PREPAK shares thoughts on Environment Day
Significance Of World Environment Day Highlighted
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal,June 04 2013: Conveying solidarity to the United Nations' campaign to preserve nature and environment across the planet, the proscribed PREPAK has called upon all the people of Kangleipak (Manipur) to work collectively towards realising the objectives of World Environment Day.

Noting that the World Environment Day (June 5) is one of the most important and significant international events, a statement issued by the outfit's assistant secretary, publicity and propaganda Leibakngakpa Luwang lamented that the world eco-system and natural resources have been severely degraded due to human activities.

The issue of environmental pollution and destruction of eco-systems was first discussed at a convention of world leaders held at Stockholm, Sweden on June 5, 1972 .

The convention was attended by leaders of 113 countries.

Subsequent upon the meeting, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was launched.

It is in commemoration of the Stockholm conference that the World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5 .

Quoting a recent statement of the UN Climate Chief, the outfit said that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has embarked on a new danger zone.

In view of the rising temperature at the scale of 2-2.4 degree Celsius, the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned the international community to maintain carbon dioxide at 4 PPM.

According to the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC), 50 per cent of the Earth's land mass was covered by 26 different types of forest about 10,000 years back.

By the beginning of the 18th century, Earth's forest cover was reduced to just 30 per cent.

By the 20th century, half of the earth's tropical forests have disappeared.

Around 1990, about 180-200 lakh hectares of forest was cleared every year.

This trend of wanton deforestation led to global warming at an unprecedented scale.

According to the UN Millennium Eco-System Assessment (UNMFA), wetlands which are home to many species of living beings have been disappearing at an uncontrollable rate thereby causing adverse impacts on the overall eco-system of the planet.

CFCs released from industrial and domestic units alter the atomic structure of ozone and convert ozone molecules into Chlorine Monoxide which perforates ozone layer and ultimately incapacitates ozone layer from filtering ultra violet rays.

In the context of Manipur, rampant lumbering on commercial scale, jhum cultivation by clearing of forest areas and large scale deforestation activities for other purposes have severely affected environment and ecology, the outfit pointed out.

Since the day, Manipur was allegedly annexed by India, the Government of India has done nothing to provide reliable sources of livelihood for hill people and forest dwellers.

As such, hill people and forest dwellers have been depending on forest as their sole means of livelihood.

In addition, the Indian military has been clearing large tracts of forests in the name of counter insurgency operations.

They have even burnt parts of Keibul Lamjao National Park which is a bio-diversity hot-spot and home to Sangai.

The prescribed forest cover area for every territory is 10 per cent primary forest but primary forest no longer covers 10 per cent of Manipur's territory.

The new generations would never see primary forest in Manipur.

Observing that many reserved forests have been transformed into bare and barren hill slopes, thereby leading to large scale erosion and loss of ground water retention capacity, the outfit asserted this is one of the reasons for flash floods and prolonged dry spell.

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