A SPECIAL MOMENT: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam poses with winners of essay and on-the-spot painting competition organised by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to mark World Environment Day, in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: V. Sreeni vasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Emphasising that all citizens have a right to a clean environment, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam expressed alarm that the poor were increasingly becoming victims of environmental abuse and degradation.

He was speaking after felicitates students who won in various competitions conducted by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on the theme "Do not desert dry land," at the World Environment Day celebrations here on Tuesday.

Dr. Kalam said he was addressing students as "they had a tremendous responsibility" to play in making the country beautiful.

Oath administered

Administering 10 oaths, including "I will plant five fruit-bearing trees in my neighbourhood and nurture them" and "I will keep my house clean and also keep the street clean without dumping garbage on the street," he said practicing the oaths would help protect the environment.

It was essential to uplift the underprivileged by ensuring them a normal life characterised by employment, healthcare and education, which would have a positive impact on the environment, he said.

Fly ash

Explaining the use of coal for power generation, he said that it would result in increased fly ash production, which had already reached 100 million tonnes a year. All-out efforts were needed to utilise fly ash not only owing to environmental considerations but to avoid land usage for fly ash dumping. Though there had been a steady progress in fly ash utilisation from 1990, the country had a long way to go to reach the target of 100 per cent fly ash utilisation. Fly ash could be used in agriculture and for producing "green" building material.

Presently, fly ash utilisation was in the range of 33 million tonnes a year, and was providing employment to over 50,000 people, he said. Full utilisation would provide employment to three lakh people and result in business worth over Rs. 4,000 crore a year. The KSPCB could work with electricity generating authorities for full utilisation of fly ash for producing green building material, he said.

Taking vows at places of worship that help in the maintenance of environment was an experiment to be tried out, he said.

Volunteers

The country had 38 lakh Bharat Scouts and Guides, 13 lakh NCC Cadets and a large number of NSS volunteers. They could be used to create environmental awareness among the rural people, Dr. Kalam said.

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