Brijesh Garodi
Pics : Dayananda Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Aug 24: Every year, with rainy season comes the menace of diseases, especially malaria and dengue that take their toll on the citizens. Dozens of lives are lost to these diseases in a matter of days, and despite government assurances and measures, malaria, dengue and rat fever come to haunt the people year after year.
Time and again, we blame the government for not doing enough to tackle such life-threatening diseases. We hold the local bodies and officials responsible for the polluted environment, for garbage on roads and the stagnant water, all of which are primary breeding places for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
We have no qualms in calling the administration irresponsible, but let's stop for a moment and introspect. The question we need to ask ourselves is this - is it right on our part to blame the administration alone for everything? Don't we as citizens have an equal responsibility, and aren't we playing a major role in the spread of such diseases?
Yes, we are. It is our bounden duty to keep our environment tidy and make sure we do not pollute it. Along with the administration, it is the duty of each and every person to prevent the spread of diseases.
Reasons for diseases taking birth in the city may be many, but if every individual takes even a small step forward a huge difference could be made.
Malaria, as we know, is spread by mosquitoes, which mostly breed in stagnent water, especially the gutter, tender coconut wastes, garbage and water stored in waste tyres etc.
If one takes a round in the city, especially in places where garage bins are kept, one can see waste strewn all over. It just goes to show our utter lack of civil sense, much less our concern towards the environment and society in general. Do we really deserve the tag of 'city of intelligent people' when we don't even care for our neighbourhood?
The trash bins in most places are empty, but are surrounded with garbage, emiting foul smell and making it an ideal place for mosquitoes to breed and dwell. This is one of the major causes for the spread of diseases. Is it so difficult a task to dispose of the waste properly instead of throwing it from far? Sharp shooters may aim well, but most of us are not Olympic medalists.
Some of the places with garbage bins have become such an eyesore that it is even difficult to pass through those places. That is one of the reasons why most prefer to throw the waste from far. It is a vicious circle indeed.
It is an irony that while the actual purpose of trash bins is to keep the surroundings clean, they themselves become the most polluted spots in the city.
In fact, there are some places where dumping of trash is prohibited, yet some people tend to turn them into temperory waste disposal spots. Boards and warning signs have been put up in certain localities, but to no avail. Come to think of it, what else can the
administration or the department concerned do in the absence of stringent laws, except for putting up a board or a warning sign?
If each and everyone of us would make it a point to prevent indiscrminate garbage disposal,this sort of nuisanse could be rid of forever. Revolution should begin from us, from you and me.
Moreover, garbage disposal in the right manner will also help the cause of the waste mangement staff of the MCC, who come to collect the bins. Several organizations are fighting for this case, what they really need to do is create awareness.
The need of the hour is to spread awareness, and not disease, among the people onthe issue, which in fact can bring a drastic change in the future. There is no doubt that it could even prevent the spread of major diseases as well as enable a clean enviorment.
But of course, the administration to has an equal responsibility. Apart from spreading awareness, there are some issues that need attention. In some places, even if the waste management is good, there are street dogs which drag the waste everywhere and make matters worse. There are various solutions that the MCC can think of, like the use of closed bins in place of open ones, or even better, door-to-door collection of trash.
All said and done, ultimately it is the responsibility of each and every individual, whether a layman or a government official, to ensure that the air we breathe remains clean, our city beautiful, and our tag of 'intelligent people', intact.