Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

People cautioned against misuse of energy

Staff Reporter

FOR HEALTHY LIVING: G. Thiruvasagam, Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University (right), receiving the first copy of the proceedings from R. Gupta, Chairman and Managing Director of Uraniam Corporation of India Limited (left), at the 15th National Sym posium on Environment at the Bharathiar University in the city on Tuesday. S. K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Bharathiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited, is also in the picture. — Photo : M. Periasamy

COIMBATORE: Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are leading to a warmer world. Misuse of energy by human beings has accounted for the maximum warming of the Earth in the past 125 years, S.K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Bharathiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited, said here on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the 15th National Symposium on Environment (NSE 15) on "Mitigation of Pollutants for Clean Environment" at the Bharathiar University on the World Environment Day, Mr. Jain said concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were higher than at any time and the rate was accelerating at an alarming speed.

He appealed to the people to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage energy efficiency. )"There is a serious threat to people living in coastal areas as the areas may disappear in a few years from now. A few countries fear the threat of getting totally wiped out. We have to be aware of such grave dangers."

Vice-Chancellor of Bharathiar University G. Thiruvasagam expressed concern over water pollution. Wastewater from urban settlements, industries and agricultural lands were responsible for contamination of water sources. He called for proper water management and appropriate pollution control measures to mitigate pollutants. "Justice is not being done to environmental science as a subject in colleges. There are no qualified teachers to teach the subject. The Government has to appoint dedicated faculty to teach the subject to make it on a par with other subjects, otherwise the purpose of having such a subject will be defeated," he said.

Mr. Thiruvasagam appealed to the Government to constitute a committee to make the project on linking national rivers a reality.

The three-day symposium would deliberate on various issues related to environment and the challenges it faced in today's context, and also on the theme of this year's World Environment Day, that is "Melting Ice: A Hot Topic?".

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