PALAMPUR, JUNE 12 DECADES back, Palampur became famous the world over for Kangra tea. But, that was just one aspect. Palampur, in the local dialect, means pulum which means ‘‘world for lots of water’’. It’s water that gave the valley its name because of countless streams and brooks criss-crossing the local landscapes.
And now, one of the nine focal-points which emerged from the three-day discussions at the eighth World Congress on Environment Management (WCEM 2006) here was the disappearance of water-filled natural streams and climatic changes, seriously threatening the old hilly character of the town in the Dhauladhar footfills.
‘‘The climatic change is here and now, and cannot be considered an issue of the future,’’ the Congress declared in the end. Madhav Mehra, a leading environment campaigner and president of UK-based World Environment Foundation, identified the key areas of environmental degradation and global concerns. The Congress was quick to adopt his 11-point action plan ‘PROACTIVE’ and also the other recommendations at the meet.
Besides a global agenda for action, which Mehra proposes to carry forward, the Congress decided to translate its action on the ground and develop Palampur as an ‘ECO-MODEL’ habitation. While the Congress proposed to work out the modalities for its action, the State Government was also asked to take initiatives for restoring Palampur’s character and put a full stop to its degradation. Even on the opening day, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh himself had sounded a note of caution towards the ecological changes threatening the value of natural resources like rivers and small streams originating from the glaciers.
‘‘Snow and glaciers, the most valuable resources on which the hill population has remained dependent, are on a decline. This is an alarming scenario and its impact is already being felt,’’ the Chief Minister admitted. In its recommendations the Congress, holding that most of the climatic changes are a result of human activities, suggested a public civic society and private partnership to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change.
‘‘Time has come to introduce a system of economic incentives and disincentives that will support the effort to preserve the environment,’’ it said. The Congress suggested that an eco-tax be levied on those engaged in commercial activities that lead to environmental depletion.
The participants strongly advocated the need for minimal use of the natural resources and also their reuse through recycling. It also suggested spreading awareness among the people and activating women’s and children’s groups.
Elaborating his 11-point action plan, Mahav Mehra spoke about the need for increasing energy efficiency, adoption of closed-loop and zero-waste systems, increasing investments in green issues and vigorously pursuing a market mechanism to punish the polluters — a principle laid down by former Chief Justice A M Ahmadi, who was also a key speaker at the Congress.
Other areas of discussion included strategies to prevent global warming, urban and hazardous waste management and sustainable energy strategies for environment management.
