Environment pollution & policy

TODAY our metropolitan cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai have become highly unhealthy due to an alarming level of air, water and noise pollution. Surprisingly, our forest resources have been ruthlessly destroyed for commercial gains. in the name of urban development, rural settlements have been wiped out in a big way.

Population explosion with its alarming demand for public utility services has created a congested environment in the metropolitan and large cities.

One of the causes of water pollution is the discharge of untreated industrial wastes in nearly all our rivers. In this connection, those who do not treat the industrial wastes before discharging it in rivers should be heavily fined by the concerned urban municipal authorities.

The use of lead-free petrol should be made compulsory in all the metropolitan and large cities. The city-based industries which pose health hazards should be shifted to safe locations. The marriage bands play should be restricted within a specified time period, and should not be allowed in late night hours. Loudspeakers should be banned and "jagratas" should be held in community halls. All these aspects of noise pollution need to be contemplated through the enactment of a Noise Pollution Act.

Extensive tree plantation should be made into a vital campaign in urban and forest areas. Above all, environmental education will have to be duly recognised and propagated through the mass media like radio and television. This will motivate people to conserve forest resources and control environmental pollution.

There is an imperative need to review environmental policy by identifying the impact of industries and their pollutant effects as a health hazard.

GOPAL BHARGAVA
Delhi

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Animal breeding & computers

It is heartening to learn that the Government of Punjab has started the computerisation of bull semen production. If carried out earnestly, this step can help Punjab to increase milk production at a faster rate and enable Punjabi farmers to earn higher profits by increasing the sale of milk to Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. However, it is suggested that the farmer should be allowed access to the benefits of computerisation in the following manner:

1. Computerisation of the conception rate achieved by each bull. This is important because a bull can produce more than one lakh semen doses, and a drop of 5 per cent in conception can cause a considerable loss to the state.

2. Computerisation of the conception rate achieved by each inseminator.

3. Computerisation of the birth, growth and maturity of each calf.

4. Computerisation of the milk yield of each cross-bred animal to ensure that the daughter-cow produces more than its mother-cow.

These steps will help millions of farmers to apply economic criteria to cattle rearing.

L.R. SHARMA
Solan

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Roof-top water harvesting

The Prime Minister of India has issued an appeal to the people of Delhi for adopting roof-top rain water harvesting as a means for recharging the ground water (June 6). His appeal is accompanied by sketches illustrating the manner in which this operation, which has the potential of yielding 6 million cubic meters (mcm) of water, should be carried out. As Delhi is in the grip of a severe water crisis, this 6 mcm can go a long way in helping it provided the whole of it can be pressed into use.

A study of these sketches shows that the precipitation from the roofs is to be directly carried to the recharging structure; there is no provision for any intermediary storage. As the rate of recharging is very much smaller than that of precipitation, it is clear that only a very small portion of rain-water will get utilised. This constraint cannot be overcome without storage, and these are not possible without land which is just not available in big cities.

I think because of this snag in the scheme, it shall not be possible to achieve the target of utilising 67 mcm of water, and the hopes linked with this project may never be realised.

S.P. MALHOTRA
Panchkula

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War heroes’ families

It is nice of the Punjab government to declare all victims (wounded/dead) of Operation Vijay as war heroes (though in stricter terms it is not a war). Also the state government has done well to raise the grant-in-aid to the widows of soldiers to Rs 2 lakh from a paltry Rs 15,000-Rs 25,000.

Notwithstanding these laudable steps, it is too little for too great a sacrifice. Anyone can see that. The aim of such gestures should be to see the family settled and progressing as it would have been when the war victim was alive. To that end we suggest the following measures:

(a) Issue of a martyrs identity card for the family and children guarantying free education to children till the graduation level, 50 per cent concession on railway and other modes of transportation.

(b) Job for the widow or grown-up children, or any other member of the family.

(c)Allotment of a residential plot/ accommodation if not possessed by the family.

(d) Honouring the family at various state/public functions from time to time.

To my mind this is the least this grateful nation can do for the defence personnel who lay down their lives while guarding the hostile and inhospitable frontiers of the nation.

A.S. RATTAN
Chandigarh

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Pak violations

After reading the front page signed editorial, "Time for George to go" by Mr Hari Jaisingh (June 2), I want to say that Pakistan has never cared to honour any of the accords singed with it so far. See the fate of the accord singed at Lahore recently.

I have been a Tribune reader since my days at Sikh National College, Lahore, and appreciate its projection of news and views.

K. K. DEVGUN
Amritsar

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Tailpiece

Guess as to what LoC has come to mean?

Answer: Line of Conflict.

K. J. S. AHLUWALIA
Amritsar