Political leaders should focus on environment friendly policies, says climate activist Licypriya
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 27 2022:
Environment and climate activist Licypriya Kangujam has expressed anguish over the plastic waste left behind at public grounds in the State after the end of 'Yaoshang' .
During a morning walk Licypriya found that the public ground in her home village Bashikhong Wangkhei Loumanbi was littered with empty packets of snacks and water bottles left behind by the crowds during 'Thabal Chongba' the previous night.
She immediately got into work and started cleaning the mess left behind by the festival.
All the plastic packets were put in a big waste bag and kept in a proper place later.
Speaking to The Sangai Express at her residence, Licypriya said 'Yaoshang is over, but the battle against plastic waste is not over' .
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She added that she didn't complain to anyone regarding the mess at the public ground, rather she went straight to work and when a video of her cleaning the ground was shared on social media, the video outright went viral instantly with more than 1 lakh views and many shared their support for the cause.
Licypriya also said the time has come for the people to be more responsible and start collecting the plastic waste and bottles from their own seats during any festival like Shumang Leela or Thabal Chongba to aid in keeping public space neat and clean.
Expressing concern over the lack of responsibility and awareness amongst the public regarding the serious impact of plastic waste in our environment, Licypriya said such waste enters the Loktak lake through numerous drainage channels and joins Chindwin river in Myanmar which empties into the Bay of Bengal.
During the process such waste affects the lives of various life forms all over the world.
Licypriya told The Sangai Express that the political leaders need to make environment friendly policies with the sole aim of protecting the environment in the long run.
A policy to control carbon emission should be framed at the earliest at the Parliament and State Assemblies, she added.
Chapters on climate education should be included in school syllabus to give awareness about the changing climate and the danger posed by forest fires in the hills, she added.
Licypriya also expressed concern regarding the state of drinking water availability in the years to come as there is already a water crisis at present in the Country.
Adding that 'Climate Laws' are already in place in country like New Zealand that will help in reducing the world temperature by 1.5 degrees by 2030, she said if such laws exist in India, it will aid in punishing the people and major corporate houses who are responsible for polluting the environment in major scale and ensuring that they shift from coal powered industries to sustainable and environment friendly energy sources like solar energy.
Licypriya further added that the greatest gift the parents can give to their children is not costly cars or other items but rather to leave behind a better world.
She also advocated for using bicycles and the public transport system for commuting whenever possible.
Doing this will aid in easing traffic and air pollution in addition to being easy on the pocket.
Licypriya also appealed to the people to start using solar power to power their home which is almost free.