Accord top priority to reprocess e-waste: K'taka Minister Khandre
Bengaluru, Sep 3: Karnataka Forest and Environment Minister B Eshwar Khandre said on Tuesday there is a dire need to adopt the practices of regeneration of solid waste, which is posing a grave threat to nature.
Speaking at the 5th Re-Commerce Expo, being held here till September 5, he said the need of the hour is to give top priority to regenerate and reprocess e-waste, batteries, and other electronic goods.
"This will not only be economically viable but also environmentally friendly," Khandre added.
According to the Minister, the collapse of hills and earth sinking at Shirur in the state and Wayanad in Kerala were a warning for us.
ALSO READ: Bengaluru: BBMP reports property tax arrears amounting to Rs. 474 crores
"We need to be vigilant and make plans to avoid such tragedies. Pollution is rampant in the atmosphere as well as in water due to increase in electronic goods, batteries as well as industrial pollution. It is our duty to protect mankind from these vagaries of nature that are posing a grave threat to the world," Khandre added.
He emphasised the need to blend the development and production process without damaging ecology and environment.
"There are huge opportunities for the younger generation to work on this subject," he added.
Venkatreddy D Patil, CEO of Urdhva Management, organisers of Re-Expo, said: "Our main aim is to strengthen processing for which the number of partners should increase. We need to re-process mobile, batteries and laptops and put it to use without harming the ecology and environment."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
