Toxic leak in Anwara

The Department of Environment demonstrated admirable alertness in promptly serving a show cause notice on the polluter CUFL, and it appears that CUFL will be celled to account for the incident.

For its part, CUFL, while denying negligence, has pledged to compensate the owners of the poisoned cattle for their losses.

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So far so good. However, filing show cause notices and pledging reimbursement cannot be the end of the matter. It is imperative that the DoE follow up on its initial indictment, and ensure that the matter not be swept under the carpet and that CUFL not be let off the hook if determined to be negligent.

By the same token, it is imperative that the government follow up to see that CUFL's pledge of reimbursement is fulfilled, and that the farmers whose cattle were poisoned really do receive the full measure of the compensation due to them in a timely manner.

It is all very well to initiate legal proceedings and make offers of recompense, but it is quite another thing to see such measures through to the bitter end.

More important, however, is an inquiry into how such a toxic leak occurred in the first place and the imposition of preventative measures to ensure that such things do not happen in the future. It is high time that we gave environmental safety the priority that it warrants.

The nation has seen rapid industrial growth in recent years and we would be the first to concede the benefits of such advancement to the economy. However, while we do not wish to choke industrial growth or regulate industry out of existence, it is crucial that we acknowledge that environmental safety must go hand in hand with such advancement. There is nothing to be gained by permitting an industrial regimen that pollutes the environment and the atmosphere with impunity and without penalty.

Let us hope that this regrettable incident in Anwara will result in a renewed commitment to environmental protection. After all, next time it might not just be cattle who are poisoned by toxic waste.