THE OTHER SIDE
Paritosh Kimothi
As the human-wildlife conflict continues to impact lives and the Ankita Bhandari murder case occupies news space, there might be other serious issues with the potential to cause greater damage to the State and its people in the not too distant future. Not surprisingly, these issues do not seem to elicit much focus at present.
Substance abuse is a major issue in various parts of the nation. In Uttarakhand, synthetic drugs like smack and alcohol appear to be doing the most damage. When it comes to alcohol, the less said about the government policy and attitude, the better. For those addicted to abusing hard drugs like smack, it seems worse as proper rehab facilities and the attitude to bring about such a change seem rare. One recently heard a retired NCB official stating that some youngsters in a capital city -about four hours from Dehradun- were reported enquiring about fentanyl. This is an opioid responsible for a major crisis in the US. While China is the main source of precursors for this drug, India has emerged second, according to the US government. Though the abuse of this drug is not said to be common in India, one recalls videos of people consuming ‘chitta’ (local name for heroin in some States) and then going into the infamous ‘fentanyl fold’. This is a position akin to bending down to touch the toes while standing, which a person under the extreme influence of fentanyl ends up in. Those videos may not be common now and one hopes that the dreaded addiction has not landed but it would be foolish to ignore the threat as has been the case with alcohol. Ironically in Dehradun and other cities, one will find more places like unused buildings and ruins suitable for junkies to have their fix than for people to indulge in healthful activities like exercise or simply read a book or relax in the park.
The human-wildlife conflict problem is one that elicits more focus when there is a rise in the number of people suffering, as seen presently with the conflict involving bears and big cats. However, it would not be illogical to expect that a much bigger problem could be in the making. The State is estimated to have nearly 1,800 elephants and the area for these pachyderms has been shrinking. They move a lot daily, eat a lot and drink a lot of water. The big cats and bears can move to higher reaches due to various factors but the elephants move around mostly in the Terai region and the foothills in some regions at times. Wildlife enthusiasts have been stating that their corridors are being disturbed as human habitations expand and development works reach newer places. Since the elephants can’t climb the high mountains, the suburbs of cities in the plains where constructions are creeping closer to the jungles and traditional elephant routes, may witness what they are not prepared for. We could either try and prevent such a conflict or prepare to face it.
The third challenge is the most common and deadliest, which is being casually ignored by most- garbage. The authorities may have facilitated solid waste management in various places but it is lacking in most places. It is known that toxic garbage pollutes the environment, our rivers, our food and our health and yet, it seems as if it is not being treated with the seriousness it deserves. Heaps of garbage in what were once pristine mountains and the continued habit of many to litter is creating a problem we do not appear to be ready to tackle. Many thousands of tonnes of garbage is generated daily in the State and one can only guess how much of this is scientifically managed. One will find non-biodegradable waste even in remote locations if humans have visited it and not enough is being done to address this issue.
The government is responsible for tackling these issues and one cannot accuse it of complete inaction. However, the authorities alone cannot solve these issues if the society remains apathetic. If this apathy continues, the problems in rural areas or some urban localities you read about in newspapers will not take long to first reach your neighbourhood before affecting you directly.
