Environment and Health

Environmental and health concerns get aggravated with the onset of winter season in North India. Air pollution in Delhi interferes with our health, causes respiratory diseases, and shortens our life years. Poor air quality irreversibly damages the lungs of our children in infancy.  In such a horrific scenario, are we not responsible for causing pollution on Earth? The environment plays an important role both internally and externally. According to Vedic knowledge, the Universe comprises five elements – Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, so is our body. Many great scholars from Charaka to Hippocrates have stressed the importance of the environment on the health of the individual. Any imbalance in these five elements in the body internally causes sickness. According to Ayurveda correcting this imbalance through diet, and regular mental & physical yoga practice would help. We are also responsible for the environment in our surroundings, which includes gaseous emissions from industries, discharge of liquid effluents, and pollution from single-use plastic in rivers & oceans, and growing solid waste on land etc. leading to pollution in Air, Water, and on Land. Directly three basic elements are impacted out of the five basic elements; thus making the planet ‘sick’. Landfill sites and river pollution are local issues, but pollution in air and ocean are global problems as they cross boundaries. It reminds me that this year on 5th June, I was in Madhuban, Ramgarh, which happens to be the World Environment Day. Madhuban, situated at 5,000 ft. in Uttrakhand offers abundant flora and fauna, greenery, and picturesque sunset and sunrise. A calm environment, pristine air in the valley, quietness and organized community living made my stay a spiritual retreat. No paper napkins and plastic, conservation of water use and minimization of waste were the norms. Yoga and Ayurveda teachings as daily eco-friendly routine in this “Sri Aurobindo’s foothold in the Himalayas” improved our health significantly.World Environment Day is a reminder that we should all commit to keeping our environment clean and safe by preserving nature. Global pollution from manmade sources is impacting our lives and health in various ways, leading to climate change.  Floods & droughts, frequent heat waves, vector-borne diseases, food and water-borne diseases, cyclones, and storms are manifestations of climate change disturbing our health. Weather-related mortality, infectious diseases; respiratory diseases like Covid-19 are severe ill effects on human health. Taking care of our planet is everyone’s responsibility. We can help to safeguard people’s health by controlling all those factors; such as reducing pollution from vehicles, avoiding littering, burning crackers and making choices that turn waste into something useful. Making these efforts can make a big difference for the environment. The management council in Panchshila society has already done a lot to lower pollution in the area, addressing the infrastructure issues and beautifying the parks. But there’s still more that can be done to reduce waste, especially around parks. Let’s not just focus on Environment Day once a year, but make it a daily habit to cleanse our internal and external environment to take care of our health.