Plastics: Fatal Pollution

Also: Inter-school Public Speaking Competition

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June 2001


When I go for a walk at 5 in the morning, it isn’t bright enough to make out the flaming gulmohar trees that are flowering these days in the park. Nor can I tell the golden canna. But it is peaceful enough to hear the wake up call of birds, the muffled gush of water as sumps fill, the rustle of leaves as the breeze blows gently through, and the patter of dew drops dripping from foliage. The scene however transforms rapidly within the next 30 minutes or so. Sunrays light up the brilliant red crowns of gulmohar trees and cast their glow on bunches of yellow canna, both presenting a delightful contrast to emerald shrubbery and rolling green lawns. The sprinklers start up, joggers and walkers arrive, yoga practice begins, as does the karate. A man exercises as he hops across a lawn like a bunny. Another balances on one leg, hands folded in meditation. Some walk briskly swinging arms full circle. Others saunter, chatting incessantly; and yet more lie on benches in repose.

But there are also some not very pleasant sights, sounds and smells that greet me as time advances. Traffic on the encircling roads builds up to a constant din that is loud enough to drown the musical twitter of birds. Whiffs of automobile exhaust hit me like at no other time of day. And plastic litter becomes visible under the palm trees, on flowerbeds and bushes – the remains of last evening’s snacking.



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Say we are out for a bit of fun and relaxation in the desert. We look forward to an unspoiled environment that is free from the clutter and stress of our urban existence. We select a picturesque location and, as we are about to rest awhile and take in the scenery, we encounter garbage. How despicable! We ditch the place and move on. But we find that it is difficult to get away from trash, mainly plastic, which doesn’t stay just where it is thrown. It blows about in the wind penetrating the desert over kilometres; clinging on to bushes and shrubs; lying covered by a veneer of sand….Will the Empty Quarter not remain so any more?

Trashed plastics pose a bigger pollution problem than we can imagine. To us they may be just eyesores, a terrible let down especially when we anticipate a pristine environment. For the terrain they are toxic wastes that will stay on it till forever. For the animals that encounter and sample them, they can be fatal.


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Plastics take a heavy toll of wildlife and livestock. Hundreds of animals die the most agonising deaths on a regular basis on account of plastic consumption - in the seas, in the desert and some, even in the cities, where the municipal authorities are there to clear up garbage and transfer it to dumps. In the wilderness, however, the situation is pathetic because here there is no one, other than us, to remove our own plastic litter. Bags, bottles, caps, lids, plates, containers, cutlery, loops on can holders, ropes…..carelessly, callously tossed or left lying about result in a huge mortality of animals. They, especially the young ones, sniff curiously at trash, nibble at it, and then swallow, only to choke and die. Worse still they may carry the noxious stuff in their stomachs for days, suffering prolonged, excruciating pain before they succumb.

Who can reveal these facts better than Dr. Ulrich Wernery, scientific director, Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Dubai? He loves trekking in the desert and comes across (with increasing frequency) plastic litter and also animals that have consumed it and died. Whenever he sees an animal carcass in the outdoors,

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he always examines it to determine the cause of death. Besides, the CVRL’s post-mortem trucks bring in hundreds of dead and dying animals for proper examination and diagnosis of diseases.

It is amazing how many of the animals that have undergone post-mortem examination show plastic ingestion as the cause of death. Hundreds of camel calves are lost like this and nearly every camel examined has calcified plastic ‘stones,’ in the stomach. This is because hay for camels is tied with plastic ropes that are carelessly left with fodder. And camels are by no means the only animals to fall prey to plastic waste. A cow brought for post-mortem to the CVRL had no food in its stomach. It had 90 kg of plastic! The animal had been sick for very long and had lost all appetite. Dr. Wernery was surprised that it had managed to survive for as long as it did.

Picnickers, campers, endurance riders, wadi bashers, other off-roaders – all play a role in spreading the plastic menace far and wide in the desert. Wildlife is affected too. Opposite Jebel Ali, 30 km into the interior is a beautiful and isolated

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location of escarpments on expanses of firm sand where gazelles rest in the shade and owls nest in crevices. Here, Dr. Wernery chanced upon a dead gazelle. It had suffocated upon swallowing a plastic lid that had been left lying around by a camper.

On another occasion, while walking on the beach in Ras Al Khaimah, he discovered a dead turtle that had suffered gangrenous infection having ensnared its flipper in a plastic rope, probably originating from a fishing net.

People think, how’s some plastic litter going to harm the vast, desolate stretches of desert wilderness? It all disappears anyway. “Of course it disappears,” remarks Dr. Wernery. “Into the stomachs and intestines of animals.”

INTER-SCHOOL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

  • "Let us practice the three ‘R s’ (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). And not the three ‘P s’ (Pollute, Poison, Perish).”
  • Stop talking. Start acting.”
  • We don’t need a degree to be eco-educated.”

    These are not pronouncements by this writer. These are declarations of 10 – 16 year olds who participated in an Inter-School Public Speaking Competition organised by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) to mark Earth Day 2001. On April 21st, 39 students from 22 schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah congregated at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, Dubai to hold forth on the topics ‘waste management’, ‘air pollution’, ‘conservation’ and ‘environment education’. The event was co-sponsored by J.W. Marriott Hotel and Shell.

    It was oratory par excellence. They waxed eloquent - hammering the podium to emphasise a point; gesticulating to demonstrate despair, joy and a myriad other emotions; their voices dropping to bemoan the erosion of conservation ethics, melting in wistful longing of a green tomorrow, and clamouring in opposition to environmental offences. Presentations were made using computers and overhead projectors; and on display were relevant exhibits (e.g., posters, craft) hastily put up as each speaker took the stand.

    The competition afforded students an opportunity to formulate views and express their concern about the environment, develop public speaking skills, and build self-confidence. Ideas flowed freely on the specified themes and there were enough tips on what individuals could do to alleviate their burden on the earth – enough to fill up this column’s “What on earth can we do?” section for two whole years. “When someone knows what he is doing wrong, he will stop doing it,” proclaimed a speaker. Well, if all the competing students actually practised the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ they were so evocative about, they have reason to be optimistic about their own futures.

    “I knew you were good. But I didn’t know that you were this good,” was the concluding remark of Habiba Al Marashi, EEG Chairperson, as she addressed the gathering. “I now know whose oratorical skills the EEG can tap for its environmental communication!” There was, however, disappointment about the absence of participation from government schools and the limited entries from private Arabic schools.

    The four judges were delighted with the performance – terrific content; well-researched subject matter from multiple sources - a wealth of information that the EEG could utilise; and great delivery. Farid Ahmed (general manager, Ducab), Patrick Briggs (communications manager, Shell), Barbara Hayward (head, academic studies, Dubai Men’s College), and Saed Al Awadi, asst. manager, EHS dept, JAFZ & Dubai Ports Authority were unanimous in their acclamation, and recognised the hard work that had gone into the show. Ahmed said he had to change his evaluation at least four times as the event progressed – there was always some one better than who he thought had been the best.

    The rolling trophy went to The Indian High School, Dubai. The individual category winners: waste management – Edward Ewart, Ras Al Khaimah English Speaking School; air pollution – Anish Kattukaran, Dubai Scholars Pvt. School, Dubai; Conservation – Gokul Madavan, The Indian High School, Dubai; and environment education – Azza Mohammed N. Shaukat, Arab Unity School, Dubai.

    WHAT ON EARTH CAN WE DO?

    In our homes, stop using throwaway paper and plastic plates, cups and eating utensils, and other disposable items when reusable or refillable versions are available.

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