वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् !

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, meaning, "the world is one family". Today, as we face global challenges like climate change, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, this ancient wisdom becomes more relevant than ever. It promotes a global perspective and prioritizes the greater good over individual or family interests. It encourages considering the welfare of others, fostering global solidarity and responsibility on various issues, including climate change, sustainable development, peace and tolerance of differences. It reminds us that our existence is woven into a larger, intricate tapestry of life that transcends borders, species and differences. 

The philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam does not limit itself to human solidarity but extends to the entire natural world. Trees, animals, rivers, oceans, mountains - all are part of this one cosmic family. They do not merely exist for human benefit; they have intrinsic value and their own roles in maintaining the balance of nature. The world thrives because of this delicate interconnectedness. Any disruption to one part of the system can ripple outward, affecting all life, including ourselves. In simple terms: no one can sustain alone. 

Nature’s Self-Sustaining Systems

Nature, in its pure form, is the epitome of self-sustainability. Every element of the natural world plays a role in a grand cycle of renewal:

• Forests regulate the climate, produce oxygen, purify air, encourage rainfall and prevent soil erosion. They provide habitat for countless species, ensure biodiversity, and act as carbon sinks.
• Oceans absorb a significant amount of the world’s carbon dioxide and regulate weather patterns.
• Soil nourishes plants, and in return, plants protect and enrich the soil.
• Animals and insects participate in pollination, seed dispersion and maintaining the health of ecosystems.

These systems operate harmoniously without human interference. When left undisturbed, nature has the incredible ability to regenerate, repair and sustain itself. Every fallen leaf, every decaying animal, every raindrop and every gust of wind plays its part in the endless cycle of life and death, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.

The Disruption of Balance

However, humans - driven by self-centered motives and unchecked greed - have increasingly disrupted this equilibrium. Our activities have introduced pollutants, destroyed forests, overexploited resources and driven countless species to extinction. Despite experiencing firsthand the adverse effects of pollution, global warming and climate instability, concrete corrective actions are lacking.

One of the gravest challenges that we currently face is waste management. The exponential rise in solid and liquid waste generation has overwhelmed natural systems. Rather than reducing the waste production, even many developed countries rely on temporary solutions like incineration. While incineration may reduce the volume of waste, it releases harmful pollutants into the air, exacerbating environmental problems instead of solving them. Landfills, another common method, leak toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater. Our failure to implement sustainable waste management systems highlights a deep disconnect from the values of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

A Call to Action

If we are to survive and thrive, we must realign ourselves with nature’s principles. Here’s what we must urgently pursue:

• Reduce Waste Generation: Adopt minimalistic lifestyles, prioritize recycling and promote industries that use sustainable materials.
• Conserve Forests and Biodiversity: Protect existing ecosystems and support reforestation & biodiversity conservation initiatives.
• Promote Eco-friendly Technologies: Invest in clean energy, waste-to-energy plants and technologies that emulate nature’s zero-waste processes.
• Educate and Spread Awareness: Instill the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in educational curricula and community programs.
• Support Circular Economies: Shift from a linear ‘take-make-waste’ economy to a circular economy where resources are reused, repaired and regenerated.

Nature, when respected and protected, has the innate power to sustain itself and all life within it. The ancient idea that the Earth and all its beings are one family is not a sentimental ideal; it is a fundamental truth critical for our survival.

We are not outside nature; we are part of it. Our wellbeing is deeply intertwined with the health of forests, oceans, animals, insects and the soil beneath our feet. Recognizing this interconnectedness and acting on it with responsibility and compassion is not optional - it is essential. The time has come to live by the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, not just in words, but in every choice and action we take. 

On the occasion of 15th anniversary of Gifting Trees, let us embrace the wisdom of the past to heal the future - because when we protect nature, we protect ourselves.

Our Ecosystems : Forests!

Of course, we need to plant native trees... But we need to understand that there is more to forests than just a massive collection of trees. It is a natural, complex ecosystem, made up of a wide variety of trees, which support a massive range of life forms. Apart from trees, forests also include the soils that support the trees, the water bodies that run through them and even the atmosphere or air around them. Forests of the world are a natural wonder that we, humans, have sadly taken for granted.

Environmental activists consider forests as one of the top 5 natural resources on Earth. This is rightly so, its high time why we should immediately stop its' destruction.

Forests are hugely important for life on Earth. This is because it serves as an ecosystem and sustains life for millions of animals, birds and aquafauna that live in the rivers & streams running through these forests…Biodiversity! Forests serve two important roles viz. Productive role and Protective role. While we all know about the products like Food, Shelter, Clothing, Fuel and Timber that we get from forests along with Non-timber Forest Products; we often take granted their priceless protective services. 

Climate Improvement

Forest increase local precipitation by about 5 to 10% due to their aerographic and microclimatic effect and create conditions favourable for the condensation of clouds. Forests reduce temperature and increase humidity. It also reduces evaporation losses. Forests form an effective sink for the carbon dioxide produced as a result of animal respiration, burning of fossil fuels, volcanoes and other natural & human-induced activities. And if that is not all, a by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen.

Forests play a significant role in maintaining the CO2 balance in the atmosphere and purifying the air.

Trees and soils help regulate atmospheric temperatures through a process called evapotranspiration. This helps to stabilize the climate.

Soil and water conservation

Forests maintain the productivity of the soil through adding a large quantity of organic matter and recycling of nutrients. The leaves are used as manure. Tree crowns reduce the attack of rain and check splash erosion. Forests increase the infiltration and water holding capacity of the soil, resulting in much lower surface runoff. This in turn results in checking of soil erosion.

Forest checks floods too! Forests intercept 15 to 30% of the floods caused due to siltation of river channels & irrigation resources caused due to erosion. Forests and trees reduce wind velocity considerably, which causes considerable reduction in wind erosion; checks shifting of sand dunes and halts the process of desertification. Rapid siltation of various reservoirs in the country is the result of deforestation in the catchment areas of these reservoirs.

Forest protect us from physical, chemical and noise pollution, dust and other particulates and gaseous pollutants cause serious health problems. Forests protect as from these pollutants. Forest and trees provide shelter and wind break effect which is beneficial to agricultural crops, particularly in arid and semiarid areas and increase agricultural production.

Watershed

Forests serve as a watershed…the area of land that contributes water to a stream or river. Almost all water that flows in rivers & lakes ultimately comes from forest-derived water tables.

Wildlife Habitat and Ecosystems

Forests serve as a habitat to millions of animals. Animals form part of the food chain in the forests. All these different animals and plants are called biodiversity, and the interaction with one another and with their physical environment is what we call an ecosystem. Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters such as floods and wildfires.

Forests and biodiversity are the key to all life forms. The richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for medical discoveries, economic development and adaptive responses to such new challenges as climate change. Uses of genetic diversity within forests enable the development of new medicines; progress in health care and science.

Looking at the importance of forests and trees, You can deduce the massive effects of deforestation and tree-cutting activities… Soil erosion, Disturbed Water Cycle, Loss of Biodiversity, Climate Change etc. But what we can not see or relate to is Loss of livelihoods of the people directly depending on the forests and loss of lives due to effects of deforestation like droughts, floods, human animal conflict, invasive dominance of a particular species.

Close to one billion hectares (2.5 billion acres) globally is estimated to be available for some kind of forest restoration. If only it were that simple.

So how to regrow a forest? : Get out of the way.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the best thing we can do to regrow a natural forest is to stop interfering in the forest ecosystem. The nature will take care of the rest.

One needs to understand the types and importance of forests, the problem of deforestation and it's effects, as well as what we can do to minimize the consequences. Sometimes, we are overwhelmed by the extent of damage humans have caused, and we are not sure if an individual can make an impact.

Yes, you can!

There are millions of people just like you, who are learning about the issue and taking little steps to help. Additionally, many governments, organizations, and societies are making great strides in helping reducing deforestation.

But there is still a lot to do. On the 14th anniversary of Gifting Trees, let us discuss a few things you can also do to help...

Make a conscious effort to share information with friends and family members on deforestation and its' effects. Things work better when responsible people don’t give up. Stand up for what you believe in!

Reduce the use of artificial items, recycle more and re-use items. Wood, paper, plastics and many other things we use every day at home can be linked to natural resources being destroyed. This means that if we all recycle more, there will be less dependence on the environment (and forests).

Allowing degraded natural forests to re-grow is a more effective, immediate and low-cost method for removing and storing atmospheric carbon than planting new trees.

These forest ecosystems - the result of ecological and evolutionary processes and their natural patterns of distribution and abundance of plants and wildlife have greater resilience to external shocks. They can adapt to changing conditions and store more stable natural carbon stocks than young, degraded or plantation forests. Nowadays, Miyawaki forests have gained widespread attention as a promising approach to reforestation and biodiversity restoration. However, these newly planted forests(?) can not even match the natural forests, let alone be the substitute for them. Yes, trees must be planted & grown in urban settlements and industrial areas. But PLANTING TREES IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR NATURAL FORESTS..! Remember, "One can plant trees, but can not plant a forest!" 

Growing existing natural forests to maturity optimizes their biological sequestration potential to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As well as maximizing cost-effective and natural carbon sequestration, proforestation also provides other benefits such as clean water supply from filtration by tree roots. But the natural forests must grow naturally and not by introducing artificial plantations in a natural forest. Introducing non-native species and altering forest type or topography could disrupt existing ecosystems and ecological processes, potentially leading to unintended consequences.

This Summer, Care for Trees?!

Just as we all are troubled by record-breaking temperatures every year, can you even imagine the sufferings of the trees and vegetation in our surroundings? Hot & dry summers can have an impact on your trees, especially when they are young and growing.

Based on NOAA's global analysis, the 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2005, and 7 of the 10 have occurred just since 2014. 2020 was the second-warmest year on record based on NOAA’s temperature data, and land areas were record warm.

Similar to the humans who find themselves lethargic and lifeless during these hottest summers, when water is scarce, the saplings you had planted last year also tend to deteriorate. Or when not taken care of in extreme conditions, die. 

At times like these, human intervention is key to helping your trees grow up healthy. Here are a few suggestions or tips which may help in protecting the saplings and young plants you love...

1. Mulch, a fresh layer!

Applying mulch provides some much-needed help for saplings, especially around the root area. Proper application of mulch is a good way to help young trees take in more water and set down strong root systems. Sufficient mulch of about 2 inches thick will not only retain the moisture, but also discourage the growth of weeds. Just do leave some space between the mulch and the base of the sapling.

2. Protect from direct sunlight

A shade net or any cloth for that matter can prevent your young sapling from harsh sunlight in the soaring heat. Shade cloth does not provide complete shade, but improves the diffusion of light and provides ventilation for the plants.

The cloth must be well-supported by 3-4 strong sticks or bamboo so as to act as a windbreak also. The sticks need to be inserted enough into the soil so that they stand strong against the winds. Then a shade cloth can be tied to these sticks in such a way that the plant receives sufficient sunlight, but harsh rays are blocked. Do make sure the plant growth should not be obstructed by the cloth. 

3. Water the plant!

Water the plants early in the morning or late evening when the temperature is not that high. Focus on the root zone to maximize the amount of water they get each time. Knowing how to water your plants properly should be your priority during the summer.

You may try keeping a perforated plastic bottle underground, which you fill every time. This, over a period of time, allows water to seep deeper into the ground, which encourages deeper root growth. 

4. Care of the soil

Soil is a vital part of the natural environment. It’s always better to check the surrounding soil of your plants. When the soil is extremely compact, it prevents the tree from getting the water and nutrients it needs. When the soil is sandy, it can not hold moisture and nutrients. The soil must be a good mix of these both impregnated with mulch so that earthworms can flourish in it. 

5. Watch out for signs of heat stress

Keep a sharp eye out for heat stress on particularly hot days. Common signs include drooping and wilting of the leaves. In case of heat stress, give your tree sufficient water to help it recover. 

A young plant must be taken care of during its first 3-5 years. Then it's just a piece of cake! We are doing the same and shall continue to do that. Today is the 12th anniversary of Gifting Trees... I think we have just begun!

Teacher of the Year!

Once upon a time, there was a young and successful officer going to his village. He was driving a bit faster in his new BMW. He saw a boy calling for help on a turn. He thought he saw something but didn’t stop. Right then a brick hit his car. Angrily, the officer applied breaks, went back to grab the boy and started scolding him for the damages of his car. The boy pleaded, “I am really sorry sir! Please forgive me!! But I have to use that brick as no one was stopping. My brother fell from his wheelchair. He is hurt and I can not lift him by myself”. The officer went speechless, and was shocked to see his handicapped brother. He helped the boy. The boy thanked the officer with teary eyes and said,”May God bless you sir!” Yes, that brick may have caused some damages to his BMW; but also taught him a lesson - DO NOT GO very fast through life, otherwise just to draw your attention, someone will have to hit you with a brick!

Can You relate to the story?!

Well, we are just similar to that officer. We... Human beings often forget that we are largely dependent on Nature or Mother Earth and become ignorant towards her. We have been so reluctant and negligent to the preservation of natural resources and sustainable living that we had already forgotten about the dynamic equilibrium of Nature. The time has come when we are facing the increasing incidents of droughts, sun-strokes, cloud-bursts, floods, land-slides, pandemics and number of deaths associated with it.

Ecological Integrity refers to the ability of an ecosystem to support and maintain ecological processes and a diverse community of organisms. In simple language, ecosystems have integrity when they have their native components intact. So this ecosystem integrity underlines human health and development. It can help regulate diseases by supporting a diversity of species so that it is more difficult for one pathogen to spill over, amplify or dominate. Human-induced environmental changes modify wildlife population structure and reduce biodiversity, resulting in new environmental conditions that favour particular hosts, vectors and/or pathogens. The loss of habitat and biodiversity creates conditions for lethal new viruses and diseases to spill into human communities. And if we continue to destroy our lands, we also deplete our resources and damage our agricultural systems.

The WHO has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The outbreak has resulted in the untimely death of tens of thousands worldwide, a global economic recession and the collapse of health-care systems among many of the hardest-hit countries. To be clear, the pandemic is a tragedy and has affected human life very badly, overloaded hospitals, unemployment, economic disaster and it has caused depression in millions of people and many countries around the world have lockdown & quarantined its citizens to slow down the spread of the virus. While the origin of the outbreak and its transmission pathway are yet to be discovered, there are few important points worth reviewing...

Outbreaks that emerged or re-emerged recently are Ebola, bird flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), the Nipah virus, Rift Valley fever, Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, Zika virus disease, and now, the Corona virus. They are all linked to human activity. 

According to www.worldenvironmentday.global, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was the result of forest losses leading to closer contacts between wildlife and human settlements; the emergence of avian influenza was linked to intensive poultry farming; the Nipah virus was linked to the intensification of pig farming and fruit production in Malaysia and emergence of bat-associated viruses was due to the loss of bat habitat from deforestation and agricultural expansion.

The Covid-19 lockdown imposed throughout the world has struck a chord in every one of us and it has made us thinking how nature is so important for our day to day living. It gave us the time to stop, analyse our deeds and  introspect. It has made us see that our actions can very well impact the Earth’s sustainability.

Traffic-free roads, plane-free skies and widespread brick-and-mortar closings have made the planet a beneficiary of the coronavirus pandemic - but only in the short term. Amid the destruction, the pandemic has brought forth wins for a world that leaves room for humans and animals to coexist happily.

From breathing pure air to greener trees, spotting various wildlife into the urban settlements; there are some important environmental changes that we have seen for this lockdown in India, which are improvement in air quality, reduction in air pollution and water of Ganga became fit for drinking in Haridwar. Animals have more room to roam due to decreased pollution and human interference. Dolphins are spotted near Kolkata ghats, increased numbers of flamingos in Mumbai and Arrival of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles ashore along the coast of Odisha to dig their nests & lay eggs; are some of the examples.

It’s safe to say that no one would have wanted for emissions to be lowered this way. COVID-19 has taken a grim global toll on lives, health services, jobs and mental health. But, if anything, it has also shown the difference that communities can make when they look out for each other - and that’s one lesson that could be invaluable in dealing with climate change.

May this COVID-19 pandemic will end soon. But what we learn out of it will decide our future. Are we going to repeat all those mistakes we used to do before or we going to change our detrimental actions? We all know, digging up fossil fuels, cutting down forests and sacrificing the planet’s health for profit, convenience & consumption is driving catastrophic climate change. It’s time to abandon this destructive system and find sustainable ways to inhabit our planet. This lockdown have made us realize that Life goes on even in the reduced speed of development...or rather, its more pleasant too! So why not to lead a simpler life voluntarily; rather than waiting for some tiny virus to force us to do the same?!

It is impossible to predict where the next outbreak will come from or when it will be. Growing evidence suggests that outbreaks or epidemic diseases may become more frequent as climate continues to change. By embracing a simpler way of life characterized by a compassionate & ecological consciousness, frugal consumption and inner development; people can change their lives and, in the process, move the world toward sustainable prosperity. The novel corona virus has taught us so many things. 

The question is – Are we ready to learn?!

Today is 10th anniversary of Gifting Trees... Let us join hands for embracing Voluntary Simplicity..!

What would happen if all the trees were destroyed?

We love trees and the fauna associated with trees. But there are some self-centred individuals who find trees full of leafy trash and insects.

"What difference will a tree sapling will make?", is what few say.

Well... We are not merely planting a tree-sapling. We believe, we are planting a hope...as I said in the beginning of this initiative.

And here is an eye-opener !

If all the forests were destroyed the world would practically be destroyed because if there are no trees there will be no humans and no humans is no world.

The removal of all the trees on earth would be a disaster. Whole ecosystems would collapse and many, many species of animals would disappear for lack of food, shelter, cover, nest sites and a host of other critical elements to their existence. Certainly other plants (mostly invasive weeds) would fill in behind the trees, but if the trees go, life as we know it will disappear and something else will have to take its place.

Trees carry out a very important function. They remove Carbon dioxide from the air when they grow! If trees are destroyed, then eventually there would be less plants to trap this CO2 in their growth. Without trees, the CO2 level would rise very quickly and as CO2 is a green-house gas then the temperature on Earth would rise as well leading to super global warming! CO2 is also acidic and the amount of CO2 in the ocean would also rise making the oceans acidify and killing many if not most of the animal species and plant species in the oceans of the world. The main concern with Climate Change is the melting of polar ice caps. This would release huge amounts of water into the worlds oceans raising sea levels & coastal flooding but most importantly totally changing the worlds weather system by increasing the amount of water in the atmosphere as well leading to extreme weather conditions. Signs of this are already happening due to the release of CO2 from industries. If the Arctic ice cap melts at a continuing rate then a period of global warming will lead to a very quick change to global freezing. The snow would reflect the sun's rays away. There you go... After a brief period of global warming ruining the animal species then we would very quickly revert to a period of rapid cooling and maybe even an ice age..!

We can avoid this... by simple act of planting a tree and reducing the usage of wood. Single native tree...if planted by each one, there will be hope for our existence on the planet & our future. Trees are living solutions for our people in need of food, water, clean air and environment protection in the face of increasing climatic instability!

Today is 9th anniversary of Gifting Trees. May there be green everywhere in urban settlements. 
Let there be Native trees...everywhere!

Our Ecosystems : Air

While you are reading this post, one thing is going in & coming out of you right now. Air such an important factor. It is the layer of gases, called Atmosphere, which keeps the Earth warm. Without these gases, the temperature on earth will not be stable.

While the oceans contain most of the Earth's water, water also exists as ice and water vapour. Air is important because it helps water move between these states in a process called as the Water Cycle. We all know that when heated by the sun, surface water evaporates into the air and becomes water vapour. As temperatures drop, water vapour forms clouds as it condenses. Clouds return water to the Earth in the form of rain or snow, usually far from the water source. The water cycle ensures that life around the planet receives the water it needs. It also helps replenish streams, rivers, lakes and other waterways. 

Being such an important resource, do we respect or value the Air we breathe? Not really… It is sad to know that majority of pollution, be it of air, water or soil, is from man-made sources. The single most harmful source of air pollution is the unchecked burning of fossil fuels by human. Fossil fuels are the non-renewable sources of energy such as crude oil, petrol, diesel, coal etc. & are used in almost every process of industrialisation, manufacturing, transport and energy generation. In rural areas, a major source of pollution is the practice of unchecked crop burning. Another source of man-made pollution is military resources such as nuclear arsenal and chemical weaponry.

The consequences of Air Pollution are hazardous and can be fatal too! The pollutants that cause air pollution in our atmosphere are seriously damaging the protective ozone layer. When the ozone layer gets depleted the harmful ultraviolet B radiation reaches the surface of the earth and causes skin cancer and eye damage among humans. The deadly combination of Smoke and Fog, Smog is extremely harmful to humans and the entire environment. It can lead to diseases such as cold, flu, irritation of the eye, asthma and in the long term even lung cancer. Another disaster Acid Rain is caused when a chemical reaction occurs between air pollutants and water & oxygen very high in the atmosphere. Pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are water soluble and mix with the water in the atmosphere and precipitate as acid rain. The acidic nature of this rain causes severe damage to the plants, animals and the soil.

So how to prevent this catastrophic disaster? & most importantly, how to clean the air??? We will discuss that for sure! But before that, let me tell you another virtue of Air.

Air also plays a vital role in recycling one of Earth’s most important substances: Carbon. Carbon is important because We all are a carbon-based life form and we need it to survive. Carbon sources include fossil fuel combustion, the decay of dead animals and volcanoes. Animals and humans also release carbon dioxide into the air when they breathe. Through the process of photosynthesis, plants extract carbon dioxide from the air and use it to produce energy. They also release oxygen during this process. When people and animals eat the plants, they ingest carbon and produce the energy they need to live. When they die, their bodies decompose, causing carbon to go back into the air as this endless cycle (Carbon Cycle) repeats itself.

Thus, trees are able to absorb Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Carbon monoxide (CO) from our atmosphere and reduce the ‘greenhouse effect’, creating a less polluted, more sustainable world for us and our future generations. It is shown that in one year, an acre of mature native trees absorbs the same volume of carbon monoxide as produced from a 42000 km car journey! Aside from cleaning the air for us, trees supply us with fresh oxygen to breathe. Forests have proven to be an invaluable asset when it comes to improving air quality and reducing harmful pollutant levels in the atmosphere. 

Trees planted in an urban environment can not only counteract the warming effects concrete and buildings have on the environment (known as the Urban heat island effect), but they have also been shown to clean the air and absorb harmful airborne particulates (particularly small particles which are a major health hazard), gaseous pollutants and toxins such as nitrogen oxides, ammonia and sulphur dioxide through their leaves, bark and roots. Trees along urban roads & highways can reduce the presence of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere within a few hundred metres of the roadside verge. This improves the air quality in the microclimate around the trees and contributes to a healthier and cleaner environment overall. This is why we should try our best to ensure that our forests aren’t being lost to deforestation.

We all know that Air contains 21% Oxygen. And the fact we don’t know or underestimate is that Air contains this much oxygen is not because the Earth provided us the atmosphere with that composition, but because trees and plants produced oxygen for over 2 billion of years from Carbon dioxide.

Our Air is a very precious resource. People, animals, plants and birds all depend on clean air to live. Choices we make every day can make a positive difference to our air quality, both indoors and out. Planting native trees is a cost-effective way to tackle urban air pollution, which is a growing problem for many cities. And one must not forget, Trees help us breathe! :)

Our Ecosystems : Water

The Earth is the only planet that is suitable for life in this universe. Life exists because of its interaction with the resources the earth provides. It is this interaction that creates a balance between the living and the non-living resources and sustains both of them. The three most important resources for us is the water we drink, the soil or land we live on and the air we breathe. Without these three resources, we cannot exist.

When pure, it is odorless and tasteless. It is the only substance that is found naturally in all three states. It's in your body, the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You use it to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. Many of the products that you use every day either contain it or were manufactured using it. All forms of life need it and if they don't get enough of it, they die. Political disputes have centered around it. In some places, it's treasured and incredibly difficult to get. In others, it's incredibly easy to get and then wasted. It is an essential element to life on Earth. Our Blue planet's most of the surface is covered with lots of it.

Water... We have plenty of it. What if I tell you that we have limited water on our planet like petroleum. I shall thought to be a nut. But the fact is, Earth has less water than you think!

More than 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water. Remaining is categorized as fresh water; about 70% of which is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction present above ground or in the air.

If you were to take all of the water on Earth - all of the fresh water, sea water, ground water, water vapour and water inside our bodies.. take all of it and somehow collect it into a single, giant sphere of liquid, how big do you think it would be?

According to the US Geological Survey, it would make a ball 1,400 km in diameter. That’s it. And this takes into consideration all the Earth’s water… even the stuff humans can’t drink or directly access, like salt water, water vapour in the atmosphere and the water locked up in the ice caps. If you were to take into consideration only the fresh water on Earth which accessible to humans, you’d get a much smaller sphere of about 56 km across..!

So there is small fraction of water, and we need water for almost everything we do. Agricultural, industrial, household, recreational, environmental activities etc...virtually all of these human uses require fresh water.

Thanks to rain, fresh water is a renewable resource. Yet the world's supply of clean, fresh water is steadily decreasing. Water demand already exceeds supply in many parts of the world and as the world population continues to rise, so does the water demand too.

Day-by-day demand keeps growing, further draining water sources, from great rivers to underground aquifers. We are going deeper & deeper into soil for groundwater, and that has very significant impacts for global water security. Groundwater resources have been heavily over-used worldwide. The rate of groundwater depletion has doubled in last 4 decades. Still we are pumping many of the aquifers out faster than they are recharged. Somehow, we need to bring withdrawals into balance with recharge.

Summer comes to India every year. Along with it comes water crisis. As our rivers start running dry a way before summer, Water is becoming a cause for social conflicts. Recently you might have noticed a survey in newspaper & media showing global water shortages that will be particularly felt in India and China. Rainfall patterns altered by climate change and worsened by inequity in the water distribution system has led to a water crisis in the Central India and many other parts. The poorest areas are being affected the most because of inequitable water distribution. If this isn't a wake-up call of what water scarcity can do to a society, may God bless us!

Is there any solution for these Water Wars..?

Rain, of course!

Water in rivers, lakes, ponds and wells, underground water, tap water & even bottled water..The source of all water is Rain.

Let us apply this understanding: in order to meet demand, then, what we actually need to do is harvest the rain. In India the monsoon is brief. We get about 100 hours of rain in a year. It is this 100-hour bounty that must be caught, stored and used over the 8,760 hours that make up a year.

But..

In urban areas, the construction of houses, societies, footpaths and roads has left very little exposed earth for water to seep in. In parts of the rural areas of India, floodwater quickly flows to the rivers, which then dry up soon after the rains stop. Furthermore, floodwater also cause erosion.

How to harvest Rain???

We have to catch water where it falls.

In the forests, water seeps gently into the ground due to roots of the trees. This groundwater in turn feeds wells, lakes, and rivers. Protecting forests means protecting water catchments. In ancient India, people believed (and the modern science has proved) that forests are the 'mothers' of rivers and must be worshipped the sources of these water bodies. Flora also prevent floods.

Planting of trees, grass and bushes breaks the force of rain and helps rainwater penetrate the soil. It slows down run-off and minimizes evaporation losses. Shelter belts of trees and bushes along the edge of agricultural fields can help water seep into the ground and recharge the groundwater supply. They also slow down the wind speed and reduce evaporation and erosion.

Implementation of Urban rain water harvesting systems has proved to be effective in recharging the aquifers. The CSE Water Campaign, when it looks into the future, sees only hope. From rain will come local food security. From rain will come biomass-wealth that will eradicate ecological poverty. From rain will come social harmony..!

Water is a precious resource, not a commodity. But we need to understand that every drop is important or someday, we will be forced to pay heavily for it...

Counting our Gifts...

If you have noticed, when you wake up early in the morning, there is a pleasant music of Nature that is playing in the backyard. Yes, there is chatter of birds, chirping of crickets or croaking of frogs, even in cities like Mumbai. We hear them everyday; may be that’s why we tend to ignore it. But there are some areas in the developed world where it is deathly silent. Want to know why it is so..?

Pure air, Solar energy and fresh water are known to be our resources. I need not tell you the pollution of Air and Water taking place all round the globe. Everything..from pesticides to our daily drainage, our devoted offerings to Deities (Nirmalya, as called in India) to heavy loads of cosmetics used in make-up..everything ultimately reaches to our sacred rivers and then to ocean. All our deeds have made the water of rivers so unfit for use that we have to spend crores to make it suitable for consumption.

Some might say, "We never throw anything harmful into river. Then why we are forced to pay for water purification in the form of taxes?"

Yes, you might have never ever used pesticides or cosmetics (?). But, being a consumer, you must be using numerous products which are manufactured in industries. Take for example, Paper manufacturing company or a Thermo-electric power plant. I am not trying to criticise anybody or any company here. All I want to say is ultimately, its all of us, Humans, who are responsible for these pollutions. There N number of industries or companies which are disposing the harmful chemical by-products into rivers or emitting disastrous gases in the atmosphere without any pre-treatment.

So I will say the taxation is justified! But here We are taking all the living organisms in water for granted. We are paying in currency, but forcing them to pay in the form of their lives; and that's too for our deeds. In Nashik, we have example of Nasardi. Surprised? Yes, it used to be a fresh water river few decades back, harbouring many fishes & other organisms. But now it is being converted into a Nala (river of dirty water) in which only disease spreading mosquitoes or like can develop. Its our loss too as we lost a source of fresh water.

Same applies for Air. As the cities increased in size, air pollution increased exponentially. With less food available for birds, they have to migrate to countryside. But their too, we have fields sprayed with poisonous pesticides; further contributing to decreasing the number of birds. Similarly insects, amphibians, reptiles have decreased tremendously in numbers in last decade, especially in developed countries.

Thank God we couldn’t yet deteriorate the solar energy, which is an energy source for life on Earth. But still there are reports of declining soil fertility from various parts of the world. To understand this, we must now look at another of the Earth’s basic resources, the soil. The top soil contains loads of micro-organisms, ranging from algae to earthworms. They all are essential component of soil. The action-interaction of these micro-organisms help in enriching the soil with number of macro- and micro-nutrients. The soil won't be fertile if we lose these creatures. And that's what is taking place. The pesticides & herbicides won't differentiate in 'good' insects/micro-organisms and 'bad' ones. Its spraying kills them all. It also been reported & proved that the traces, usually in increased concentrations, of these poisonous pesticides are found in the soil even after 5 years; though rain water keeps on washing them into the water streams, contaminating the the aquatic life too!

Water, soil and Earth’s green mantle of plants make up the world that supports the animal life of the Earth. Although we, modern man seldom remember the fact, we could not exist without the plants that harness the sun’s energy and manufacture the basic foodstuffs he depends upon for life. Our attitude towards plants and other organisms is singularly narrow one.

The problem is, We do not adjust or change according to Nature. We try to change Nature according to us. Actually speaking, Nature has everything to sustain and balance the life..enough for man's need, not for man's greed! But one thing we have to keep in mind, if we want our future generations to live here peacefully and prosperously, then we have to share this world with all living organisms. After all, its their world too!

'But how?'

For starters, lets have a look at our roadsides or field borders. Usually we do not allow growth of wild shrubs & climbers there, do we? Especially in some parts of urban societies. Generally, though known as weeds, these shrubs & climbers are not invasive at all. Of course they usually accompanied by real weeds too, but this doesn't mean that we should remove them also. We can't ignore the beautiful flowers they bear, which also provide food for bees and insects. These insects, so essential to our agriculture, deserve something better from us than the senseless destruction of their habitat. There is obviously more to the wish to preserve our roadside vegetation than even mere aesthetic considerations. In the economy of Nature, the natural vegetation has its essential place. Hedgerows along country roads and bordering fields provide food, cover and nesting areas for birds and homes for many small animals. But their destruction is justified by their bad company. How could some intelligent beings seek to control a few unwanted species by a method that contaminated the entire environment and brought the threat of disease and death to their own kind? To destroy the homes and the food of wildlife is perhaps worse in the long run than direct killing. 

You can definitely search other ways to if you wish to..like keeping water-baths or so. Keep your eyes wide open and you will certainly find the way.

If we look at the history of life on Earth, it has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. The origin of Life on Earth is dated 3.8 billion years back while that of first human 2 million years ago, according to scientists. If we consider this era from the start of life on Earth till today as 1 hour. Then calculations tell that we, humans have come here just 1.89 seconds before! All other organisms like insects, fish, plants, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds etc have been here since eons of time, a way before humans. So we are new-comers here. But look at the hell around we have created for the other living organisms. They, certainly do not deserve this!

It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now inhabits the Earth - eons of time in which that developing and evolving and diversifying life reached a state of adjustment and balance with its surroundings. Given time - time not in years but in millenniums - life adjusts and a balance has been reached. For time is the essential ingredient; but in the modern world, there is no time!

Do You wish to change the perspective to look at our environment and its inhabitants???