Sahara Samay , Friday, August 31, 2007

Correspondent : Staff reporter

New Delhi, Aug 30: Faced with the danger of receding Himalayan Glaciers causing havoc with the regional ecology, India has taken up the issue with China for a joint solution to the problem of climatic changes, the Rajya Sabha was informed today."I myself had raised the issue with the Chinese President and it was agreed that there should be more discussions for modalities," to work out a joint solution, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.He said that the melting of glaciers was an important issue because it can have catastrophic effect on the ecology of not only the region but also the world.According to the Working Group-II of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, the Himalayan Glaciers are receding faster than any part of the world.The Chinese Academy of Sciences has found rapid melting of glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau."The melting of the glaciers will ultimately trigger more droughts, expand the desertification and increase sand storms. Melting also threatens disruption of water supply as many rivers emanate from the Himalayas," Minister of State for Environment and Forests Namo Narain Meena said.Intervening in the reply to a question on the protection of rivers, the Prime Minister said while there was improvement in checking pollution in the Ganga, much more needs to be done."...I will be the last person to say that the improvement has been to our satisfaction," he said.In his reply, Meena said a total of Rs. 2,940 crore had been spent on cleaning of major rivers, including Ganga. However in respect of river Yamuna the quality of water has not shown desired results.

SOURCE : Sahara Samay, Friday, 31 August 2007