generalspeaking

Home Clean-Up

At a time when the world frets over the inevitability of our environment altering in ways inconceivable to the safety and security of island-nations, food sources, and the spread of dread diseases, there is another reality, more certain in its derivation, and more readily dealt with, that countries of the world continue to ignore. From the massive cutting down of the world's rain forests to the release of huge carbon deposits in the related drying-out of peat bogs, to the continued vandalizing of life-giving waterways.

Human beings seem to do nothing so well as pollute their environment in every conceivable way. Why it is that basic hygiene techniques known to ancient societies escape the notice of present-day societies as a manner in which to ensure the quality of life by removing the potential for spread of disease? China's lax attitude toward its industrial wastes being dumped into vast and important rivers that represent life to millions of its population a case in point. As is the continued use of dirty coal, polluting the environment.

Another is the less industrial, but no less harmful cultural heritage celebrated in a country like India where it is routine for dead bodies, of people and of animals, to be found floating down huge rivers like the Ganges and the Yamuna. The very waterways where millions of people take their drinking water, polluted by human waste, by animal waste, by the dumping of chemicals and religious rituals where flowers, fruits and coconuts are tossed into the rivers.

Which end up rotting there, along with shoes, plastic bags, decaying fabric and the gunk of industrial wastes. There is no possibility for fish to live in those rivers, with their disgusting stench that drifts over the towns, villages and cities where the residents go down to the river to draw murky water to haul home to cook with and to drink. Where people assemble at the water's edge, to wash themselves, to do their laundry, sharing it with cattle who enter the river to drink and to leave their excrement.

In Africa the situation is no better, where people emerge from their villages to walk down to dirty water assembling in shallow pools making their way down from surrounding hillsides, to drink, cook, wash clothes and themselves in the yellow water. With fuel in scarce supply the water is rarely boiled, and the people are too poor to afford chemicals to cleanse it of germs, parasites and viral agents.

Cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other water-borne diseases become an inextricable part of their lives. Shortening their lives, children and adults alike. Many children will not emerge from their childhoods. United Nations' statistics point to 2.5 million people yearly, mostly children, dying from dirty water and disease caused by lack of sanitation.

Little wonder then, that the United Nations and the poor countries of the world stand up and shout at every opportunity that the rich countries of the world need to hand over cash transfers to ameliorate the dire existence of billions of people in poor countries. And if that cash hand-over were used directly to help people to cope with their miserable lives it would be well worthwhile.

If the cash infusions could take place with the agreement that these countries would divest themselves of their uncaring, country-ruinous leaders, perhaps they would be effective.

As it is, maniacal egocentrics and malcompetents like those governing Zimbabwe, Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Rwanda and other pathetic war-mongering, miserable countries led by tyrants who continue to drain their national treasuries to their personal advantage, leaving people to fend hopelessly for themselves remain the reality.

In countries like China and India with their vast populations and far-flung provinces, and their need to slowly emerge from their primitive living conditions, greater effort needs to be extended by the provincial governments that wield power unevenly and with insufficient attention to rural poverty.

Labels: Human Rights, Political Realities, World Crises

posted by Pieface @ Sunday, December 20, 2009