The UN General Assembly designated June 5 as World Environment Day (WED) in 1972. The first celebration took place in 1974 under the theme “Only One Earth.” Over the years, WED has served as a forum to promote awareness of environmental issues such as (air, water, land) pollution, global warming, sea-level rise, human overpopulation, sustainable consumption, and food security, among others.
The theme of WED2022 is Only One Earth, which calls for radical policy and lifestyle changes to enable cleaner, greener, and sustainable living in harmony with nature. While WED is a global celebration to raise awareness and take action to protect the environment, it is also a time to reflect on how much Mother Earth has given us, and it’s an opportunity to thank her.
Increased resource exploitation, as well as air, land, and sea pollution, are some of the most serious environmental problems in India. Coastal erosion owing to sea level rise, cyclones, and other environmental variables is the most significant issue for coastal states.
According to a recent assessment by the National Centre for Coastal Research, 32 % of the coastline (or 2135 km) is eroded between 1990 and 2016, impacted tourism, recreational facilities, and coastal communities, especially fishermen. Global sea-level rise, which is caused by global warming, has eroded nearly 20% of the country’s 105-kilometer-long coastline. The oceans have warmed and sea levels have risen as a result of the burning of fossil fuels and the production of heat-trapping gases. The Arabian Sea is warming 1.5 times faster than the rest of the world’s seas, providing heat and moisture to promote cyclogenesis, which has increased by 52% since 2001.
According to Goa’s water resources dept., 19.2 % of Goa’s 105-km coastline experienced erosion, which includes famous beaches like Anjuna, Keri-Tiracol, Morjim in north Goa and Agonda, Betalbatim, Majorda in south Goa. The destruction of sand dunes ecology, as well as the expansion of various concrete structures, roads, and beach shacks along and across the sand-dune belts, have contributed to the intrusion of sea water. Tar balls are another hazard that has afflicted Goa’s once-pristine beaches.
Khazan land, which makes up around 5% of Goa’s total land area, is a nearly 3000-year-old agro-ecosystem. Invasive flower species, weeds, and mangroves have encroached on these wetlands throughout time. The entry of saltwater has rendered paddy fields uncultivable due to natural or deliberate breaching of bundhs/sluice gates. The state’s road network, encroachments by migrants, sewage outflow, and construction waste dumping along some highways have all had an impact on drainage in the khazan region. Deforestation in the mining belt, particularly in catchment areas, has resulted in an increase in river silt load. During the rainy season, the silt flows down to the estuary causes flooding of wide tracts of khazan land.
Because of the dumping of untreated sewage and mining rejects, the rivers have become highly polluted, affecting bottom-dwelling creatures. Chemical residues from paints discharged by shipyards and trawlers retard the life cycle of window-pane oysters (Placuna placenta) and other shellfish.
According to the Goa State Pollution Control Board’s 2017-18 report, air quality in Goa’s cities has deteriorated. Vasco remains the most polluted city, due to a large density of automobiles and construction activity, followed by Ponda, Panaji, Mapusa, and Margao. Pollution levels in Vasco have risen as a result of car emissions and, to a lesser extent, open rubbish burning. In Panaji, Vasco, and Mapusa, the concentration of particulate matter PM2.5 had above the allowed limits. Due to excessive construction operations, PM10 levels in Mapusa have surpassed the national air quality limit by more than two times.
The WED also reminds us of Van Mahotsav, the tree-planting campaign which gives us oxygen and cools the environment. Remember that we have “Only One Earth,” and there is no other planet to which we may travel at this time. It’s time to act. The greatest threat to our planet, according to Robert Swan, is the notion that someone else will save it. Rise to the occasion‒ “Utthat zagat, marta ulo.”
