It is kind of surprising how we humans have forgotten some basic things that necessitate an healthy living. Can't blame anyone, we are all just living with what we have got. I remember during my time in primary school, in a class called health education, we were taught a lot of stuff on hygiene, healthy living and healthy environment. It didn't mean much in those those days and can't really say the way we value it has changed. I just mentioned "Value it", here is a fact you need to know about individual perspective about specific subject, it is shaped by where we live and how we live.
As someone from a country known as the giant of Africa, if I'm to define an healthy environment, it wouldn't be because I have seen the full scale of what it looks like but what I believe it means based on the books have read. What is an healthy environment? It is the kind of environment free from any form of pollution, ensuring the comfort of every leaving being in its surroundings. Like I said, I have only read about such places in books but in reality it is just a theory. I'm sure there are places around the world that are considered to be an healthy environment but to think of somewhere in the world free from all kind of pollution, that place must be magical.
The major reasons why most places are deprived of its natural qualities is due to pollution, among many other reasons. Pollution comes in different categories and it is really hard for a place that is fully occupied by humans to be free from pollution, which means we are the primary figure that pollute every environment we step foot on. Lot of governmental agencies have been created over the years to educate people about living an healthy life by having an healthy environment but I don't think people get the memo.
If they do, I don't see a reason why people still dump dirt in drainage system when it is raining, they pile up dirt in the street waiting for workers of a waste disposal company to come pick it up, which might takes days or weeks. This occurs even in great cities in the world, not just developing countries. It is like we only envisioned what an healthy environment looks like but we can't do what is necessary to get it done. The saddest part is that most humans are not enlightened enough to know that creating an healthy environment is for our own benefits and the moment our environment is unhealthy, it's pays us back with insects, disease and discomfort.
What are the major things that needs to be put in place to ensure an healthy environment? For a start, I would say a proper waste disposal system. This is like a general issue and it involves both citizens obedience and governmental provisions. The lack of proper waste disposal system is the reason why we have a lot of dirt in the streets, people will always find ways to dispose their dirt even if it means doing it the wrong way, though I also know there are others who would still dispose their dirt wrongly despite the availability of a good waste disposal system.
Creating a governmental task force to deal with such people would also be effective. Sometimes when I'm going out in the morning, I have people that will carry dirt from their house and pour on the street, under the cover of darkness. It each local government can have people that would keep watch of such people because if ordinary citizens should approach them, things will turn out ugly really fast.
Is my environment healthy? Within my own vicinity, well we definitely try our best to keep things clean as much as we can but beyond that, is a different discussion entirely. I live in a semi-developed area, which means it is still undergoing all kind of development but it has been years and our progress so far is not what I would consider fast growing. The residents of this community have tried their best but the major issue here is lack of drainage system and proper waste disposal system.
This is not an issue during dry season but the moment it is raining, it is a messy show. While some individuals are trying their best to ensure the community is clean and healthy, others are doing the opposite. So the moment it is raining, since there is no any proper drainage system, we barely have good roads, the flood caused by heavy rain picks up dirt from all over the community and bring it to the main roads to display it like a trade fair. As usual, those responsible wouldn't identify themselves, they are just humans showing off their wild part.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled A healthy environment in hive learners community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
Image 1 - All images are mine
