Social service of Nambul river, 60,000 saplings to be planted in an hour
All set to observe World Environment Day
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 05 2019: With the World Environment Day falling tomorrow, the State Government is planning to launch a mammoth task of cleaning both sides of the Nambul river, which is often regarded as the dirtiest river in the State, tomorrow, as well as plant more than 60,000 tree saplings in an hour at various schools and colleges.

As a part of the Nambul river rejuvenation project taken up by the Directorate of Environment, cleaning works of the stretch of the Nambul river from Iroishemba to Heirangoithong, which falls under IMC, will be conducted tomorrow.

A meeting of the stakeholders concerned like CSOs, Self Help Groups etc was held at the Directorate office at Porompat today which was also attended by Director Dr Y Nabachandra and Deputy Director T Brajakumar.

During the meeting, Nabachandra said that the plan to clean the river was also deliberated with experts, clubs and other organisations of the 12 wards which are located in between the said stretch of the river.

Appealing to all to take part in the cleaning work, he said that though the Government might clean the river it will be of no use if the people resort to dumping wastes and other garbage into the river after the cleaning.

On the other hand, speaking about the cleanliness drive which will begin from 7 am and conclude at 9 am, Deputy Director Brajakumar said that the Directorate has always planned to involve the clubs, Meira Paibis, CSOs, Self Help Groups etc which are based near the areas touched by Nambul river and explained that the said organisations will form expert committees and ensure that no wastes and garbages are thrown in the river.

The said expert committees can also penalise or take up necessary action against any violators, he explained.

On the other hand, the people taking part in the meeting expressed desire for the authority concerned to enact a stringent law or act to curb the practice of polluting the river.

As per the data of the IMC, a total of 94,539 (2011 survey) people from 21,689 households live in the 12 wards located in the said stretch of Nambul river and out of the said households, 11,105 households are registered for collection of wastes and garbage by the authority concerned while 10,589 are not registered.

On the other hand, the State Education Department, Forest Department and AMWJU are attempting to plant more than 60,000 saplings at various schools and colleges within the span of an hour, from 9 am to 10 am.

The Departments concerned have made all necessary preparations and the Education Minister himself will also take part in the mass tree plantation campaign.

Meanwhile M Asnikumar Singh, Environmentalist, who is also the State vice president of BJP Manipur Pradesh has expressed that the 2019 World Environment Day theme 'Air Pollution' is an issue which is unquestionably relevant to rapidly developing countries like India and China, which are among the worst affected countries by air pollution.

He conveyed that India has the third largest per capita emission of greenhouse gases in the world only after the United States and China which has raised serious questions for a country like India which is witnessing rapid industrialisation and urbanisation.

New Delhi is the most polluted city in the world having surpassed Beijing which has a serious reputation of being a a polluted city, said Asnikumar and added that the effects of air pollution has also reached Manipur today which can be attributed to many easily identifiable factors like use of old diesel engine vehicles bought from the second hand car markets of Myanmar, Delhi, Kolkata and other cities, easy availability of bank loans driving the average Manipuri individual towards excessive consumerism reflected in the increasing number of vehicles in the Imphal city.

He explained diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old do not have proper catalytic converters installed in them and as a result they emit two to three times the smoke produced by diesel vehicles running on BS-4 fuel.

It is high time the State Transport Department ban diesel engine vehicles which are more than 10 years old, he said adding that it is sad to see the State public transport infrastructure not being utilised properly.

The issue of environmental awareness and a mindset of ecological responsibility is something which is missing among all generations and it should be implemented among children from the primary level, he added.

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