As you drive from Bumthang to Thimphu or vice versa, you
will pass through beautiful RED Rhododendron flowers in full bloom and often
making you to gasp for more oxygen as you tend to forget even to breath after
looking at the beauty of the nature. The scientific name may be Rhododendron
arboreum (I will have to check). But, at times even the beauty of nature seems
to be surpassed by human carelessness of littering the beautiful landscape and
famous BUMPY highways of Bhutan, not forgetting the slipperiness of road formed
due to accumulation of mud on asphalted road from widening activities.
Highways: I can understand the bumpiness in places where
road widening is occurring or where road sunk due to some geological and
topographical characters. What irks me is the bumpy ride one experience in
newly asphalted road. I can’t understand why the road engineers along with road
contractors are not chipping in extra effort to level the road for the comfort
of everyone. I wish that, road gets lavelled face after the completion of road
widening activities.
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| Typical view of Bhutan's road |
One problem that bothers me as an environmental conscious
citizen is, stone and sand quarry situated right next to the highways. I find
it very difficult to understand, how people get environmental clearance to
extract sand and stone from places very near to the highways. The overarching
problem of such quarries are road disruption, chances of shooting stones
hitting the passerby, making the highways unstable and making it prone to mass
wasting during monsoon season, etc, etc, all leading towards increased chance
of accidents and loss of life. I feel that quarries should be at-least a
kilometer away from the nearest highways. Adopting such strategy would prevent
the ugly look on our landscape formed due to massive un-organized extraction of
resources.
It is at-times disheartening that either our “count-less”
number of environmental and conservation policies does not mention such
strategy or may be the problem lies with implementers. As one of my friends
notes that, “penalties generally are based on ‘face by face’ and not on ‘case
by case’ basis”. I think my friend’s phrase has very big meaning.
My only prayer is, please improve our highways not only on
the wide-ness but also on smoothness. Provide our motorist an enjoyable ride
and not bumpy head spinning ride in Bhutan’s never ending beautiful snake
wining roads.
(Keep the Rhodo flowers on their branches, rather than the bonnets of vehicles and using it as a means to warn the passersby of the narrow road. The moment you pluck the flowers for your vehicles be mindful that you are depriving birds and insects from food. Offer all the flowers in its entirety in the nature itself rather than inserting on monuments: Sherub, UWICE)
(Keep the Rhodo flowers on their branches, rather than the bonnets of vehicles and using it as a means to warn the passersby of the narrow road. The moment you pluck the flowers for your vehicles be mindful that you are depriving birds and insects from food. Offer all the flowers in its entirety in the nature itself rather than inserting on monuments: Sherub, UWICE)
Comments
The the stone quarry, which has caused lots of unreported accidents. I was a victim myself of the Nobding stone quarry during the local government election last year. I am waiting to write about it someday.
I think we have waited for the change so far, let's be the change, let's take this forward in every possible way...
I read your close shave incident in your blog last year. It is disheartening that nothing is happening to all the un-ecologically sound activities happening within the vicinity of policy maker's eyes, let alone trash all over.
I think you are right in stating that "we have waited for the change so far, lets be the change". I guess it is high time for all of us to wake up from the deep sleep and strive towards opening the eyes of those people who are still sleeping.
The bumpy road and sight of litter thrown all-over is not appealing.
Thanks for dropping by.