Creating a Healthy Environment: A Wake-Up Call

My writing on this topic is not in any way to offend anyone, but I’m only trying to point out environmental issues I have witnessed and then share my suggestions for improvement.

When we say a healthy environment, I simply define it to be one where everything living around such an environment can breathe peacefully, grow without contracting any sickness, or where humans don’t have to cover their noses because they don’t want to breathe in bad air.

To consider an environment clean and healthy, we have to check if the air is clean, the water is drinkable, and the premises are free from harmful waste products.

Without having to debate much, to have a healthy environment, there is need for a proper means of disposing waste, access to clean water, and proper sanitation. Those who have these are enjoying peaceful living, I must say.

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My stay in the North has made me think people living in other states are enjoying it so much. 80% of compounds here have disgusting dug gutters with stagnant water, different kinds of harmful waste products giving room for mosquitoes to breed and polluting the air. It’s hard to pass compounds with gutters without covering your nose because of the kind of bad smell you would perceive, and this makes me ask how the dwellers cope on a daily basis.

I got the shock of my life when I witnessed grown-ups defecating in open fields, near rivers, and some inside leather and flipping it into refuse dumps near houses. To them, it’s nothing, but it’s a very big problem when rain falls because you will clearly see all the waste wash into water sources. What baffles me is how kids jump inside these dirty waters to play, only to complain later of itching toes and irritating skin rashes.

Answering the question if my environment is healthy, I would honestly say no, because I’m not an island. Even if you want to make it clean, not everyone in the compound would see the need to do so. Regardless, in the compound where I live, we as tenants try to keep the compound clean by sweeping it. We all have our different waste bags, and it doesn’t stay long before we dispose of them.

The only ways to make the environment healthy are:

Change of mindset. Everyone has been hearing the preaching on cleanliness. It’s not for some set of people but for us all. By the time everyone understands this and adopts possible measures toward a healthy environment, then the atmosphere would be a breathable one.

Also, the media presenters, schools, and community leaders should not stop creating awareness on the dangers of an unhealthy environment. It is not a one-time campaign. It should be repeated over and over until people understand the dangers that come with the way we treat our surroundings.

Lastly, the government should do well by providing good waste systems that would aid dwellers in the proper disposal of waste. With steady waste collection services and good sanitation facilities in public places, many would be encouraged to live cleaner lives.

If all these are considered and we begin with changing our mindset, then a healthy environment becomes ours.

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