CM affirms commitment to clean environment, accuses developed countries for climate change
On the occasion of World Environment Day, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday affirmed the commitment to a cleaner environment said that blatant exploitation of natural resources by developed countries is the root cause of environmental problems faced by the world today.
Rupani was attending the launch of environment-friendly initiatives by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) at Tagore Hall. This included the launch of a drive to fill the Sabarmati river with treated sewage water, plant a million trees in the city and flagging of Joint Enforcement Teams (JET) of police and municipal staff to crack down on traffic violators, and violators of fire safety, construction or other laws.
"(The problem of) Climate change is because of developed countries. They have exploited resources. On the other hand, the philosophy of ancient Indian sages is based on the mutual well-being of all living beings and environment," said Rupani. Calling the initiative of AMC to refill Sabarmati river using sewage water 'a precedent for all the cities', Rupani said that it will be implemented in other cities of the state as well.
Sabarmati is counted among the most polluted rivers in the country, under the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB's) National Water Quality Programme.
"Recycle, reuse, reduce. This is the mantra we need to adapt. Depleting groundwater level is a matter of concern, and these steps help improve the water table," he added.
Mirroring AMC's move to grow one million plants in the city during monsoon, the chief minister said that 10 crore saplings will be planted across the state.
Mayor Bijal Patel, who also graced the event, said that the drive will increase the green cover of the city from 4.6 per cent to 15 per cent. "Cutting of trees has reached dangerous levels, aggravating the nuisance of pollution. We need to make the city green for the future of coming generations," said Patel. Moreover, the drive to clean Sabarmati river will be monitored round the clock to ensure that no one makes it dirty again.
The chief minister reiterated that Gujarat will continue to make efforts to generate green energy. Five thousand megawatts of solar energy will be produced in Dholera SIR region, for which tenders have already been floated and the work will soon take off. Similarly, wind power will be generated along the corridor of Kutch to Dwarka.
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