The ban on plastic packaging by some municipalities in India is wise, if a little impractical. Plastics choke pipes and drains and lead to floods during monsoon seasons. But the problem is not in the use of plastic bags but rather the way in which they are disposed. The baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater.
Plastic bags are used across the world. As India is a low-income country, consumers often buy their vegetables, fruit and cooking oils daily in small quantities. They need plastic bags to carry their items to their homes.
Similar problems would arise if everyone started using paper or cloth bags. I can imagine environmentalists protesting about the felling of trees to make paper bags.
The solution lies in the disposal of plastic bags. Every home should keep them separately while garbage collectors should segregate them from other garbage. Municipal authorities can then destroy plastic bags in an environmentally friendly manner. We should seek a similar solution for plastic packaging rather than simply banning it. How can municipal inspectors reasonably visit shops to impose fines when roads are laden with uncollected garbage, open drains and potholes?
Rajendra Aneja, Dubai
Parents of all incomes should be able to provide for children
I write in reference to your editorial An expensive education is not necessarily the best (June 22): The National's thought-provoking editorial on private school fees in the UAE was both meaningful and accurate. Some schools charge fees that are 16 times higher than others and force parents to shoulder the burden.The recent decision by the UAE executive council to freeze school fees until next year was the right one. What impact it will have on the quality of education in these schools is the big question. Schools should have only the higest quality professional teachers in order to provide a decent education. But in addition, education should be affordable, allowing parents of all incomes to provide for their children's futures.
K Ragavan, Denver
Baseball is welcome here but beware the hot summers
In reference to your story UAE could be home to Major League Baseball as sport looks to go global (June 21), which described the deal struck by the LA Dodgers to sponsor a junior version of the game here with Emirates airline, if it was an early season game when it wasn't 100 degrees outside, I would love to watch this.
Clay Branam, Abu Dhabi
People in the UAE will soon learn about this great game.
Erin Herndobler, Abu Dhabi
We need to stamp out cheating in schools in Dubai
In reference to your article Investigation into mass cheating by pupils in Dubai under way (June 23), the menace of cheating and copying in exams is alarming if proven to be true.
Name withheld by request