I was born and raised in a rural setting.. Trees lining up the streets, field teeming with the greenery of palay, clean streams, pristine seas, clogged-free drainage and canals, butterflies and dragonflies of different colors swamping the garden on late afternoons, the morning mist, crisp - fresh air. , horse drawn carriages were the only mode of transportation on a rough road we used to trek on, locally woven baskets were used to buy grocery on our local market, fresh fishes were simply being caught on ricefields during the rainy season, vegetables can be harvested on backyards or vacant lots, kids playing with local indigenous toys and games safely even during evenings, nipa huts with open windows allows entry of fresh air as you sleep......That was years ago.
Through the years, comes progress and development within our locality. Industrial zone was created to generate jobs for its habitats, commercial areas sprouted like mushrooms, modern technology made life comfortable and easier for everyone, concrete roads and bridges made it safer for the modern buses and cars to pass through town after town, woven baskets took backseat to plastic bags, fastfoods from local foodstalls. Subdivisions and posh villages cropped up on previous ricefields and hills. Bungalows and high-rise houses from nipa huts... And it was good, they say.....We are going global ! But do we really have to be thankful about the whole thing?
Garbage, mostly of non-biodegrable materials started clogging up the once pristine waters of our community, being an agriculture based locality, we are losing our agricultural lands to property developers due to the farmer's inability to sustain their farm's viability, noise and air pollution became a usual fare, ricefield fishes and shellfishes gone due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Gone were the butterflies/dragonflies too. Landfills which pose grave health & sanitation problems sprouted on or near residential areas. The influx of local migrants looking for better opportunities has resulted to overpopulation, housing problems and high illiteracy rate. Incidences of drug-related crimes disable us to work and play freely as night progresses.
Is this the price of development? Can't we, in our pursuit of global competitiveness do something to ensure sound environmental management as well? Take a pro-active response before its too late than just being reactive when tragedy or calamity struck? When are we going to learn ? Unless we all do something now, I believe we are doomed.
Favorites
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Furl
Magnolia
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
