BHUBANESWAR: Meetings, rallies, exhibitions and distribution of pamphlets marked the observance of the World Environment Day here on Sunday. At a programme organised under the aegis of Orissa Environmental Society and Bhubaneswar chapter of Indian Science Congress Association, the participants took a pledge to espouse the cause of the environment. Addressing the gathering, former chairman of State Pollution Control Board Lalit Narayan Patnaik said though population growth has been slow in recent years, it is having a significant effect on the environment. “People are leading a luxury-based lifestyle while it was a need-based lifestyle a few years back. As a result, pressure on the environment is increasing and natural resources are fast sinking,” he said. Speaking on tiger population in India with a special reference to Orissa, former research scientist with Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Office Lala Aswin Kumar Singh said the camera-trap method of counting tigers is faulty. “Saroj Raj Cahudhary who domesticated Khairi - the tigress - had introduced the pug mark method of counting tigers which is fool-proof and scientific as no two tigers have the same pug marks,” he said. Suggesting for conservation of eco-systems, he said natural ecosystems had undergone more man-made changes in the past few years. “Fresh water supplies, air quality and climate conditions have degraded significantly as humans continue to alter natural terrains,” he said. Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park Sudarshan Panda said the State Government had been taking a number of steps for conservation of eco-systems in the State but a lot more needs to be done on this front. Later in the day, a ‘Say No to Polythene Campaign’ was launched by The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), State unit, India Green, a voluntary organisation, and the BMC.
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