New Delhi, Nov.10 (ANI): People with respiratory problems are finding it tough to breathe Delhi's heavily polluted air a day after the celebration of Diwali, a hugely popular festival of lights. On Saturday, the capital's streets bore testimony to the firecracker mania of the night before. Streets and by-lanes were littered with scraps of burst crackers. Numerous campaigns to wean people away from bursting crackers on Diwali fell flat as people burst crackers with gusto. "Yesterday, people celebrated Diwali. Children enjoyed crackers and our house was full of smoke. There was some problem in the night, people were coughing and there was some breathing problem as well, said Radha Sharma, a local. Candles and lamps were lit in homes and crackers were burst to celebrate the ancient folklore of the return of the warrior king Lord Rama after his victory over the demon king Ravana.
While it's time to celebrate, environmentalists raise concerns, as there is a dramatic increase in pollution levels, posing severe health hazards. Legend has it that millions of lamps were lit when Lord Rama returned after 14 years of self-exile. Diwali is also celebrated in honour of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is believed that Lakshmi enters only those homes that are clean and well lit. Preparations begin many days before the festival. Houses are whitewashed, new clothes are stitched and sweets and dry- fruits gifted to relatives and friends. (ANI) -AJ
Labels: Environment
MP: Jaipur, Oct 29 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil will inaugurate the
12th World Lake Conference 'Taal 2007' here today.
The conference with the theme of conservation and sustainability of
water bodies and wetlands will be attended by experts from around the
world and will discuss ways in which lakes can be conserved.
This is the first time that this conference is being held in the South
Asian region.
This will be the President's first visit to Rajasthan since she was
sworn-in in July. President Patil was the Governor of Rajasthan before
she was elected as the President of India.
She will return to New Delhi on the same evening.
The five-day conference will revolve around five major themes of
science and lakes, conservation and management, special group of
lakes, socio-economic aspects and special sessions.
It will focus on bio-diversity and conservation, lake catchments and
eco-system process, invasive species and wind control besides
fisheries, zone management, eco-hydrology, community participation and
legal and regulatory frameworks.
It will have participants from Russia, Australia, Austra, China,
Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Zimbabwe, Canada, the US, the
Phillippines, Czech Republic, Poland and Japan.
The conference is in the series of conferences held every two years
since 1985, under the aegis of the International Lake Environment
Committee (ILEC) Foundation (Japan).
A special logo has been adopted for the conference. The logo
represents natural lakes in the Himalayan belt and other hilly regions
of the country. It depicts their recreational and spiritual cultural
significance in Indian society.
The 'shikara' (boat) in the logo reflects also their value for tourism
and livelihoods. Further, the leaves of 'chinar' symbolize the natural
vegetated catchments, so essential for maintaining high water quality
in the lakes. (ANI)
Labels: Environment
