The marsh, as it is, was destroyed completely by constant ushering in of the waste from the industries nearby. The food chain was affected and the constituent species wiped out due to lack of food and oxygen.
|| ADEELA HAMEED
Kingdoms are established and vanquished, thrones overthrown and political regimes rise to fall. In all this, one nation remains unaffected. A nation bound by aspects much more precious than power, a community that has survived ages of cold and drought, that has pioneered to flourish after devastations. This little but humongous utilitarian reserve is the biosphere.
Taken birth billions of years ago, this piece of Nature has never stopped to look young. It refreshes each day to sustain us all. Broadly speaking, our sole protractor is our environment. It has been there since ages and will be there long after we have become a part of it. That is very true. We have been brought forth through it and we replenish it after death. But what about the part in between? What do we do then? Let’s take a look on the balance we need to maintain for a long lasting sustainable development on Earth.
The atmosphere has been changing dramatically for a long time now. It all started with, what we call, the Industrial Revolution. But I am sure you must know all about it. Here let me present to you an example of the balance between our environment and the hazards we implant on it. A small colony of storks lived in a marshy area. Introduction of chemical industries around the area led to increase in toxicity of the marsh. This made the birds migrate. The marsh, as it is, was destroyed completely by constant ushering in of the waste from the industries nearby.
The food chain was affected and the constituent species wiped out due to lack of food and oxygen. When the storks migrated to another marsh several hundred miles away, the indigenous species of the area felt threatened. This led to a dire need for survival to exist in which the native species was destroyed by alien storks. Thus, the food web in the area changed which in turn resulted in destruction of the original food chain. The storks could not fulfill their demands of food and habitat in the marsh, hence, the flock dwindled and died of starvation. Another marsh was lost.
One might think that the annihilation of two separate marshes that are several hundred miles away would not affect the huge ecosystem we live in. But this is not true. In fact, with this damage, the human population began to suffer. Chemically hazardous substances were found in the regular tap water which led to an increase in deficiency and toxic diseases.
When the storks migrated to another marsh several hundred miles away, the indigenous species of the area felt threatened. This led to a dire need for survival to exist in which the native species was destroyed by alien storks. Thus, the food web in the area changed which in turn resulted in destruction of the original food chain.
Two marshes, a flock of native and alien species of birds and a whole lot of micro-organisms were wiped out from the ecosystem not to mention the dreadful diseases the loss caused to the nearby settlers.
These marshes were not only the habitat of animals but had the capacity to filter groundwater. So, two marshes, a flock of native and alien species of birds and a whole lot of micro-organisms were wiped out from the ecosystem not to mention the dreadful diseases the loss caused to the nearby settlers. This is just a simple example of what happens when we forget to consider the value of an insignificant but equally important aspect of an ecosystem. You can find examples of the same in Srinagar too.
Ever heard of BrariNambal marsh land? With its drastically reducing species diversity and tragically plummeting area, this marsh which was once the pride of migratory birds from both the Arctic and Antarctic regions, has reduced to a stub. Now all we see here are cat tails and moss that further aggravate the already pathetic situation of the area. Long before the introduction of motorized transport, long before when the main city and downtown were waterways, this area was famed for producing rich quality vegetables and fish. Now all you smell is the stench of human waste in it. The deteriorating quality of this marsh and for that matter the ecosystem of Kashmir has had a huge impact on floral and faunal diversity worldwide.
Researchers have found that the loss of this marsh has led to reduced and erratic migration patterns among birds which as a whole reduced the population of the same. As the birds are not indigenous to Kashmir, their area of habitation back in the Arctic will suffer due to insufficiency of eggs and new hatchlings. Thus, the dependent species will writhe in starvation which automatically oppresses the food web. The example, as detailed before, will be followed here too. See the impact. See how interference from a society of Kashmiris far beyond the Hindu Kush and Himalayas will affect the Polar population.
This is what is called a delicate balance. As educationists and young research enthusiasts, we have to come forth and work for the development of a niche, though however diminutive or trivial it may seem, has an impact of a thousand kilocalories on the ecosystem in particular and biosphere in general. And I would not have written such a long article without knowing the first and the foremost step to achieving the same. It is called Sustainable Development and Adaptation. Research is the key people, genuine research and with the help of technology we are sure to beat the monsters out of the system of our beloved Earth.
The writer is an Environment Protection Aficionado. Email id: [email protected]
