 I've been reading Gobar
Times from December 2003 onwards. The articles debated, discussed and detailed are of
core importance and I thank you people for doing a commendable job, igniting all the minds
on issues related to the environment.
S Arun Kumar
Chennai I am going to use some of the information in Gobar Times (March
2003 issue on mud) for my science fair project on mud! Thank you very much.
Lucine Manjikian
Age 6, Vienna (USA)
Thanks a lot for Gobar
Times January 15, 2004 issue. You have represented rice in an excellent way.
Rajubhai Jantrania
Surat
Gobar Times makes a
child search out for answers. I would like to read about something on nanotechnology in a
future GT issue.
Thomas Melillo
New Jersey, US
Compared to many
towns in India, most of Mussorie is still peaceful and clean. But it is different in
downtown Mussorie. The growth in tourism has not only meant an economic boom, but a boom
in vehicles too.
Today the roads are overcrowded and people from Delhi
bring in their many cars along with problems like traffic jams, parking space problems and
of course air pollution.
The roads of Mussorie are very narrow and were meant for
very few vehicles and the occasional animal cart. They are not coped to handle this
influx.
 In
Delhi, almost every middle class family has a bike or a car. Public transport is usually a
no-no because of its inefficiency, lack of safety and lack of cleanliness. This drives
away most people there and Delhi is full of cars.
But I think Mussorie should become strict in before
things get out of hand. Traffic should be regulated and fines should be huge for anyone
breaking the traffic rules.
Karen Bhujal
Woodstock School, Mussorie
This land belongs to
our Mother earth. It is our duty not to harm this land because if we will harm it, the
balance of nature can be destroyed. Nowadays people are cutting trees. Trees are very
helpful. We have to stop this degradation of forests. Save trees. Please "Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle."
Anmol Bahl
6C, Kalka Public School, New Delhi
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"Each time I see the fire all around me, I
get so upset that I want to cry. I just don't know who does it but I want to go to the top
of the hills and scream and curse whoever it is. It just breaks my heart to see all those
beautiful trees burning," says one of our schoolmates.
Our school lies in the lap of the beautiful Palani hills.
One can see green hills on all sides… but this may not last for a long time. These
hills were greener some 6-7 years back, but every year they have been subjected to forest
fires.
In the dry season (January to April), the grass on these
hills dries up. The local people of this area want fodder (fresh green grass) for their
cattle, horses and goat, so they set fire to the dry grass in order to clear the land for
new grass to come up.
If there is a wind, it makes the fire spread, burning
everything on its way. All the young saplings and indigenous trees die, leaving the hills
bare. The rains after the fire wash away the ash and the topsoil from the hills for there
is nothing that holds it back. This makes the river at the bottom of the hill blackish
brown and hence dirties the water that our school and the neighbouring villages use.
 This has been happening every season for the past so many decades. Anand says
that that these fires become bigger and more vicious each year. He says this year's fires
were the biggest he's seen since he was 4 years old, which has already burnt around 30
acres and 1,50,000 trees!
One tries to talk to the local people but their need for
at least two meals a day keeps them from understanding the consequences.
So every time there is a fire, the Sholai fire fighters,
who include the students and the workers, climb up the hill to put off the fire with sacks
and water. But then we also have questions to ask. How long will this go on? What do we do
to stop this? Can something be done legally? We have tried a number of times but no one
really seems to care.
The Palani hills need to be saved but all our efforts
seem to be in vain. Anand, Alfred, Skumani and Bala Sholai School, Kodaikanal |
aterworld |
