The vastness of the clear expanse of the skies, vividly painted in a wonderful blue is a perfect canvas for the expressions of the grandeur of the sun as it takes to the skies each day. The magnificence of the sun and the welcomeness of its presence is severely marred by its present expression.
Our city was once a place of bliss for us citizens who took great pride in its moderate and temperate, if not cool climate. The practices of modernness set in and the city is no longer even a shade of its erstwhile glory. Large patches of vegetation have been cleared and they made way to extensive patches of modern infrastructure. We stand witness to the eventualities that stem out of our thirst to replace the green with organized heaps of cement and concrete in which we seek to make homes out of our houses.
As we seek our pleasures in imagining the shape of a Smart City, the truth dawns upon us in a manner that is distinctly discomforting if not excessively torrid. As the whirring of the mechanized chain saws and the cruel blows of the axe lay waste to trees that once adorned the landscape, we are left wondering as to whether we have done anything right to this wonderful piece of the blue planet that we call our own.
The mercury is on a crazy, upward spiral and having crossed the mid thirties, we are already inching towards the threatening forties. The scorching heat has already made its intentions clear. It is going to keep us close company for more than a while now. Already at around 10 in the morning, it is getting difficult to walk in the sun. The sweat on the brow symbolizes what we have earned from our exploits. The fans are already turning endlessly and the air conditioners have started whirring through the day. The Rain Gods were super unkind in the previous year and the Sun God seems super generous. The water situation in the city will soon go for a toss.
The days when we shared water are gone. Now we compete for it. Each one digs a well that is deeper than the one that the neighbour has and the water table is receding to the depths. The concrete and roads have played their part and since there is no scope for water to percolate, it stays on the surface and evaporates.
While human progress does and will have consequences, it may not be all this bad in five years time if we wake up now. How many of us even remember the last time we planted a tree? Its crazy and can only get crazier unless better sense prevails.
It is time to act, consciously and purposefully otherwise the SOS term May Day will soon become a literal term when every day is a May Day…..
Well analyzed and said, we are starting in the face of an engineered catastrophe, this is evident drving on the way to Knanapur. What was once a canopy of evergreen trees on either side of the highway has now become like pressure cooker, it’s lid blown away in the middle of cooking. Same is the story in and around the Suvarna Soudha, on the PB highway, greedy politicians, industarilists and real estate tycoons are busy playing havoc what was once a lush green landscape. As the saying goes”Mother nature has enough to meet everyone’s need, not everyone’s greed.
You cant stop development but greenery needs to be restored
The Correct common phrase for our City will be :
“In the Name of Development” or
“Unplanned Development”….
Due to this we have lost our NATURAL CITY…That’s all.
‘The Worst is yet to come’,,so we common citizens have to be well prepared bcoz its we who are & will be suffering due to this Natural Disaster but not the Political/Corporate Sector.
Dear Author !
We need people like you , to make the citizens aware , who have gone dump in the name of modernization. We need to restore the right balance.
We as citizens & the civic bodies can bring our Belgavi glory back.
Be part of green revolution.
“Save the planet”.