The Hindu : Call to create awareness on river protection

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Call to create awareness on river protection

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA, JAN. 19. The Public Enterprises Selection Board chairman and the former Principal Secretary to the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment, T.K.A. Nair, has stressed the need for an awareness campaign to protect the rivers in the State.

Delivering the keynote address at a national seminar on ``Abatement of river pollution'', organised by the Pampa Parirakshana Samithy at Kozhencherry today, Mr. Nair said non-Governmental voluntary agencies could do a lot in spearheading the crusade for protection of rivers in the State. He said only a responsible society could initiate creative steps towards effective waste disposal.

It was high time to launch concerted efforts to educate society on the need to keep our environment clean, conserve the river systems and to fight against pollution and excessive exploitation of the river resources, he said.

Other speakers at the seminar expressed deep concern over the indifferent attitude of the local bodies towards initiating effective steps to protect the rivers.

The seminar called upon the Government as well as the local self-Governments to take immediate steps for rain water harvesting and abatement of pollution in the rivers.

It also stressed the need to protect small streams leading to various rivers by initiating a fool-proof watershed development schemes in different parts of the State.

The seminar has also urged the Government to include the Vembanadu lake in the Lake Conservation Project.

The PPS general secretary, N.K. Sukumaran Nair, presided. Thomas P. Thomas, PPS vice-president, and the district panchayat president, Mathew Kulathumkal, also spoke.

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