Jun 5, 2007, 15:23 GMT
New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) Peace protests, film screenings, awareness campaigns and a music concert - these were just some of the ways in which people from different fields observed World Environment Day in the capital Tuesday and addressed a host of issues.
Trees for Delhi, a forum of citizens, NGOs and environmentalists, held a peace protest near the Siri Fort Auditorium in south Delhi against the anti-environment city planning taking place in Delhi.
'We are not against development. Build roads and buildings but does it always have to be anti-greenery? After the felling of nearly 35,000 trees for the metro, national highway project, flyovers, subways and widening of roads, another 450 are to be cut near Siri Fort for the High Capacity Bus Service Corridor,' said Nanni Singh, executive director of the forum.
'This is totally unacceptable. So we have chosen the World Environment Day as the platform to get our voices heard,' Singh added.
Having compulsory tree corridors in Delhi is an idea the forum has put forth.
'If there can be compulsory pedestrian lanes, then why not tree lanes? They purify the air, soothe the eyes and protect us from climatic adversities. We are not against building roads but do plant trees as well,' said 24-year-old Arihant Misra, a corporate executive who is part of Trees for Delhi.
Toxics Link, an environmental NGO, organised an E-awareness week that started Monday, focussing on electronic waste that is fast becoming a major component of urban waste.
Discarded cell phones, computers, music players, refrigerators and televisions comprise electronic waste. India produces approximately 146,000 tonnes of e-waste every year. This gets recycled in poor urban localities, exposing the people and environment to deadly toxins.
Taking a cue from this, Toxics Link has initiated dialogue on a possible e-waste management system with a focus on industries. It suggested the formation of a not-for-profit Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), which would involve industry players in the recovery, storage and recycling of e-waste.
'The model also highlights the need to build infrastructure and the potential to attract capital investment in e-waste recycling,' said Ravi Aggarwal, director of Toxics Link.
Swecha, another environmental NGO, held a medley of events to raise environment awareness. It included the screening of a documentary 'Wasted', which traces the path of garbage from our homes to the landfills and beyond, polluting the land and rivers.
A concert by Rahul Ram of the band Indian Ocean and Swecha's in-house band Jigri celebrated nature through music.
A painting competition for children was organised by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM, aimed at instilling a sense of responsibility and sensitivity in kids towards the environment.
Eminent police officer Kiran Bedi, who was present at both Swecha and ASSOCHAM's events, stressed that the future lay in the hands of the youth and the environment could be saved only by the participation of youngsters.
She narrated an incident when Tihar Jail actually turned garbage into profits.
'When I was in charge of Tihar jail, it was a pain to walk through it because the garbage there used to stink. One day a gentleman suggested that we use the garbage to make manure.
'And that's it! We got in experts who took charge of converting the garbage, which was degradable, into manure. The stink disappeared and we even started getting funds by selling the manure outside!' Bedi laughed.
'The moral of the story is that whether it's the Yamuna river or just a dirty canal down your road, you can clean up the place if you are determined. You just have to stick together in this endeavour,' she added.
© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service
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