The Environmental Reality in Villages: The Habit of Dumping Rubbish into Rivers
A clean environment is a crucial factor in maintaining public health and comfort. However, in reality, many villages still face serious problems regarding environmental cleanliness, particularly the habit of throwing rubbish into rivers. Rivers that should be a source of life have instead turned into garbage dumps. This habit is often considered normal by some members of the community, even though the impact is enormous for life now and in the future.
In some village environments, throwing rubbish into the river has become a habit passed down through generations. A lack of awareness about the importance of protecting the environment is one of the main causes. Additionally, the lack of waste disposal facilities leads people to choose the easiest method, which is throwing rubbish directly into the river flow. Many people assume that the rubbish will be carried away by the water current and simply disappear. In fact, the waste only moves elsewhere and continues to pollute the environment.
In my village, there is a river that was once frequently used by the community for various daily activities such as washing clothes and bathing, especially by housewives. At that time, the river water flowed swiftly, was clean, and was very beneficial for the lives of the surrounding residents. However, that condition has now changed. The river water is no longer as swift as it used to be. One of the causes is the indiscriminate removal of river stones by residents for house construction. Stones that should have maintained the water flow were taken without considering the impact, causing the river flow to decrease and tend to dry up.
Furthermore, the habit of throwing rubbish around the river has worsened the situation. Waste discarded on the riverbanks is carried away by the current when it rains and gradually accumulates in the river flow. As a result, the water becomes dirty and unfit for use. Currently, it is very rare to see residents coming to the river to bathe or wash as they did in the past. The river that was once clean and a centre of activity has now turned dirty and is underutilised.
The habit of throwing rubbish into rivers has various detrimental impacts, including declining water quality, reduced clean water sources, increased risk of disease, and the potential for flooding due to blocked water flow. Furthermore, river damage also causes the loss of the river’s function as a place for community activities and destroys the ecosystems within it.
Besides the direct impact on environmental cleanliness and community life, the habit of littering is also linked to climate change. Waste, especially accumulated organic waste, undergoes a decomposition process without oxygen (anaerobic) and produces methane gas (CH4). This gas is a highly dangerous greenhouse gas because its ability to trap heat is much stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2) in the short term. Not only that, the burning of waste often carried out by the community also releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and other harmful substances into the atmosphere. This can accelerate global warming and trigger increasingly erratic weather changes. Apart from the disposal process, every stage of a product’s life, from production to becoming waste, also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Plastic waste, for example, not only pollutes the environment but also contributes to increased carbon emissions. Thus, the habit of throwing rubbish into rivers not only damages the local environment but also indirectly exacerbates the climate change currently occurring worldwide.
To overcome the habit of throwing rubbish into rivers, cooperation from various parties is needed. Some steps that can be taken include raising public awareness, providing waste disposal facilities, organising community clean-up activities, and reducing plastic use. Change must start from oneself and be carried out consistently. The habit of throwing rubbish into rivers is a serious problem that cannot be taken lightly. Its impact not only damages the surrounding environment but also affects human health and even contributes to climate change.
Therefore, it is time for us to realise that protecting the environment is a shared responsibility. Rivers are not rubbish dumps, but sources of life that must be protected. If we do not start changing now, we will be the ones who suffer the consequences in the future. Let us start from small things, from ourselves, to maintain environmental cleanliness. Because by protecting the rivers, we are also protecting life.