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 Deforestation has been an issue with me since I was in junior school in
Kodaikanal. We used to go on hikes into the Palani hills and there was some lovely scenery all around. We would camp up there, in the wilds, and the school staff would organise best decorated tent competitions and biscuit making sessions, for us, baked in cross-cut jerry tins.
When I went back, two years later, I trekked on my own up to that lovely forested region - to find a hill stripped bare of any green whatsoever. Ever since then I've been struggling to come to terms with what we are doing to our planet. One of these
things is coal mining. In the past mining was done by conventional strip mining. But now a new method has come into use in West Virginia in the U.S.A., since 1967. This new method is called mountain top removal. Forests are stripped and then explosives take off the rock over the coal. Then a machine called a Dragline takes off the debris, thus lowering the mountain level. Once the coal has been mined, the mountains are supposed to be replanted. But those in the area complain that the explosives damage the houses and the change in environment causes flood threats and water pollution. People in the area have called for mountain top removal to be stopped, but without success. Further more, what will our plight be if all this is allowed to continue? For, with deforestation, many wild creatures are on the brink of extinction.
 Another point that I personally wish to mention is the way fallen leaves and grass, branches, etc. are swept up in various compounds and then burnt. Not only is the smell terrible, but think of the waste. If all this is collected in gardens and put into a compost pit, there will be a lost of good, rich nutrients (compost) from the decaying wood, for newly planted or otherwise trees and plants. Or at least, the wood could be collected and given for fuel. After all, our ancestors and many of our contemporaries among the poorer classes used/use wood fuel for their cooking after they discovered fire. Of course, there are many more of us now. But then nowadays everyone doesn't use wood fuel for cooking, as there is gas and kerosene. In fact, in the U.K. wood fires are not allowed (perhaps with some exceptions) because of the pollution they cause.
 Without wood, we have gone on to use other fuels, such as kerosene and gas. This however has
led to widespread pollution. I believe that Hong Kong is so polluted that people go into oxygen shops for a 'cup' of oxygen. Apparently policemen also do this. And even in Chennai, with the ever-increasing traffic and pollution, I have noticed several two-wheeler riders wearing breathing masks. Which brings me to another point - when I was little girl we lived in the country and the drive from there to the city was mainly rice fields. Now it is all built up and what with poor facilities in India it is so filthy. Then, the city limits, was the Madras waterworks. Now the city has gone all out of proportion. Where is all this leading us?
Well, there are efforts being made. Afforestation and the recent trend in Eco-friendly products from cosmetics to petrol provide a ray of hope for the new generation. We have only to hope that those in key posts will make the right decisions to take care of this planet.
Nisha Miller
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