World Health Day 2025 and our Environment

Dr N Munal Meitei
Contd. from Monday
In India, one in every fifth child under age of 5 die due to diarrhoea. Basic environmental needs do not reach over 1000 million people living in abject poverty. Heat waves also cause illness and death to elderly persons who are having heart or respiratory diseases. Thus, environmental hazards kill thousands every year. But while the victims share a common fate, their problems are not reflected in Government policies and decisions.
The assumption that the only indicator of human progress is economic growth is not true. We expect urbanization and indus- trialization will bring in prosperity, but in the long run human value and environment are the priority. The nature is the only resources for our production and consumption function. It provides land, energy, water and raw materials. We cultivate land and we extract oil and gas and other minerals from nature. In a nutshell, we need nature as a source for production and consumption but we never think their limitation.
When the harvest exceeds the bearing capacity, it will affect the regeneration capacity. Population growth and the resources are being over-exploited; it will threaten environmental integrity and affects the health of every individual. Similarly, nature has the capacity to transform waste into useful materials. However, when the composition and amount of waste exceeds the capacity of the nature to transform, the waste accumulates and changes the nature into a waste belt challenging the human health.
Economic inequality and environmental changes are inter connected. Poor countries are unable to meet required emission standards to slow down climate change. They also bear the economic cost of lost productivity, the burden on the health, degraded resources and long-term social consequences.
Development strategies that do not incorporate ecological safeguards always lead to ill health and can’t promote healthy environment. Better health can only come from more sustainable environmental management.
Changing agriculture patterns away from harmful pesticides, herbicides and insecticides with alternatives like bio-pesticides will give the positive health. There is need to change from using conventional to green energy like solar, wind and ocean power. Providing clean energy will lead to better health. Poverty is closely related to health and unhealthiness is the consequence of improper environmental management.
As we know, human health and the environment are closely intertwined, influencing each other. Therefore, we need to count this inter-connectionand need to change our daily habits that impact the health of the planet. Unless efforts are made to conserve and protect for our environment, the health of human and other living beings will never be safe. With celebration of World Health Day, we need to protect our environment for a healthy society.
The writer is and environmentalist presently working as DFO/Chandel. email: nmunall@yahoo.in