. When we, humans, accumulate in some place in large numbers, a lot of unbalance occurs in the nature. The recent phenomenon in Bangalore and Bombay is an example for such a kind of natural unbalance. The flood reminded me about a very small incident that happened about two years ago, while I was working as a lecturer in Mary Matha College, Mananthavady.
I was returning to home from the college. I left the college around 4-0-clock. On the way I was held up due to heavy rain. I stopped riding the bike and took shelter in one of the nearby shop. Watching the heavy rain was funny. As the rain increased, water started forming tiny streams on both sides of the road. The road separated a forest (the continuation of Mysore forest) from the cultivation lands. The shop where I took shelter stayed opposite to the side where it was forest.
The rain lasted for almost one and a half hour. The road became almost flooded and the cultivation lands became muddy and many newly formed small streams of water were flowing through the land. But on the other side, in the forest land, even after such a heavy and sudden rain, not even a single stream of water formed due to the rain. The soil absorbed all the rain water not allowing forming tiny streams. Due to human’s intervention, the soil on the cultivation land lost the capability to absorb water. In the forest, the roots of tiny grass, plants and big trees, make it possible for the soil to absorb the water.
Natural unbalance of one or the other type occurs whenever humans clog in an area. Nature will find a way to bring back itself. But it may be a natural calamity for us. Draining out the water during heavy rain is a huge problem for almost all the cities. I believe nature is doing a kind of cleaning by itself by such process. The cost we have to pay back for the unbalance we create in the nature is high. So think twice before distorting any kind of natural process.
Humans live in societies. When we, humans, accumulate in some place in large numbers, a lot of unbalance occurs in the nature. The recent phenomenon in Bangalore and Bombay is an example for such a kind of natural unbalance. The flood reminded me about a very small incident that happened about two years ago, while I was working as a lecturer in Mary Matha College, Mananthavady.
I was returning to home from the college. I left the college around 4-0-clock. On the way I was held up due to heavy rain. I stopped riding the bike and took shelter in one of the nearby shop. Watching the heavy rain was funny. As the rain increased, water started forming tiny streams on both sides of the road. The road separated a forest (the continuation of Mysore forest) from the cultivation lands. The shop where I took shelter stayed opposite to the side where it was forest.
The rain lasted for almost one and a half hour. The road became almost flooded and the cultivation lands became muddy and many newly formed small streams of water were flowing through the land. But on the other side, in the forest land, even after such a heavy and sudden rain, not even a single stream of water formed due to the rain. The soil absorbed all the rain water not allowing forming tiny streams. Due to human’s intervention, the soil on the cultivation land lost the capability to absorb water. In the forest, the roots of tiny grass, plants and big trees, make it possible for the soil to absorb the water.
Natural unbalance of one or the other type occurs whenever humans clog in an area. Nature will find a way to bring back itself. But it may be a natural calamity for us. Draining out the water during heavy rain is a huge problem for almost all the cities. I believe nature is doing a kind of cleaning by itself by such process. The cost we have to pay back for the unbalance we create in the nature is high. So think twice before distorting any kind of natural process.
hey excellent post, i wasnt wrong calling u nature lover.. we all shud do something about this but where to start??
ReplyDeleteso much to do, one day i will take up this work of environmental activist full time..
i hope i do this very soon
Wish me luck!
Good post man! :)
Ever heard of a man in Neeleswaram who spend all his money, time and efforts to make a piece of forest of his own. The whole world called him a mad dog. So did I! I heard about this man some 14 years ago, when I was a first sem engineering student, from a friend of mine, who happened to be a neighbour of this so called crazy guy. They all laughed at him, for spending the whole money he earned from gulf, which would have brought a better living for family. I hadn’t had a doubt about this man’s stupidity still something ate my brain. Who will be benefited from his efforts. The forest is for the whole mankind. Its benefits are not limited to the man who nourished the woods. But the whole village, getting the advantage of his great effort, and ironically still find time to remember a big butthead who spend whole his life for a piece of forest!!!
ReplyDeleteI ever dream of getting a piece of forest of my own, so that I can payback something for the endless damage I done and continue to do to the nature.
Woods are lovely dark and deep……….
But I have promises to keep
Miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep
I hate Robert Frost; I want to stay some more time over there……………..
John
Hi Sugee adn John, thanks a lot for the comment and I appreciate your love for nature.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I haven't headred about this man till now. Any way he is great. Even I had this mind since my childhood days. Just have one acre land dedicated for a forest. One acre of land well protected from human intervention and from cattles. I thought of having such a small piece of land, I dreamed of small plants growing in the area, and slowly bigger trees rule the place, no one to disturb the area. After a few years, a balanced echo system will develop in the place with birds and small animals inhabitted in the area. Just watch nature's wonder and Gods creativity. The man in Neeleswaram succeeded in doing it. He is so great. As you said, he gave back something really great to the nature.