The South Asian: Environment Binds India, Pakistan and South Asia

October 05, 2006

Environment Binds India, Pakistan and South Asia

Atul Deulgaonkar writes about his trip to Pakistan for the South Asian Conference On Sanitation and describes a serious thrust for peace and humanity within Pakistan

In his last discourse in 1998 Dr.Mahubub-Ul –Haq said," I have passionately and firmly opposed nuclear tests by both India and Pakistan during the past two months. I have argued that it should be a matter of no pride for the two countries that powerful nuclear weapons are parked in their bunkers while hungry, powerless people are parked on their city pavements. Nuclear explosions are not going to save these nations, but that social and economic explosions may destroy them."

In Islamabad, a car passes by Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre and brings back memory of a visionary. Dr. Haq is attributed for his outstanding contribution to development philosophy of the world. He insisted more attention towards poverty alleviation, small farm production, nutrition, education, water supply and other social sectors. Dr.Haq theorized that HDI (human development index) is much more meaningful than that of GDP (gross national product).

Today the world uses his concept to portray situation of common people in 175 countries. It is HDI that takes life expectancy, adult literacy, and educational enrollments into account, producing a ranking of countries significantly different from the World Bank's per capita income rankings. HDI expresses the real development of a people. Now nobody resists that. HDI has become progress report for every nation. Media waits for this news and gives more prominence than share index.

Dr. Haq would have played major role in bringing India and Pakistan closer. He always believed that South Asia could become the next economic frontier of Asia if acute differences were settled and a free flow of rich customs, commerce, and ideas encouraged. In what were to be his final weeks, Dr. Haq conveyed an eagerness to define, along with his friends, a robust vision and concrete plan of action for greater unity among South Asians in the next century.

This spirit is echoed here in 2nd South Asian Conference On Sanitation (SACOSAN -2) where when leaders government officials and journalists from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India are together. The conference that focuses on sanitation and hygiene is being organized by the Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan, with the support of WHO, Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) for South Asia and other organizations. The reason is the terrifying situation, one million children under the age of five in this South Asian region die every year of water and sanitation related diseases. SACOSAN wants to accelerate the progress of sanitation and hygiene work in the South Asia so as to enhance its peoples' quality of life. The changing world in the context of sanitation , role of women , technological options of sanitation will be discussed.

Enlightened environmentalist late Anil Agrawal always had a dream that South Asian countries seat together to discuss environmental problems, learn from their experiences, plan for appropriate action and start implementation. He recognized the simple truth that environment and development will be the binding force among India, Pakistan and South Asia. If this dream comes true, cooperation among South Asian countries is capable of harnessing fruits of modern technologies.

Atul Deulgaonkar can be contacted at atulcdATsancharnetDOTin

Posted by collective at October 05, 2006 05:51 PM

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