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Natural disasters have become frequent
occurences in the world today. Now and again,
news of serious floodings, earthquakes and
tsunamis stun us. Things are destroyed and
countless lives are lost too. When incidences
such as these take place, people wonder as to
the cause(s) of these events. Could these
disasters be prevented in the first place? In
the race to become a developed country and a
modern society, human beings have made
tremendous changes to the environment. When
humans start meddling with mother nature, the
effects can be disastrous at times. Rapid
development has caused many problems to humans
and animals alike. Everywhere we go, it is
apparent that many areas are being developed to
pave the way for modernisation. New roads,
industrial areas, townships and housing areas
are replacing jungles and hilly areas. In the
process, countless trees have been cut down,
jungles cleared and hilly areas flattened. It
has been scientifically proven that when trees
are gone, water can no longer be
contained
underground. The roots of trees that act as
natural defences to hold water in the ground are
no longer there to do their job. As a result,
rainwater flows straight out to sea in a much
shorter time, causing frequent flash floods to
places that have never faced such problems
before.
Development comes at a very high price.
Animals and human lives are in danger. Many land
areas are turned into housing areas, including
scenic hills. Houses and apartments, some of
them very highly
priced, have been built
on these scenic but unsafe hills. Without
careful study, and over time, the unstable
ground condition often caves in causing
landslides that kill many people.
The clearing of land for all kinds of reasons
has also led to the extinction of many wildlife
species. In the first place, land development
causes the destruction of many animal habitats.
Animals now have to compete with humans for
space and food. To survive, these animals are
forced to move deeper into the jungles. Their
sources of food have become
scarce, thus
threatening their survival. Smaller spaces and
less food have led to the extinction of some
species. Fifteen endangered animals and six
critically endangered animals in Malaysia have
been identified. The Malayan Tapir, the Malayan
Tiger and the Asian elephant are three large
mammal species that are on the endangered
species list. Among the critically endangered
ones are the black shrew, the Malayan water
shrew, the Malayan roundleaf bat and the
Sumatran rhinoceros.
It is obvious that many animals have been
sacrificed in the name of development and
modernisation. Indiscriminate human activities
have led to the destruction of irreplaceable and
priceless lives. There are laws to
curb
people from messing with our forests, polluting
and doing things that can harm our environment.
There are also laws to punish those who do so,
but the laws do not seem to serve their purpose.
It is the responsibility of each and every
individual to preserve our fragile Earth. If we
keep destroying it, we will soon lose all that
we have. |
