Who forgets to turn off the street lights?

Dubai

Ten-year-old Annet Cecil, a pupil based in Sharjah, was on her way to church as she does every Friday at 8am. She was heading to St. Michael’s Catholic Church, in the Yarmook area of Sharjah. As the taxi reached the Al Arouba Street near the Flag Island, she noticed that the street lights on the island and opposite the Al Montazah Park were switched on.

Much to Cecil’s surprise, the lights were still on at 11am when she returned from church.

“It was shocking to see such wastage of energy in broad daylight. My father has witnessed this in the same area on a different day. So it wasn’t a one-off incident. The authorities should take necessary steps to prevent such occurrences,” the grade 5 student from Our Own English High School, Sharjah told Gulf News.

“We are taught so much at school about energy conservation. We celebrate Earth Day and have environmental clubs. I am the eco-monitor in my class, and it is my responsibility to ensure that the lights and fans are switched off whenever the students leave the classroom to go outside. When all these measures are taken within the school premises, it is appalling to see people being so callous towards the environment,” she said, reiterating the fact that the real world is dwelling in idealism.

— The writer is an intern at the Readers Desk at Gulf News.