Venkaiah Naidu bats for segregation of city waste

New Delhi: Union urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday urged residents of the national capital to segregate waste at their houses and shops to avoid causing damage to the environment.

Mr Naidu said that bins with different colours should be used to segregate the waste in every house and shop. Green bins should be used for the wet waste and blue for the dry waste.

The urban development minister was addressing a gathering after launching a campaign on segregation of waste at the source in the National Capital Region (NCR) on World Environment Day.

Underlining the need for management of municipal solid waste, the minister said that it would help protect the environment, preservation of earth from climate change and segregation of waste to reduce the littering in the public place and make waste into the wealth by recycling. Incorrect disposal and burning practice of solid waste results in climate change, he added.

Explaining the ill-effects of the incorrect ways of waste disposal, Mr Naidu said the burning of unsegregated solid waste caused the emission of greenhouse gases. He also referred to a study, which revealed that 15 diseases, including hepatitis, cholera and malaria, were caused due to improper solid waste management.

Mr Naidu talked about the efforts of the Centre in converting waste into energy.

On the occasion, an agreement, under which the Delhi Metro will purchase ‘green’ power, was signed between two parties.

Besides flagging off segregated waste collection vehicles, Mr Naidu also released a book of cartoons, which highlights the importance of solid waste management.

Expressing her concern over the quantum of air pollution, MP, Meenakashi Lekhi said that if we do not take care of ecological balance, we will have to face the adverse consequences.