In spite of all progresses, our intrinsic world is now
More vulnerable to disasters than ever before-
And the outcome of number of lives destroyed,
Or property damage is steadily rising more and more!
Yet we, as a community of nations on this planet,
Remain relatively passive to take a closer look-
Of the perils around the world, caused by all
The natural disasters recorded in history book!
Powerful earthquakes struck Algeria recently,
And floods ravaged Africa to bring out the toll-
While droughts continued to plague Central America
And Sri Lanka to exhibit a havoc roll!
Volcanic eruptions have made them known
By striking hard Seattle and Ecuador in a short span-
To demonstrate the hazards with natural calamities
Beyond the imaginations by civilized man!
The global toll of devastation and death from disasters
Has left our families and economies reeling-
And amplified our own man-made emergencies
For a rapid response and create the chilling!
Today, through "H-Ray Vision", I do visualize
How human activities change natural balance of the Earth-
And interfere with atmosphere, oceans, polar ice caps,
And green forest covers, to destroy the mirth!
Thousands of large mountains and natural pillars
That make our world a truly livable home-
Are being leveled to bring super highways
To speed up mobility with greed, built in human genome!
In a less visible but equally sinister process,
We are quietly putting ourselves in harm's way-
Via congested living in the developed cities,
Clustered around seismically alive to sway!
Never before have so many people lived
In areas prone to landslides or in flood plains-
And get killed easily by the natural disasters,
In spite of survival desires flowing in their veins!
Through poverty and ignorance with lack of a foresight
And planning, we are asking for more trouble no doubt-
And at the same time, we are becoming far from helpless,
Especially in poor nations, to maintain a game of shout!
Undoubtedly the new technologies have provided us
With achievements of economic progress in no time-
Without a gross interference with vital ecosystems,
Like the flow of rivers or the slow winds' chime!
Reduction of risks in earthquake-prone areas
Has become a part of the new technology tool-
While the forecasting of floods may help us
To mitigate the devastation by weather, hot or cool!
Along with ever-growing number of natural disasters,
Vulnerability is also increasing at an alarming speed-
And the poorer countries in particular
Are getting the hardest hits from the nature's deed!
With explosion of urban population in developing nations,
People are now being forced to live in too risky zones-
Such as flood plains, coal mines or deforested lands;
To hide from poor planning and suppress their tones!
It's an irony that the prediction tools for disasters
Are seldom available in poorer nations facing the hardest hit-
And they are the silent majority of disaster victims,
Who can barely survive or hardly make both ends meet!
So I feel the time has come to gather the tools and technologies
Developed in universities and various parts of the Earth-
And apply them globally in vulnerable communities,
To thwart the prognosis of ratio of death to birth!
Development of the risk-maps and early warning systems
Can minimize the human sufferings or property loss-
And may I urge you to modify and enforce strict building codes,
Even without the approval from your boss!
Via the exploitation of scientific knowledge, we must devise
Our responses to go beyond the normal humanitarian aids-
And carry out the strategy of disaster reduction by a blending
Of people and experts to reduce the deathbeds!
Fortunately, in "Hillolsphere", I see the silver lining
Through my unique "H-Ray Vision"-
And can count on the efforts set out by the ISDR*
To mobilize fast as its own apparent mission!
A three-way alliance has been adopted
Among the United Nations, regional groupings, and civil society now-
And I can only hope for a concerted effort globally
To roll back the tide of disasters with technical know-how!
Remember, since the dawn of civilization, natural disasters
Have challenged us and will continue to do so-
But it's within our own power to ensure that poverty
Does not flip into hazards wherever we go!
To minimize the losses and human sufferings,
We must turn the table of disasters to join forces-
And deal with the blueprint of complexities,
Built around such hazards, or go to the sources!
We can join hands to form a world of resilient communities,
Equipped to counter the impacts so well,
And promote our dynamic global alliance for
The humanity's sake where the future will dwell! |
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