Kasturirangan calls for integrated strategy for Waste Management

Bangalore, July 8 (UNI) Former ISRO Chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, MP, today called for an integrated strategy for Waste Management to protect environment.

Speaking after inaugurating a one-day Seminar on Urban Waste Management organised by National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) here, he said that all sections of the people, stake holders, NGOs should be involved in Waste Management which is critical to protect environment.

Dr Kasturirangan said that Waste Management was a multi-dimensional problem and should be tackled at the earliest as migration of people into Urban areas was increasing every day.

In 1960 people who lived in Urban areas in the country was one billion, in 1985 it rose to two billion and three billion in 2002 and projected increase was four billion by 2013 and five billion by 2030 he added.

In the world urban population was more in Asia and Africa. In Asia half of the population lives in urban areas. In India 742 million live in rural area and 285 million in urban area. In Karnataka, which is 11th most urbanised State in the country, the growth is 34 per cent annually and Bangalore is the fifth largest urbanised city in the country.

With increase in urbanisation the waste management is posing a great problem. '' Unless we take concrete steps involving all sections of people in Waste Management with growing urban population, it may become crucial to protect environment and failure may lead to disaster'' Dr Kasturirangan said.

He suggested utilising organic waste for producing energy.

He said though the Green Revolution had made country self sufficient in Food grains production, it had led to 11 million hectares becoming fallow. ''We need integrated strategy to tackle the problem. Stake holders should be involved, contribution by different heads and sections is important in Waste Management. It was not the job of the government, organisational structure is necessary to tackle the problem'', he added.

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