Green science, Green Management & Green Engineering must be promoted on priority to stave off perils of pollution : AIU President Prof . P.B Sharma
Reacting sharply to high
pollution levels in the country, Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
President Prof P.B Sharma has said there is a need also to foster the growth of
Green Science, Green Engineering and Green Management in fact Green consciousness
and spirit of sustainability in all aspects of in the University life.
He said there is no escape
from the growing challenge and it must be tackled by all with full devotion
before it is too late. All universities and colleges in India must echo in the
corridors of University the need for care and concern for environmental health.
He said everyone should collectively put one’s best efforts to
create the public pressure on policy makers and on those who are responsible
for implementing the policies and programs."It makes me sad that pollution
control boards, like CPCB are busy only in pollution monitoring, while they
should be implementing a zero tolerance policy for polluting industry,
organisations and individuals", said Prof Sharma reacting to the pathetic
health of the environment in the country.
We need to wage a war against air and water
pollution in India to tackle the monumental problem of severly degraded health
of the environment, Prof Sharma advocated.
Civic Sense, Peace,
Nonviolence and Sustainability must find space in the curriculum of degree
programs.
"Cutting edge research
and innovations to develop new science and technology for abatement of air,
water and soil pollution should form the focus areas for R&D.
The government on its part
should come out with a strategic plan of action to achieve the target of AQI of
less than 20 by 2020. Massive drive for waste water treatment and extensive
water harvesting drive be taken up as National Missions".
"I feel happy that at
Amity University Gurugram we have attained the status of Platinum category LEED
certification for our Green building design, extensive water harvesting, zero
wastewater discharge, waste water treatment and it's recycle and reuse and
energy efficiency in all our operation and maintenance systems. In fact green
building design and sustainability marks a unique identity of all our Amity
campuses in India. I am sure a number of leading Indian Universities are
implementing sustainability and green engineering in their campuses.
"We need to make
environmental sustainability and maintenance of ecological balance a core
values for all universities in India. This is the best way to inspire the youth
of India to work for creating a bright future for our current and future generations.
But the task has to be pursued with utmost sincerity and devotion to the cause
so important for our wellbeing" .
Quoting a latest news
report, he said India is at the bottom of the list in the environmental health
category, it ranks 178 out of 180 as far as air quality is concerned. Its
overall low ranking — 177 among 180 countries — was linked to poor performance
in the environment health policy and deaths due to air pollution categories.
The report was released on
the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
It said deaths attributed
to ultra-fine PM2.5 pollutants have risen over the past decade and are
estimated at 1,640,113 annually in India.
Switzerland leads the world
in sustainability, followed by France, Denmark, Malta and Sweden in the EPI,
which found that air quality is the leading environmental threat to public
health.
Overall, India (at 177) and
Bangladesh (179) come in near the bottom of the rankings, with Burundi,
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nepal rounding out the bottom five.
“India’s low scores are
influenced by poor performance in in the Environmental Health policy objective.
Deaths attributed to PM2.5 have risen over the past decade and are estimated at
1,640,113, annually [Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2017].
“Despite government action,
pollution from solid fuels, coal and crop residue burning, and emissions from
motor vehicles continue to severely degrade the air quality for millions of
Indians,” the report said.
Great thought and nice article.
ReplyDeleteFew words which has deep sense wrt article I liked most:GM, GS, GE & Environmental threat. One can think about these vocabulary and act for the betterment of society n their own health. Thanks Prof Sharma sir to highlights the current scenario and future aspects.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dr Khushboo for your kind observations.
DeleteThe cause of environmental health is now to be pushed with a sense of urgency.
Rec'd through WhatsApp from Sri Krishnakumar MB:
ReplyDeleteWell, as a national body of highest order, AIU has to assume the stature quasi administrative system within the Government system. We have seen authoritarian exercises of commissions for UGC and educational policies drafted entirely by the administrative machinery. Both are dangerous. India is lacking a political system that can lay the frame work of educational policies and the system relies on the inputs from the delivering ends. This has happened in matters relating to environment.
India is the forerunner of creating an administrative structure, which is evident from the epic illustration " Ayodhyaam Adavim" in Ramayana. To create a proper structure of administration for forest dwellers. Later in 324 BC we fee the governmental order creating Abayaranya or sanctuaries. Sacred groves of Khasi people of Meghalaya, and snake groves of Kerala and snake worship all along India underlies in the principles of Rational Management. We can see modern India of the new world order relied on stone crafting for temples and palaces. There was no history of clear felling of forests. The world wars saw the large scale destruction of forests. Railway lines, automobiles, urbanisation costed us a lot by the time India became a Republic.
Planting trees is not a solution to balance the ecosystem. We need to equally reduce the radiant surfaces. High rise buildings, black top roads, indoor climate, automobile thermal control are all fuelling the unnatural radiant surfaces. No building made of concrete is eco-friendly. Bamboo, clay, wood and agroforestry wastes are natural means.
It is like the environmentalist preaching deforestation using toilet paper! We address reducing use of paper, Tissue papers and napkins are acceptable!
Is it right that climate is affected by human intervention alone?
We have the first Scientific input on Universal Drift in the Agneyam of Veda and it's extension Yoga Sutra. Climate is never constant, it is transient, and it's interphases are dictated by the laws of Universal Drift. Even if humans do not do the damage, it will change. So what is to be done ?
Wish AIU explore this aspect.
Any law of nature without considering the radius of gyration of planetary motion together with the universal drift and the electrical wave characteristics of the universal system is only a wasteful academic exercise. Hope the wave theories of Agneyam is understood. We do not have gadgets to see and only through faculty growth, development and advancement these can be attained. What proton colliders can't study at high amplitude that is already here. Yet we dont move forward. What I am talking is Abrahmanyam.
Hope, all vice Chancellors do a good thought over it and if it happens during your initiative, it will be a great step forward.
Krishna Kumar MB