Page 32 - Litterateur March 2021

I’m a Particle of Dust Speaking

By the way, on a fine morning the President of the

country came to inaugurate the mega project. Everyone

cheered as river water was diverted to pastures and

untilled lands. Soon agriculture became a booming sector

for economic growth. But the lake began to shrink. Its salt

and mineral content rose drastically enough to make

water unfit for drink, even for animals. Toxic pollutants

were everywhere- carrots and onions contained

Chlorinated Organic Pesticides, pregnant women were

diagnosed with DDE, cases of heart and kidney disease

were rife. Besides, infant mortality rose significantly,

Kerakalpaks were detected with throat cancer and

anemia. Several species of fishes like sturgeon, carp,

barbell and roach became extinct from the region. The

most famous Tugay habitats with all the mammals, birds

and amphibians vanished as if within the blink of an eye.

Maritime complexes were replaced by continental

regimes, summers were warm, winters cool. Spring frosts

arrived much later than usual, fall frosts came too early.

Humidity was lower, growing season shorter.

The lake is no more. Now millions of tons of dust and

sand are visible in the lake. Undoubtedly, this has given

me an opportunity to flex my muscle. You must have

remembered the storm Black Sunday when I could kill

multiple and hundreds of thousands of