Take care, lest the air …

Of the many things visitors to Bhutan cherish, one is the clean, pure air. Bhutanese, coming home after spending time in metropolitan centres of the region, know what this means.

Even for professional filmmakers and photographers, such pristine air quality allows for greater clarity in capturing the way light falls, and how colours are reflected.

Having this aspect of the natural environment still quite intact is priceless, to say the least, considering that many, many places in the world once had the same, but took it for granted.

Yet, it could all be lost here too within no time. All the signs are there, staring us in the face. The number of cars on the roads is rising, like it’s now or never, and industrial development along the southern belt has gained a momentum of its own.

It is no surprise that air quality along the industrial belt, and in other parts of the country that have monitoring stations, is showing a level that is beyond permissible limits. It is common knowledge that exposure to air quality beyond permissible limits will have negative effects on breathing and respiratory systems.

There has been a lot said in the past about air quality, after all industrial development in the south did not start yesterday. Relevant authorities made periodic site visits, but it never went much beyond that.

Given the state of development the economy is going through, what is being seen today, in terms of polluting the atmosphere, is only just the beginning.

Many more factories and industries would have sprouted up by now along the southern belt, had it not been for the lack of electricity. More than a dozen applications to open factories have reached the industry department. And most likely all of them will belch into the atmosphere something or the other. By the time Punatshangchu I gets commissioned in another five years, these ventures will be waiting to switch on.

All this means that now is the time for the authorities to not only put in place proper regulations, but also strictly enforce them. Past experience has shown that enforcement has been weak for whatever reasons. Protecting the pristine environment is not only an integral part of our development philosophy, there is also greater awareness and it has the support of the public.

Even though air quality is deteriorating here, there is a general tendency to say that it is still much better than elsewhere in the region. This is true, but such an outlook may not help. When realisation finally hits, then it might be something like air quality was pure once upon a time.

Source: kuenselonline.com