Alert on air pollution: CEP to Mizoram people

Aizawl, Jan 22: Aizawl-based Centre for Environment Protection (CEP) has appealed to the people of Mizoram to be alert over the increasing air pollution.

During winters, the atmosphere about 100-500 metres above the land is covered with dust and this increases the chances of various health hazards, a CEP statement warned today.

Hence the CEP urged the people to reduce the level of waste production especially during the season.

The environment protection group has urged the government to enforce Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000 in a strict way to reduce air, water and soil pollution.

''Proper place for waste production and fabrication as well as collection of waste materials, as demanded by the law, are to be consigned,'' it underlined.

The group also demanded stringent imposition of Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998 to regulate bio-medical wastes by hospitals, nursing homes, clinical laboratories and animal husbandries.

''These are causing hazardous effects and Common Treatment Centre as obligated by the law be implemented soon,'' the statement added.

According to the statement, about 3,30,000 tonnes of electronic waste (E-waste) has been produced by India during 2007 which demands an immediate enforcement of the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 1989, the CEP urged.

The CEP is a regional resource agency for national environment awareness campaign under the Ministry of Environment and Forest with its office at Tuikual South here.

UNI