Skip to content Skip to navigation

NE can learn from big city disaster: Keya Acharya

Guwahati, May 17: Senior journalist and researcher on environment and development issues, Keya Acharya expressed concern over the state of environment across the country and said that Bengaluru can be an example of environmental mismanagement for states in northeast India, which still have comparatively less pollutants.

Keya said this while interacting with journalists in Guwahati Press Club today through video conferencing and said that fifty four percent of India has become water stressed now.

“While cities like Bengaluru are already suffering due to environmental degradation, states in India’s northeast could definitely learn not to follow examples from states like Karnataka,” she said while stressing that rain water harvesting should be made mandatory in all growing cities while initiating new constructions.

“Rain water should be considered as a resource and used as a resource as well. This is more relevant for states in the northeast India which receive more rainfall,” she said adding that the government should also lay more stress on garbage disposal system.

“The garbage disposal system in Bengaluru has affected the water bodies negatively triggering series of environmental problems. The stress should be on segregation of waste so that agencies could pick them up and dispose properly,” she said.

The senior journalist also expressed of concern over the lack of political and public awareness will to address the environmental problems in India and said that she had not come across a single speech during the current elections which is focused on environment. Most political parties had some environmental issues included in their manifestos but there were superficially addressed.

She also expressed concern over the media’s role to highlight environmental issues. She added that the influence of media editors had diminished, which had impacted the quality of news. Keya said that the editorial space in media has been encroached by interests of the owners, which has also led to diminishing of space for people centric issues like environment.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Nagaland ready for polls

26 Feb 2018 - 10:55am | AT News
MARCUS KANYAK KOHIMA: A mammoth security arrangement is in place in Nagaland as the north eastern state is going to the assembly polls on Tuesday. Polling officials, mostly, have reached their...

Terrorist targeting non-believers worldwide

5 Dec 2008 - 3:30pm | editor
HTML clipboard The world stands united in unreserved, condemnation of this latest atrocity. By singling out Britons, Americans and Indians and Israilis, they demonstrated that there are brand of...

ULFA(I) serves quit Assam notices to NHPC, NEEPCO

5 Sep 2017 - 8:20am | AT News Guwahati
The United Liberation Front of Asom (I) has served quit Assam notice to NHPC and NEEPCO warning the hydel power giants of dire consequences.  In a statement issued to media on Monday, the...

Footballer Apurna Narzary to receive Emerging Player award in Bodoland Territorial Region

15 Apr 2023 - 9:33am | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Apurna Narzary, an international women's football player, has been nominated for the Emerging Player award for 2022-23 by the Sports & Youth Welfare department of the government of Bodoland...

Other Contents by Author

Guwahati: A Career Awareness Workshop was organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology on 3rd September,2022 at Dharapur Higher Secondary School, Dharapur. The welcome speech of the workshop was given by Utpal Sarma, Principal of Dharapur Higher Secondary School. The resource persons for the workshop were Dr. Buljit Buragohain, a prominent career counsellor of the state and Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering of Assam Don Bosco University School of Technology and Pranjal Sarma, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Apart from clearing the...
Dibrugarh/Dhemaji: Historical, mythological conclusions and anthropological studies have proven Gorkhas to be not just indigenous but also aborigines of the Himalayan mountain range and we are progenies of an aboriginal community so the Government of Assam should soon declare Gorkhas as an indigenous community of Assam through gazette notification and create Gorkha Autonomous Council (GAC) for overall constitutional security and prosperity. This was stated by GACDC chairperson Harka Bahadur Chetry while interacting with media persons on Sunday at Dibrugarh airport on his arrival from New Delhi after receiving the prestigious ‘Pillar of Society’ international award conferred by an INGO...
On 16th August the Department of Sociology, Cotton University in collaboration with Anamaya-tribal health collaborative organised a dialogue on Tribal Health and Culture Interlinkages. The key speakers at the event were Dr. Forhad Akhtar Zaman, Additional Professor and Head, Department of Community & Family Medicine, AIIMS-Guwahati; Dr. Anil Kumar Boro, Head of Department, Department of Folklore Research, Gauhati University and Dr.Mitra Das, Deputy Director, Assam Institute of Research For Tribals And Scheduled Castes, Government of Assam. The event ended with a moving mime performance on sustainable use of forests and conserving medicinal plants by artist Mina. Such...
The unprecedented early floods in the state of Assam have affected more than 5 million people. Following a Rapid Need Assessment (RNA) in the district of Nagaon, NEADS has activated its humanitarian response among the hardest-hit communities in the crisis ravaged areas. With Start Fund funding, NEADS has initiated humanitarian assistance among vulnerable people where the local organisation is reaching out with essential dry rations, non-food items, dignity and WASH support targeting a total of 1100 worst ravaged families in the Kathiyatoli development block in the district. Along with emergency relief aid, NEADS is trying to promote community level awareness and sensitization of Public...
As part of the international webinar series on Different facets of Sankaradeva Studies, organized by Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva, the sixth webinar was held in association with Naamghar Association of America, USA (NAAM) and Delphic Council of North East India on 29th May, 2022. Dr Ratul Chandra Bora, former Registrar of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya was the resource person. He delivered lecture on “Srimanta Sankaradeva and Guru Nanak”. The webinar was moderated by Dr Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, author and scholar of Sankari culture, who is also President of Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva. Dr Ratul Chandra Bora said that both Srimanta...
Guwahati: Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) has expressed grave concern over the news relating to the execution of two Assamese youths by the separatist militant outfit with the conviction of spying for Assam police and demanded the government to take a serious note out of its serious implication. The forum of nationalist citizens also urged the media outlets, precisely the news channels, not to glorify the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) for its illogical actions. Mentionable is that the banned outfit has claimed on Saturday morning that it has punished two of its young cadres with capital punishment. In a statement sent to media houses, the Ulfa(I) claimed that their...
The United Liberation Front of Assam (I) handed down the death penalty to two of its cadres for their alleged involvement with espionage. In a press communique, the outlawed outfit said that its two cadres, Sanjiv Sarma and Dhanjit Das, were found to be involved in espionage. The cadres were given extreme punishments, it added. “ They were spies. In front of our inquiry officer, they conceded their activities,'' the release further said.
An Assam court grants bail to MLA Jignesh Mevani in the assault case and pulls up police for filing false FIR against him. Jignesh Mevani was slapped with another case and was arrested on Monday night for the second time soon after he was granted bail by a court in Kokrajhar. Jignesh's  first arrest, based on an FIR filed by Arup Kumar Dey, a BJP worker from Kokrajhar. He had alleged Mevani of making derogatory tweets against PM Modi and of inciting enmity between the two communities. Whereas there was nothing wrong with that tweet, claimed Raijor Dal supremo Akhil Gogoi. While Mevani managed bail for his case, he was again arrested by the Barpeta Police for assaulting a...
Diphu and Dibrugarh: People thronged through thousands in Diphu to catch a glimpse of Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister was in the hills district on Thursday. Modi highlighted the initiative to uplift Assam like never before as he opened a few hospitals from the same venue attended by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union minister Sarbanda Sonowal.  The district administration engaged around 15000 buses and other vehicles to ferry the from far flung areas allegedly causing huge inconvenience for the common people.   Many vital roads remain inaccessible for people because of VVIP security and halting of vehicles.  Even buses from Guwahati city were...
Guwahati: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) has alleged a nefarious conspiracy by police and the army to crush their spine, engaging a section of youths who were dispatched to the jungles to join the rebel outfit. In a statement sent to media,  the proscribed outfit claimed to have caught the conspiracy as they grilled a youth from Baihata Chariali in Kamrup who recently joined the outfit.  They have published a list of youths who were trained to target the outfit.. During interrogation by ULFA men inside the jungles, the youths allegedly named a few police officers who had a huge role in the entire conspiracy.