D Bhat, Mumbai/US

I agree with Aruna Kamath, but I have one comment. While things look superficially pristine in the US, it is also facing or staring at severe future environmental crisis too. The population in the US is increasing rapidly too - remember, the amount of resources used by one person in the US = 25 times that of a person in India. One thing that is much better in the US is that the environmental groups are much stronger than in India and hence can influence legislation. Just talk to an old-timer in the US, and they will say how much their neighborhood has degraded (especially the North East belt with heavy population). Just take a look at this URL and you will understand how bad the problem is: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-04-27-forests27_ST_N.htm

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Rudolf Rodrigues, Loretto/Mumbai/Mangalore

Aruna you are very right, you snatched my views, excellent!! Also, the shoddy and lethargic work of constructing roads adds to the woes!

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Aruna Kamath, USA/ Mangalore

A person commented on flash floods- Why these things happen only to us? I will tell you why? It's because of careless cutting of the trees, not because of roads. When I was growing up in Manglaore at the age of six it was a green small town dotted with beautiful tropical trees. We lived in a huge compounded house with cocanut, chickoo, jack fruit, mango, sitaphal, pomagranate, ramphal trees in the backyard. In the front we had parijata, sampige, magnolia and many more.

The point is we had so many trees. We were then prosumers ( we grew many things) than just consumers. Got it? Now we cut our trees with out any regard to nature just to capitalize on real estate. Capitalists are getting richer and the bulk of Indians are lured into flat system. Now we can't be sustainable any more because we are losing hour green belt that holds the soil from eroding.

When there are no roots to hold the soil in place we get floods and mud slides. During winter in USA too we get bad potholes in our roads and during summer it's fixed. We replace the trees when we cut them with saplings. If Mangloreans don't wake-up now, then the future is going to be very bleak!

India along with China is facing scarcity of drinking water. We can't drink flash flooded water. Clean rain water is a run-off. If we have many trees and bushes the roots absorb some of the pollutants and keep the water some what clean. We need more youngsters to get involved in urban gardening and planting trees to avoid such misery.

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Bhani, Mangalore

Swimming pool for vehicles...! LOL

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keon, kemman

AHAA! WHY ON EARTH THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO OUR PEOPLE ONLY?DONT WE DESERVE SOME DECENT ROADS ARLEAST?
LOOKS LIKE EVEN GOD DOEST WANT THAT TOO!

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lukas, malpe

so many lake and river even sea filled and become house site and play grounds for just for the sake of vote.any one related people should investigate all these filled lakes and river.should punish all who give permision for the close of natural river and lake.

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Fabian, Mangalore

beautiful pictures,
Incredible India!!!

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