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When there is war at home... |
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Ahmadullah is 60 years old. He lives on top of a hill in the battle-ravaged Kabul, which is used as a launching pad for the hundreds of rockets that are fired into the city every time civil war breaks out in Afghanistan. But, Ahmadullah has learnt to live with bombs and missiles. His toughest ordeal, today, is to push his way through the big crowd that gathers in front of a tap, about 300 metres downhill, which supplies water (mixed with waste from the shelled sewers!) to more than 100 households, along with his own. It works for only a couple of hours a day, so if he misses his turn he is doomed. He has heard that his government’s plans to dig more supply wells are on hold, till the battle at the border and within it rages on.
War rates
Wages of war |
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As Israel pressed its offensive in northern Gaza, as many as 90,000 residents have reportedly fled, and there is no real safe haven for them... ...During the daily three-hour lull in fighting, residents struggle to find food and other supplies in nearly-empty stores… most of the high-voltage lines bringing electricity from Israel into Gaza have been damaged, forcing hospitals to use generators for power… Most of the bombings targeted buildings, farming and agricultural fields... Growing numbers of Palestinians were fleeing their homes for makeshift shelters in schools, office buildings and a park as the Israeli army pressed its military campaign deeper into Gaza City… The United Nations said that some 500,000 people still lack water… No more fuel, benzene, gasoline, flour, wheat, sugar, rice, bread, candlelight and thousands of commodities are not available in Gaza. Add to that, continued power cuts up to 20 hours during the cold weather of winter… |
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The process of destruction |
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In the ongoing Gaza war, agricultural and farming fields are constantly being bombarded. Eastern agricultural lands in Gaza City, fields near Al Buarij Refugee Camp in mid of Gaza Strip, in Bait Hanon town, near Khoza’a town, in Absan area of Khan Yonis City, in Al Zaytoun area, and other such fertile tracts of lands have already been ravaged. It is not only agricultural fields that are under fire, but also houses, schools, hospitals, roadways, airports, water and sewage systems, fuel stations, industries and factories. Gaza’s airport, targets around Al Khozndar gas station, Dar Al Arqam school in the east of Gaza City, and water tanks in Al Zaytoun area have all been severely hit. Even parts of the key street Slah el din have been bombed, causing deep holes on the ground hindering the movement of cars from and into the city. And Gaza is not the only example. Any country, which has ever faced a war, can paint the same grim picture. During the Persian Gulf War (1991), for instance, industrial production units, and water and sanitation infrastructure were destroyed. Nuclear facilities and various weapons production and storage sites were bombed, and oil-fires were set ablaze, spewing hazardous materials into the environment.
Afghanistan Many landmines have been placed in the small canals, which are used to irrigate farmlands. So, farmers cannot use the water for fear of detonating an explosive. Thus, farmers are shifting to the “safer” option of growing opium poppies, which require less land and water. Even the forest cover of the country has reduced to less than 2 per cent, due to illegal timber trading by Taliban members and US bombings.
Safe drinking water has declined, as water infrastructure has been destroyed, resulting in leaks, bacterial contamination and water theft. Rivers and groundwater are also contaminated. As a result, more than 65 per cent of the population in urban areas and 81per cent in rural areas do not have access to safe water. This has lead to various health problems and lowered agricultural output.
Iraq Lands are also taken away from inhabitants for military purposes. There are a number of cases where land was converted into “national sacrifice zones”, examples of “ecofascism”. For instance, in the American West immense tracts of land in New Mexico, Arizona, and surrounding states were taken for military purposes, even though the land was highly valued by its indigenous American Indian tribal inhabitants. Frequent bombing has damaged the sanitation structures and sewage treatment systems. The destruction of military and industrial machinery also releases heavy metals and other harmful substances. Oil trenches are being burnt, as was the case in the Gulf War of 1991, severely polluting the air in the surrounding regions. In Northern Iraq, a sulphur plant burned for an entire month! The groundwater and all surface water bodies, including River Tigris, are contaminated by these residues of war. One particularly shocking incident was the theft of two hundred blue plastic containers storing uranium from a nuclear power plant located in the south of Baghdad. The radioactive content of the barrels was dumped in rivers and the barrels were rinsed out. The poor, living in adjacent areas, then used these to store water, oil and tomatoes, or sold them to others. Even milk was transported to other regions in these barrels. |
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South Vietnam’s lobster industry was also wrecked by over-production to provide this delicacy for American soldiers. The tiger population was similarly slaughtered for souvenir trade.
Africa Eritrea (1961-1993, 1997-2000) – The war produced over 7,50,000 refugees, and destroyed the entire infrastructure of the region. Severe drought led to famine, and the government estimated that after the war only 60 per cent of the country received adequate food supplies. Landmines were placed on fields, making farming and herding — the primary livelihood of the local communties — activities fraught with extreme risks. There is a possibility that the landmines may get washed into cities during floods, as has happened in Mozambique. Sudan (Darfur and Chad) – During the Sudanese civil war, thousands of people became refugees and productive farmlands in the southern region were abandoned. Extreme droughts caused a widespread famine, beginning in 1983, which killed more than 95,000 people. As the distraught farmers started claiming more and more land and bringing them under cultivation, routes used by herders were closed off.
Forests, used as hiding and training grounds by the militants, have borne the brunt of the decades-long strifes. This, in turn, has affected the domesticated species of plants, particularly food plants. Some rebel groups also engage in or aid illegal logging of timber, as a source of revenue. Chemical residues from bombs and shells and biological pollutants from faecal material and carcasses have polluted the underground water. Given the number of wells in the Peninsula (virtually every house has one well), the potential for pollutants to spread over a large area is very high. In the seas, naval battles and underwater attacks have caused the death of marine life, disruption of the seabed and localised pollution by chemicals and fuel oil. This has hit the livelihood of the fisherfolk. There has also been large scale clearing of mangroves in many areas of the north and the east to deny shelter and protection for the Tamil resistance forces.This has affected the population sizes of many fish species, prawns and migratory birds, who use the mangroves as breeding grounds. No wonder, therefore, that the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers has grown tremendously in recent years. Inadequate employment opportunities, combined with poor living conditions, and the critical political situation are some of the main factors behind this migration.
Trouble in paradise But, refugees searching for safe haven can prove to be an almost unbearable burden on environment. In their own country or in the nation providing asylum.
Shifting effects For example, during the Vietnam War, starving hill tribes were forced to turn from chemically contaminated rice fields to the forests for survival. As a result, logging for cash, land clearing and disappearance of endemic plant and animal species skyrocketed. While the battle is on, the victims — thrown out of their homes — seek refuge and livelihood elsewhere. After the war ends, their return to their original homes is difficult, as the damages are too dire to heal.
So let there be PEACE?
The real offensive
The verdict is clear. It is human activity that destroys nvironment. It also destroys the lives of Ahmadullah, Kamal-al Hamami and millions of victims around the world. War is only one of the many destructive activities that the human race engages in... |
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But Ahmadullah is luckier than the 10-year-old Kamal al-Hamami and his family. Their home is in Gaza City in the West Bank, where running taps are now a distant memory. They have stopped showering and washing clothes. For drinking water, they race to a mosque — the one with a fountain — laden with containers, whenever there is a brief lull in the daily bombardment. In fact, all civic services — electricity, transport, health —- are on hold in this city, torn for years by epic conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians over land and other resources.
Crops, fields and fruit-bearing trees have always been targetted. For instance, during the American Revolutionary War (1779), General George Washington directed his troop to destroy Iroquois Indians’ “entire corn crop... [and] fruit orchards were cut down”.
Basic infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, irrigation, canals, telecommunications, and electricity are damaged or inadequate. Most people lack proper nutrition, housing, clothing, and medical care. It has been reported that only 25 per cent of the urban population, and 12 per cent rural population, have access to improved sanitation facilities. Only 6 per cent of the population has access to electricity.
