Thursday, October 1, 2009

A Calamity of our Own Doing

While everyone else was still in shock because of the unexpected wrath of typhoon Ondoy, politicians were throwing blame into each other. There were even tongue lashing done over in the net. A certain Facebook user made derogatory words about Filipinos deserving the calamity because apparently she said there are a lot of 'bad' people in the Philippines. Though I sympathize with a lot of Pinoy internet users condemning the careless remark, I think that everyone in Manila has contributed to the plight of typhoon victims. We are to blame for what has happened to our environment.

How is that?

We paved every available surface of land, thinking it would be convenient for us to walk on smooth level surfaces, but in turn we have lessened the soil surface that absorbs the surface water runoff.

We have constructed concrete non-permeable drainage that collects surface run-offs, but in a way directly conveys the freshwater into the salty sea rather than the water table.

We have shaped our land for our convenience, leveling off mountains and filling up waterways and rivers, thinking it is much more profitable to have more buildable flat space.

We converted our rich forests into grasslands and cultivated fields to feed more people. But as a result, we opened our terrain to erosion.

We use up our resources and we do not manage them responsibly. We waste a lot and throw the garbage practically anywhere.

We cut our trees for a livelihood. But in turn we are destroying the very source of food for life. trees and plants are primarily the one harnessing the energy of the sun, converting them to food for the tree and eventually animals and of course including us.

My teachers and classmates over at the UP College of Architecture were discussing how to remedy the environment problem in terms of planning. They raised good points and strong ideas. But somehow these could not be rendered effective if the people to blame would not change their ways, and the people to blame is everyone of us. If we take responsibility in using the environment, we may have a chance of providing our own children a better place to live in and a bright future to look forward to. They need not to fear for their lives whenever there is a natural calamity.

1 comment:

Extra Hot Cocoa said...

Hello there! Thank you for pointing out this fact. It is sorrowful to note that we actually have to contend with Mother Nature for our survival, when this should not be the case. Besides, the true remedy for every storm that comes our way is not only charity, but environmental awareness and prudence.