Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 05:
A one-day environmental awareness programme on 'Solid Waste Management' was held at Kangla Hall here today.
The programme was organised by All Manipur Progressive Farmers' Association (AMPFA) under the sponsorship of Manipur Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
MPCB chairman E Dwijamani Singh, MLA Th Lokeshore Singh and AMPFA president Joy Nongmaithem were respectively chief guest, president and guest of honour of the inaugural function of the programme.
In his key note address, organisation secretary of AMPFA N Basanta observed that with development the number of commodities required and used by human beings has been increasing.
However discarding or piling up of the waste materials generated from these commodities improperly gives a serious impact in environment.
So proper identification of the waste materials and make arrangement for their disposal is essential.
Assistant Environmental Engineer of MPCB S Premkanta pointed out that every year in India, 5000 tonne of plastics are used and out of this, around 2000 tonne are recyclable or reusable and the rest are not.
Moreover, in India an individual uses around 4 kgs of plastic in a year on an average as against 20 kgs in other developed countries of the world.
But the pertinent point here is that inspite of high level of plastic use in the developed countries, the level of pollution is less unlike in our country where people do not care about proper disposal of the plastic waste despite knowing its harmful impact on he environment.
There has also been no solid waste treatment plant in the State so far, Premkanta said, while appealing to the people not to buy polythene bags for carrying things unless it is of milky colour.
MPCB chairman MLA E Dwijamani called upon all the people in the State to act as an environmental activist and contribute their mite in the ongoing world-wide campaign for protection of the environment.