Sunday 26 March 2017

Rivers declared as living beings…Shouldn’t air be accorded a similar status?

Rivers declared as living beings…Shouldn’t air be accorded a similar status?

In the first of its kind unique decision, the New Zealand parliament passed a bill on March 15 granting a river the same legal rights as a person recognizing it as a living entity. The Whanganui River has been regarded as “an indivisible and living whole” and recognized in their traditions and customs by the local Maori tribe ‘Iwi’, who had struggled to get recognition of the river as an ancestor for more than a century. Two representatives of the river, one from the Maori community and one from the govt, have also been appointed. This decision acknowledged the spiritual connection between the Whanganui Iwi (tribe) and its ancestral river. Just few days later, the Uttarakhand High Court also declared the rivers Ganga and Yamuna as living entities, citing the reference of the case in New Zealand, and accorded them same constitutional and legal rights as a human being, including the right to life. The High Court said that both the rivers have been regarded sacred for centuries. Our ancestors have worshipped nature in all its forms as is evident from the history of India. The five elements of nature - Prithvi (Earth), Jal (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Aakash (void) – have been depicted as celestial beings or deities in our mythology and ancient scriptures including the Rigveda. The Rivers Ganga and Yamuna have been held sacred since ancient times. They have not only provided physically as source of water but have also provided spiritual sustenance. But, these rivers are now on the verge of losing their existence because of pollution. Human waste, agricultural waste, industrial waste are being dumped into the river without proper treatment. Air pollution too has been making headlines recently. The quality of air has deteriorated over the years, often to dangerous toxic levels that are hazardous to health. Vehicular emissions, fuel wood or biomass burning, crop burning, industrial emissions, construction activities, burning of waste etc. are some of the important sources of air pollution all of which are man-made sources. That there is a need for controlling the air pollution cannot be more emphasized. Recognizing these rivers as a human being means that polluting the rivers would legally amount to harming a human being. And, a case can now be filed against those polluting the rivers. This judgement of the Uttarakhand High Court has paved the way for further such judgements. Shouldn't there be a similar judgement recognizing air as a living entity and give it a legal voice?

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