In March 2006 HRH Prince Charles visited the Punjab where he met with farmers and was hopeful about the future of organic farming there. The Prince of Wales cited the widespread environmental damage in India caused by the rush to mass produce GM food. He commented to the Telegraph that:
'Look at India's Green Revolution. It worked for a short time but now the price is being paid.''I have been to the Punjab where you have seen the disasters that have taken place as result of the over demand on irrigation because of the hybrid seeds and grains that have been produced which demand huge amounts of water.'
'[The] water table has disappeared. They have huge problems with water level, with pesticide problems, and complications which are now coming home to roost.'
Prince Charles interacting with Sukhchain Singh Gill, a local farmer
He visited an organic farm in Hansali were the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had given a grant of Rs.60 lakh to promote organic farming and promised all kind of support. However, the dreams of many farmers were shattered after the 'Akali' government took over in 2007. Prince Charles warns GM crops risk causing the biggest environmental disaster ever.
The good news is that some people have sacrificed a lot to reverse this dangerous situation. For example at the Razza Organic Farm near Nurpur Bedi, a 15-minute drive from Anandpur Sahib, locally known as "Angrez da farm". As the owner is Darshan Singh Rudel, a French-born Khalsa Sikh. Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal has also done the great seva of cleaning up the river where Guru Nanak was enlightened, and many other such projects. We now have groups like EcoSikh and Active Remedy working on environmental issues affecting the Punjab.
The increasing farmer suicides in Punjab are the result of mental stress which is most often caused by poverty and especially by debt. Loans and the inability to earn enough income to relief the debt will assault the farmers feeling of self-esteem and respect. In many cases the individuals who committed suicide where responsible for the income and this debt created the feeling that they were incapable of taking care of their loved ones and themselves. The introduction of the Green Revolution and the introduction of the new High Yielding Variety Seeds (HYVs) coupled with capital intensive modern implements have increased the burden of debt immensely. Although the Green Revolution had brought the major achievement of food self-sufficiency, this agricultural development strategy came at severe costs. Taken from 'Panjab Panorama'.
Due to the deforestation of the Himalayas the water label and rivers are shrinking rapidly.The lush green Himalayan region may be denuded of forests by 2031 AD and transformed into a desert unless the present rate of deforestation and the increase in the human and cattle population in the lower regions are not checked immediately. This was concluded in a study by Dr. K. S. Valdiya, head of the department of Geology, of Kumaon University in his article "The Crumbling Himalayas." The glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, which has been documented scientifically. Some areas of Punjab are suffering from ever increasing desertification.
The great Saint Bhagat Puran Singh distributed leaflets decades ago about the disaster we are seeing now. He distributed free literature to make people aware of the various issues and provide solutions. In one publication he notes:
MatsyaPurana says: "One who sinks a well, lives in heaven for as many years as there are drops of water in it. But to dig ten such wells equals in merit the digging of one pond; digging of ten such ponds was equal to making a lake; making of ten lakes was as meritorious as adopting a virtuous son but begetting ten such virtuous sons had the same sanctity as that of planting a single tree."
A campaign to plant more trees has been taken up by a UK based organisation aptly named Active Remedy, who are serving selflessly by Protecting & Regenerating Indigenous Mountain Forests for Fresh Water Globally. They are working on a program to help to mitigate the problems of Climate Change and Fresh Water shortages through Global Mountain Forest Restoration and Preservation. Mountains, that regulate Earths' Fresh Water and Cooling Systems are currently seriously destabilised.
This is related to massive deforestation, within the last 100 years (especially the last 50 years), in Mountain Regions, worldwide.The indigenous high altitude forests are essential in order for these mechanisms to function effectively. Through precipitation they play a substantial role in the formation of Rain and Mountain Snows. Active Remedy's recommendations have recently been accepted by the UN Rio draft paper.
http://www.eotoworld.com/2012/03/rights-for-sustainability.html
Jaspreet Kaur
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