Keeping water clean in Zimbabwe
Gulf News reported about the water scarcity in Harare, Zimbabwe (‘Bottled water ‘the new gold’ in Harare’, Gulf News, February 6). Many people, such as Sheila Dezha in the article, are collecting water bottles off the street and from the dumps and are cleaning them. Then they are filling them with clean drinking water and selling them. Dezha said that she sells a bottle for $1.50 (Dh5.50). On very hot days, she sells up to a 100 bottles.
I think people should save water so that people who don’t have it can have it. Many people in the world can’t afford water. Not only do people have only a small quantity of water, most of what they do have is very dirty. Here in Dubai, the authorities are doing a great job of keeping the water clean, but there in Harare, people are getting sick because of the impurity of water. That is why the government should keep it clean. One of the reasons of the scarcity of water is that half of the water supply in Zimbabwe is wasted due to leakages in the pipes.
From Mr Yousuf Mirza
Dubai
Seems cruel to move the elephant
I think it isn’t a wise move to shift the elephant in Japan, who is old and clearly has a limited time to live in another place (‘‘Too late’ to move Japan’s oldest elephant’, Gulf News, February 8). She must have adjusted to her surroundings in all these years. To change her home in her final years is unfair. I don’t think she would not like it anywhere else.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
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Under the spotlight
Good for Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson for standing up for herself, albeit without the particular vernacular used (‘Paris Jackson loses it on Instagram’, Gulf News, February 7)! Even so, I can’t even begin to understand the frustration she must be feeling from constantly being under the microscope. If it was me, I probably would have lost it, too.
From Ms Em Dodds
UAE
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Instil morals and human values
The recent murder last week of a 23-year-old in the Indian state of Kerala in broad daylight by gangsters must be taken as a serious law and order issue. The barbaric action of the criminals who rounded up the hapless youth tells how the state has deteriorated into an anarchic stage where contract killers rule the roost.
Although this incident has been allegedly attributed to the personal grudge the hooligans had against the youth, it is a disturbing fact that the government of Kerala has continuously failed to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. What makes the criminals bolder is the cold response of the public when witnessing such heinous acts.
The mob lynching mentality of Kerala youth has been a growing concern in recent times where they have no fear of taking matters into their hands. Many incidents were reported in the past where young couples were attacked after being accused of illicit relationships by the so-called “moral police”.
There needs to be a radical change to the youth culture where morality and human values are instilled through the school curriculum and social institutions.
From Mr V. I. Mohammad Sageer
Dubai
Helping Syria’s youth
Syria’s ongoing crisis should be brought to an end, as the former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s gave advice to implement a new Marshall plan to tackle the millions of youth unemployed and child labour problems (‘Syrian crisis calls for a new Marshall Plan’, Gulf News, February 6). Will this be accepted by the international community to solve the present crisis?
From Mr K. Ragavan.
UAE
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Lacking vision
It will be very interesting to see what mandate Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has as he used the economic plan drawn up by the last outgoing Minister of Finance Brian Lenihan (‘A fistful of Euros’, Gulf News, February 6). This man has no vision and is running around at a hundred miles an hour with a five-mile an hour eyesight!
From Ms Mary Hayes
UAE
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Be wise with travels
The fact that the mosquitos carrying the Zika virus are not present in the UAE is a huge relief (‘Americans avoid Latin travel on Zika fears’, Gulf News, February 8). The Zika virus has been transmitted sexually, according to top US health officials, which fuels fears of the rapid spread of the disease blamed for a surge in the number of brain-damaged babies. Now concern grows that the outbreak sweeping Latin America could spread much further, after the confirmation of the virus being transmitted by sexual contact and not just tropical mosquitoes. That is a troubling prospect for the US, Canada and Europe, where Zika had so far only appeared in travellers returning from affected areas. Zika, which was first identified in Uganda in 1947, causes relatively mild flu-like symptoms and a rash. But, there is growing alarm over an apparent link between the current outbreak and both a rise in birth defects and a potentially crippling neurological disorder.
From Mr Sunny Joseph Mala
Kerala, India
Living in a fine balance
The Zika virus has now been classified as a global threat, as it continues to migrate across the world. It is difficult to predict plausible events that will guide or decimate mankind in the decades ahead. Earthquakes and floods will occasionally kill tens of thousands of people in developing countries, but how much of humanity might be killed in the future by a naturally-arising pathogen? The worldwide influenza of 1918 killed 30 million people and Aids has taken many lives over the years.
The Earth’s magnetic-field reverses polarity every few hundred thousand years. During the next reversal, the ozone layer will be unprotected from charged solar particles that could weaken its ability to protect humans from ultraviolent radiation.
Nuclear power could result in three kinds of catastrophe: radioactive pollution, nuclear bombing or a nuclear war that could kill millions of people. Bioweapons and nanotech weapons will be the next generation of weapons.
If there are crop failures for any reason that are sufficiently widespread and affects enough species, then the end of modern civilisation could be the result.
From Mr Farouk Araie
Johannesburg
Our preferences aren’t changing
Despite so many stories and the latest video games and films, still the traditional fairy tale stories are liked by the majority of people (‘#GNBookClub: Why do we love Cinderella so much?’, Gulf News, February 7). Stories like Cinderella are liked by millions of people today.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Dubai
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Sharing memories
Let the fairy tales remain how they are because it’s one of the last things that all generations still have in common. My children, my grandchildren and I can share a small similarity in our childhood memories.
From Mr Mohammad Nadim Hossain
Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Is all that planning worth it?
The amount of times we get to hear: “So, what are your future plans?” is uncountable. Honestly, we all have been deciding on our futures since our childhoods. But now that we are adults, did we ever consider the fact that we are not certain about the next moment? So, what makes us confident enough to plan for the future?
I’m not against planning for future, it’s a wise act, but I’d like to change perceptions. What about a woman who is ready for her first day at work, she had been working hard to reach her goal, but she is faced with a hurdle - a car comes speeding up towards her while she’s crossing the road and puts her on bed rest for the next month.
Where do all the plans go? Life sometimes gets put on hold and that’s when you realise that this life is quite temporary. We may be planning for the coming years, but we don’t really know what the next moment holds for us.
None of us are prohibited from planning. All I’m trying to say is that everything in this life is unpredictable. Just go with the flow and observe what the future has in store for us.
From Ms Manal Mansour
Fujairah
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