SHILLONG: Forest and Environment Minister Lahkmen Rymbui has called upon the people to start acting immediately to safeguard the future generation from pollution and environment degradation.
Speaking on the occasion of World Environment Day here on Wednesday, he said that pollution is caused by man and only he can take care of it.
He also wondered as to why people do not take care when it is known that air pollution is caused through vehicular emission, industrial fumes, wastes and man- made activities.
“We should join hands and beat this pollution and take care of the environment”, Rymbui added.
Informing that the theme of this year’s World Environment Day is air pollution , he said that to beat air pollution one part is to regenerate the forest cover and save the forest and the environment.
Echoing similar sentiments, state Health Minister AL Hek said that every year people celebrate this day but it is just a token and will not help anybody.
“If we are not concerned now, it will be disastrous for the humans,” he added.
Hek added, “It cannot be just a symbolic plantation of trees, but has to be a regular practice… symbolic gestures alone will not help”.
Pointing out that the traffic congestion in the city is getting worse and the amount of CO2 emitted is huge, Hek lauded the chief minister’s initiative of ‘one citizen one tree’ and the planting of more than a million tree saplings on Wednesday across 306 spring sheds in the state.
Meanwhile, RJ and environment activist, Nicholas Jonathan Kharnami, who also participated in the tree plantation drive, said, “Of course it is a noble initiative. Earlier too such programmes had been organised but the question that arises is, will we have the audit and accountability of all these trees that have been planted? At the end of the day let it not just be a one-day affair and what is more important is to understand the significance of it”.
