The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : World Environment Day a mere formality?

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Saturday, Jun 05, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

World Environment Day a mere formality?

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, JUNE 4. Indiscriminate felling of trees, contamination of drinking water and pollution of air, which cause environmental degradation goes on unabated even as the world observes Environment Day on June 5 year after year. The concept which was introduced mainly to elicit public opinion, and create awareness about the hazardous impact of such unhealthy practices, has apparently been reduced to a mere formality.

In 1972, the Earth Summit, attended by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and her Swedish counterpart, brought into sharp focus the need to put an immediate end to activities that led to environmental damage. The success of the Earth Summit was further complimented by the Rio de Janerio summit in 1992, which drew huge public response with dignitaries across the world attending the global conclave. Many local bodies, Government and Non-Government, have organised seminars and debates to mark the World Environment Day here on Saturday. The objective is to highlight the seriousness of the issue. "The issue of environment pollution, whether it is pertaining to air or water, can be effectively tackled provided we have the will to do so,'' says G. Vijayam, executive director of the Atheist Centre. Growing concern over the alarming rise in pollution-levels prompted the Government to launch the National Environmental Awareness Campaign. Deforestation and wastage of precious water resources on the one hand and the population boom on the other, has led to a dangerous situation, he said.

Mr. Vijayam, who is actively involved in various programmes to protect environment for the past 30 years, pointed out that less than one per cent of the available water was potable. Urbanisation was yet another factor contributing to the growing pollution. In 1950, the total number of cities across the world with a population of over a million people was around 100. But the next 50 years saw as many as 23 cities in the world battling with the problem of their population, which had crossed over 10 million. Interestingly, of these 23 cities, 16 of them were in the developing countries. There are other aspects adding to the problem. In cities, people use at least 75 to 100 litres of water daily, generating sewage of over 5-lakh tonnes. The extent of precious water going waste could be gauged by the fact that only 16 to 24 per cent of the potable water supplied to residential areas was properly utilised. The situation was the same in the irrigation sector. According to the World Watch Institute, Washington, almost 50 per cent of irrigation water goes waste. Water conserved is water saved.

Mr. Vijayam said environmental protection was linked to social justice. "A cry for environmental protection is a cry for social justice." Some of the Arabic nations import 91 per cent of water to fulfil their daily needs. To spare ourselves of such a pathetic situation, we must shift focus to conservation of water, he cautioned.

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