Sustainable Environment to be taken in Manifesto of State Assembly Election-2017:CEED

Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) launched the 100% UP Campaign in Lucknow on Sunday this week.

The UP campaign aims at creating a sustainable environment in the state by moving towards renewable energy; highlighting measures for healthy air and clean water, and ensuring proper waste management.

The problems in UP are Rapid urbanization and development, which has led to increase level of pollution in every part of the state.

According to the WHO, four of most polluted cities are in UP. As per the 2005 inventory, UP is the highest emitting state of India that contributes to nearly 14% of national greenhouse gases.

80 million people in the rural parts of the state, and 5 million people in urban area, are still living without access to modern electricity. Improper solid waste disposal has compromised the quality of land, water and air.

Ms. Surabhi Shikha, Head- Programs of CEED, clarified, “High level of pollution is a hard hitting reality; we cannot afford to delay any longer and must make immediate amendments to the safeguard of environment.”

“The air is getting more and more toxic by the day, and the pollution in the water bodies has reached to a severe level. Improper waste management and the increasing dependency on fossil fuels have further accelerated the environmental issues”, she added.

“The campaign aims to raise awareness and gather support from 10 lakh people with the help of civil society groups across UP. The support received shall become a unanimous voice that demands from the political parties to include it in their manifesto during the upcoming state assembly elections in 2017. There has to be absolute political consensus to eradicate pollution from our daily lives”, Ms. Shikha concluded.