Myths Galore !! Come forward to bust !

Today (April 7) is 'no-honking' day in Mumbai. This has been given a very wide publicity by the BMC and so far the raods have been a lot calmer than the usual.

A few repetitions of a good initiative like this will make people horn less by habit. Everyone will learn to steer themselves in busy roads without blaring the horn.

At least,people now know what controls noise pollution. The general problem with today's environment related drives is that the focus is on the damage we do instead of the remedial steps. Everyone panics but noone knows what needs to be done.

As a teenager I have often wondered 'How can water be wasted?' whenever I hear the slogans for saving water. In Chemistry and Biology, I had been taught that water follows hydro-cycle, ie. water keeps changing forms. So I used to think that even if I used more water than was necessary, it was sure to reach us back again. Only when I was doing my undergraduation did I realise that huge amount of power is wasted in purifying and pumping water. Water cycle makes sense only when local reservoirs store water and the same is supplied to the nearby areas. So isn't educating people about how wasting water has an effect on power shortage and inturn fuel shortage a part of such campaigns? Similarly, I thought that leaving the mobile charger switched on will not consume power as it is not a closed circuit!! As we know, little knowledge is indeed dangerous.Unless the mass is educated , the situaton cannot improve. So, everyone needs to be aware of the following two things:

1. Any green house gas unnecessarily emitted is going to accelerate global warming.
2. Any unnecessary action which consumes fuel is going to deplete us of it faster than we think it will.

So let all the campaigns bust the common myths related to environment. Like eucalyptus sends the water table down and hence should not be allowed to grow near residential areas ! It is better to have an eucalyptus than nothing at all!!! Or inter-linking of rivers will solve our water problem and bring heaven closer home! Lets give all this ideas a break. Let's educate whoever it be,if we see that we can improve their awareness a bit. Little drops make up the ocean, cliched though it is!!