International conference on environmental solutions held at Punjabi University

The Department of Zoology and Environmental Sciences, Punjabi University, Patiala, has organised a two-day international conference on “Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Management” in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Career Hub (EICH).

As many as 450 participants from different universities attended this conference. Onkar Singh Brraich, convener and organising secretary of the conference, introduced the topic and said that environment crisis was a global phenomenon, and Punjab could not be seen in isolation as numerous environmental problems were being face by the state as groundwater table was depleting due to sowing of water guzzling crops like paddy and wheat.

There are other issues like air quality, water pollution, loss of biodiversity and shrinking of wetlands cause of worry.

The conference covered main issues like climate change & global policy, renewable energy and clean technologies, biodiversity conservation & ecosystem management, sustainable agriculture & food security, water resources management, circular economy and waste management, environmental health and pollution control, environmental education and community engagement.

Himender Bharti, Director, EICH, Punjabi University, said in his special remarks that environment crisis was man-made. Vice-Chancellor Jagdeep Singh was chief guest on the occasion. In his inaugural address; he said that a lot had been discussed about environmental problems, but it was high time to discuss solutions. He advised students and participants to go in for start-ups to develop new technologies to combat environmental problems. Rasik Ravindra, former director, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa, delivered his key note address on the Expeditions to Antarctica.

Amit Dhir from Thapar University explained the Thapar model of waste water treatment. Jaspreet Singh, US, delivered talk on technology developed on sustainable firefighting foams for class-B fires.