By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Concerned over the growing destruction of forests, wildlife and the green economy, the women folk of Meghalaya, who are quite confident of their role in this ‘Green Movement’ have come together to voice their opinion on these issues ando sort out solutions to get this message across the other women of the the state especially in the rural areas.
Taking the lead, the Impulse NGO organised a small gathering at Café Shillong here on Monday which was attended Country Director of Earth Day Network (India), Karuna A Singh and various women organisations of the state including CSWO, Saralin Social and Cultural Club, Women Welfare Organisation Seng Raij- Jowai, Meghalaya United Women Organisation wherein opinion on various aspects concerning green economy were the much-talked about topic of the day.
Earth Day Network would submit the women’s viewpoints on green economy from across the globe including Meghalaya to the Rio+20 conference which will be held at Belo Horizonte, Brasil on November 4 – 6, 2011.
“The women’s participation in this green movement is very important as they are the ones who usually work in the land and about 85 percent of the consumers constitute of the women, hence they can change a lot of things like insisting on carrying hand-made bags instead of plastics”, Country Director of Earth Day Network (India), Karuna A Singh said.
Women discussed at length on issues related to the environment wherein the major topic which came to the fore front was the mining at Jaintia Hills. “There are hardly any more green left in Jaintia Hills and mining was carried out rampantly”, the member of Women Welfare Organisation Seng Raij- Jowai said.
She also added the laws are not implemented as evident from the unscientific mining and dumping of coals anywhere thereby polluting the environment and the water resources of the area.
“The people who are affected in the long run are the poor people who do not have money to buy land in other safer places”, she added.