It has been close to two decades since I have been attempting to alert the leaders who have the power, and the authority - about the potential risk posed by the location of vehicle fueling stations within or, in close proximity, of human dwellings. I have been trying to encourage authorities to consider relocating Thimphu’s fueling stations to safer and less risky locations – away from centers of human habitat.
Thus far, my concerns have been nothing more than a call in the wilderness. But I would like to emphasis once again that the dangers are real – it is an all-consuming inferno waiting to break out.
One of Thimphu's six vehicle fueling stations
To be fair, according to the following article from where the above image was extracted, it appears that Thimphu Thromde was not entirely unaware of the dangers posed by the perilous location of Thimphu's vehicle fueling stations. However, it appears that public safety and human life and property were considered to be of lesser value than some other loftier considerations, due to which the case never saw the light of day:
Not a single day passes by without the news of a calamity happening some place around the globe. There are wars breaking out - there are news of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plummeting aircrafts, of raging wild fires, flooding and of tornadoes and cyclones devastating human dwellings and properties on a daily basis.
In the first four months of this year alone, Bhutan has recorded 25 forest fires across the country, with Thimphu topping the list. Some of the fires have blazed on for weeks, destroying many hundred acres of prime forest land. Now we are warned of the likelihood of GLOF, caused by Thorthorme lake and, perhaps, many other lakes that are quietly on the swell, caused by glaciers melting at an alarming rate!
People tell me that it is a sign that God is punishing the human race for electing a lunatic like Donald Trump to power. Jokes aside, for me, it is a sign that we are paying for our irresponsibility - nature is rebelling against us for what we did to it - it is clear that it is no longer willing to be tolerant.
There is no gainsaying that human race’s acts of recklessness are beyond redemption. The ferocity and the regularity with which nature is dealing us its displeasure tells us that we are incapable of building any effective fortifications against it’s power and intent – all that we can do is try and give ourselves a modicum of chance – by trying to forestall that which is inevitable - for as long as we are able to.
Trust me, the mind can see what the eyes can’t! REMEMBER, to have to arrive at a point when leaders have to say sorry means that we are already too late.
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