Shobha chants environment mantra

BANGALORE: Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) should frame policies and take stringent action against those violating the environmental rules, Energy and Civil Supplies Minister Shobha Karandlaje said here on Saturday.“We have done much damage to the environment. The Hebbal lake in Bangalore has become a place for industries to release untreated effluents. The Pollution Control Board cannot ignore this fact,” she said at the inauguration of a two-day seminar on ‘Role of Women in Environment Protection’.She said, “Women should concentrate on protecting the environment starting with their day to day chores. Waste segregation has been talked about, but it does not seem to be practised in reality. People should not wait for the civic bodies or the Pollution Control Board to act on certain issues. If they find something is being polluted, they have to raise voice collectively,” she said.Speaking about drinking water problems, the Minister said, “Out of 28,000 villages in the State, as many as 16,000 villages do not have drinking water facility and the government has failed to act upon it.”She further said, “It is surprising that watershed regions like Mandya district have witnessed fluoride in water. Not just water, air and sound pollution, we have damaged even the soil. People should be encouraged to do organic farming and protect the farmlands. Organic Farming Mission is relatively new and it will time for it to be implemented fully,” she added.