Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil has urged all stakeholders, including government and non-government agencies, industry, scientific community and activists, to create higher levels of awareness about scientific waste management practices.
“India is the world’s fifth largest economy which is aspiring to be a dollar five trillion economy in a few years. This cannot happen without rapid industrialisation and the process is on as we can all see. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that industries produce large amount of hazardous and non-hazardous waste material. There has to be increased focus on the importance of scientific waste management practices so that pollution levels are reduced. To achieve that, we need to create awareness about issues related to environment protection and conservation. All stakeholders should work towards it,” he said.
He was speaking at the valedictory function of an international conference on “Hazardous Materials Management and Environmental Practices” at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) here on Tuesday.
“The world has piled up unprecedented levels of medical waste after the COVID-19 epidemic. It is our duty to find effective ways to manage such kind of waste,” he said.
He urged delegates to think innovatively on various aspects and try to address issues related to waste management and ensure sustainable growth of the country.
He urged students to act as ambassadors of clean air, water and soil. They should also create the necessary awareness.
“All of us, including ordinary city dwellers, are waste producers. It is our responsibility to see that we adapt practices such as segregation of waste and hazardous materials in a scientific manner,” he said.
Vice-Chancellor Vidyashankar S. said that Visvesvaraya Technological University will includie Hazardous Materials and Management subject as compulsory credit course in the curriculum.
Registrar B.E. Rangaswamy, Registrar (Evaluation) T.N. Sreenivasa, chairperson of the department Nagaraj Patil and member of the organising committee G.C. Ranganath were present.
The university organized the conference in association with the Institute of Environment and Hazardous Materials Management, Bengaluru, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Bengaluru, and the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals, Rockville, Maryland, U.S.
