Embracing tree plantation as a new trend
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 08, 2024 -

OCCURRENCE of flash flood and its resultant problems in Manipur every year during rainy season, mainly due to poor drainage system in the valley and heavy run off in the hills, is something everyone is well-aware of.

But experiencing severe floods twice within a span of one month this time is something totally unexpected. Of course, one may attribute the first wave of flood experienced in the state in the latter part of May and early June to the heavy rainfall triggered by the landfall of cyclonic storm 'Remal', and the current flood to the early arrival of monsoon.

But, like in other parts of the globe, the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters like storms, floods, landslides, extreme heat, drought, etc., in Manipur over the years has been hard to ignore.

So, how well-equipped are the people of Manipur to face the impact of increasing climate-induced disasters is a question that needs to be asked by everyone.

With normal life thrown out of gear and economic activities coming to a grinding halt, recurrence of flash flood has been a big problem for the people living in a tiny and economically poor state like Manipur.

While unplanned urbanization, congestion and haphazard settlements in the valley, especially the capital city Imphal, have today led to a situation where even a spell of heavy rain for a couple of hours could cause waterlogging and inundation of roads and low-lying areas; faster rate of losing green covers in the hill area due to various reasons including but not limited to illegal encroachment and indiscriminate deforestation for poppy cultivation has become a cause of concern, which the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently had even taken serious note of by issuing notices to the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Forest Survey of India (FSI), demanding a prompt response.

What have happened to these notices of NGT and the responses of MoEF&CC and FSI, if at all they have been given, could be a topic of discussion for another day; but for today, we would like to stick to the question of how well-equipped are the people of Manipur to face the increasing climate-induced disasters and what could they do to reverse the impact of the looming climate cataclysm.

All the high-sounding talks about reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by shifting to alternative technologies, promoting climate-resilient infrastructure, keeping the global temperature rise well below 2°C, climate treaties and agreements, etc., may be all Greek to most of the people whose main worry is the daily struggle for survival.

So, it would be like asking for the moon to expect these poor people to become climate warriors even if they are the ones who contributed the least to climate change but are going to be affected the most.

Nonetheless, we appreciate the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched an innovative campaign titled 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' on the occasion of World Environment Day and called upon everyone in India and around the world to plant a tree in the coming days as a tribute to their mother.

It is also good to know that significance of this campaign that seeks to involve every citizen in environment conservation efforts so as to make the mother Earth greener has been amplified in Manipur when Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Th Biswajit encouraged one and all in the state to plant at least one tree sapling every year on their birthdays.

As the Minister had pointed out during the observance of 75th state level Van Mahotsav 2024 on Saturday, instead of cutting cake on birthday, which has become a trend even in a poor family, it would be better to promote a new trend of planting at least one tree sapling every year on birthday as this would go a long way in conserving the environment and ultimately in recovering the lost green covers of the state.