CM flags off green rally

Hyderabad, June 5 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy today exhorted people from all walks of life to commit and rededicate themselves to the common task of preserving the natural environment, free from all types of pollution and degradation.

The state government was committed to changing the lives of dry land dwellers towards sustained progress and prosperity, he said, while flagging off the 'Green Rally' here on the occasion of World Environment Day today.

He said it was essential to protect the environment, particularly dry lands, from turning into deserts. Special attention should be focussed on dry lands in the districts of Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Prakasam, Chittoor, Mahaboobnagar, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda and Medak.

This year Environment Day was observed the worldover with the specific theme of 'Desertification' with the slogan 'Don't desert Dry Lands', as one-third of the world's population lived in dry lands covering 40 per cent of the planet, out of which 10-20 per cent of dry lands were already degraded.

Each year 20 million hectare of precious agricultural land were degraded. The government was already covering 22 districts in the state with 6935 watersheds, cultivating five lakh acre, four lakh acres being afforested. A series of programmes had been taken up in coordination with Forest, Rural Development and Ground Water Departments, the Chief Minister said.

He advocated preservation of top soil, using water judiciously, using bio-fertilizers, protecting fertile land, rotating crops, preserving forests, harvesting rain water and using ground water collectively. On solid waste management, he wanted officials to look at industrial hazardous waste, municipal solid waste, bio-medical waste, plastic waste and so on.

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