Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath raised serious concerns about the changing environment and ecosystem at the ‘Green India Summit’ on Saturday. He highlighted the alarming air quality in New Delhi, calling it a “gas chamber” for the past month, which has worsened conditions for respiratory patients and the elderly.
Adityanath linked environmental disasters to unplanned development and human habits. He pointed out the shifting monsoon pattern, which now runs from mid-August to mid-October, affecting farming schedules. This change, he said, leads to extreme weather conditions like floods in some areas and droughts in others, ruining farmers.
The CM also addressed water pollution, citing an increase in waterborne diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and stomach issues. He praised the Modi government’s ‘Har Ghar Nal’ scheme, which provides clean drinking water to help reduce these diseases.
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Yogi emphasized that unscientific development practices, such as dumping waste into rivers, have made life-sustaining rivers unhealthy. He also criticized the excessive use of pesticides, which has led to a rise in diseases. He recalled how the state had to run a “Cancer Train” for cancer patients, which reflected the widespread health impact of environmental neglect.
On a positive note, the CM discussed the state’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Since 2017, Uttar Pradesh has installed 16 lakh LED street lights, cutting down 9.4 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions and saving Rs 968 crore. He also mentioned the “PM Surya Ghar Yojana,” a solar energy scheme, which allows people to generate and sell electricity.
Adityanath shared that Uttar Pradesh has installed 204 solar power plants and planted crores of saplings. The state’s forest cover has reached 10%, with a target of 15% in the next three years. He also mentioned a 23,000-hectare land bank for renewable energy projects.
The CM stressed that polluted water and open defecation were significant health threats. He highlighted how encephalitis deaths in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, which claimed 50,000 children over 40 years, were caused by these factors. With clean water and toilets now available to every household, he said, encephalitis deaths have been eliminated within two years.
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