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Against Plastic Pollution

An environmental NGO declares campaign against the use of plastic bags to mark the Earth Day 2000

By A CORRESPONDENT

SEF activists : Fighting for right cause

Even after the removal of smoke-belching three wheelers, Kathmanduites are yet to heave a sigh of relief. Plastic and polyethene bags are now threatening the fragile environment of the valley.

At a time when the country is witnessing some serious consequences of the use of plastic and polyethene products, Save the Environment Foundation (SEF), a local NGO, has sounded an alarm bell calling for stopping their use.

According to an estimate, about 100 small polyethene factories are responsible for half of the solid waste in the Kathmandu valley.

To ban the use of plastic and polyethene in the valley needs much efforts as it took nearly a decade to evict the smoke-belching Vikram tempos out of the city. Thanks to former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who himself was responsible for bringing these tempos to Kathmandu ten years ago, more than 1000 such polluting tempos were removed from the valley. The Kathmanduites are now looking for another Bhattarai who can take drastic decision to clean the environment of the city.

Save the Environment Foundation (SEF) - a women led NGO - always adheres to its peculiar way to carry out meaningful programs.

When other non-governmental organizations were leading students marches at the main road of the capital, SEF activists were busy sensitizing local population against the use of plastic.

Although growing air and water pollution received greater attention from all NGOs and governmental organization, use of plastic seemed nobody's concern. Almost half of the garbage problems of the municipalities in the country could get solved, if alternatives to the plastic are available.

With the aim to sensitize people about the harmful effects of the use of plastic, SEF has launched a campaIgn against it. To mark the first earth day of this millennium, more than 500 jute or paper bags were distributed free of cost to the grocery-owners in the areas like Gairidhara, Putalisadak and Thapathali by the SEF as samples that could substitute the dependency on plastic bags.

The Group also handed over a memorandum to the Ministry of Environment demanding immediate ban on non-biodegradable polyethene bags which are popular in all parts of the country.

"We are encouraged by the response from people in different parts of the valley," said Chanda Rana, President of the foundation. "Our aim is to introduce alternatives against harmful plastic bags."

Other non-governmental organizations like Leaders Nepal, The Explorer Nepal Group, Eco Club Net Work, Kathmandu 2020, Martin Chautari and Ministry of Environment and Population also jointly organized programs to mark the day.

With a slogan of Clean Energy: An Answer To Global Warming, the participants warned about possible consequences of global warming.

Nepal is vulnerable to the global warming as some of the major glaciers in the Himalayan regions have started to melt due to rising in the temperature.

According to Department of Hydrology and Metrology, the temperature in the country is increasing from 0.1 to 0.18 degree celsius in the last 30 years. The decreasing visibility in the capital also showed the extent of problems arising out of global warming.