"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." This quote by Mc Connell is suitable in the present condition of our environment. The environment where we live, habitat of all organisms and sources of our natural resources.
As human modifies the natural environment by transforming it to fields, pastures and settlements, it’s called land use. Land use and land management practices have a major impact on natural resources including water, soil nutrients, plants and animals.
Proper use of land environment requires a grave responsibility for not degrading the natural resources even though it’s impossible. That’s why there are guidelines or proper steps in land use. Local Government Units has the authority for approving each transaction regarding land transformation. One of the goals of land use is to encourage the growth of the community that will ensure the general health, safety, welfare of the citizen and protect the integrity of the natural environment. A good land use considers environmental, economic, cultural and social factors.
Here in the Philippines, there’s an implementing law that states, each city must have a land portion which it was planted by trees.
One of the devices in land use planning is zoning. Zoning is derived from practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another. By its very nature, zoning was used to separate residential, commercial, industrial and institutional land uses. Zoning remains the most widely accepted land use control. It will continue to be an important tool to carry out plans.
Thru land use plan, natural environment is converted into a commercial, residential, agricultural, industrial and etc. Developers must follow the proper way and the right way. If the land use plan will not be followed, degradation of natural resources will occur. Human will also be affected , because as the industrialization continue to progress , the land portion of natural environment is decreasing. As we all know we get all the materials for industrialization in the natural environment. That’s why people must take note about this.
Bad zoning has many negative impacts in the environment and human health/ safety.
Let’s focus on the safety of human, in a residential area there should be, no near factories, because its production might cause danger to human health.
That’s why there are different kinds of land use for it will not affect each other.
Let’s talk about the solid waste. Solid waste is dispose in a landfill. A landfill is a place of disposal materials by burying the waste to the ground. Dumping site has many impacts to the environment and to human health. First fatal accident, scavengers whose getting garbage might bury alive when pile of garbage fall. Second is pollution, it will deteriorate the land, bodies of water and air. Contamination of ground water and soil contamination during the usage of landfill. The other one is the release of methane gas from decaying of organic wastes. Methane can be explosive, remember the incident of bombing in Ayala, some people thought that incident is cause by suicide bomber. But the investigator found out that the explosion is caused by the methane coming from their storage room of their garbage. Lastly it will be a toxic for the wildlife.
That’s why the government must operate a landfill where no one will be affected and no natural environment will be degraded. Proper usage of land and proper zoning must be execute for all of us to live safe and harmoniously.
