'Make development environment-friendly'

Rupandehi, Sept 27 : The experts have suggested all three tiers of government to pay heed to food insecurity and growing risk in livelihood caused by climate change. The governments have been asked to introduce effective plans to minimize the climate change effects.    
    
At a province level conference organized by the Annapurna Media Network on 'climate change and good governance' here Monday, speakers said there is no option but to make development activities friendly to environment.    
    
Minister for Finance and Cooperative, Krishna Dhwoj Khadka, however, said the issues of environment had caused slowing development activities. He said the Lumbini Province government had issued the Environment Act, 2077 in a bid to make every development work environment friendly.     
    
Member of President Chure Tarai Madhes Conservation Development Committee, Dr Sushmita Dhakal, presented a working paper on climate change and Lumbini Province at the conference and informed that 15 local levels were vulnerable in the province in terms of climate change impact.    
    
The districts as Rolpa, Pyuthan and Nawalparasi were in mild impact while Kapilvastu, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi and Dang were less vulnerable and Banke, Palpa and Rupandehi were in the least vulnerable list.    
     
She suggested the government that it became attentive to people's security rather than setting up view towers. Risk management centres could be established instead of view towers, she stressed.    
    
Former president of forest and environment committee of the Lumbini Province Assembly, Jalpa Bhusal, said the hilly districts Rolpa and Rukum were at risk of land erosion. She claimed that province government failed to pay heed to climate change issues.    
    
"Unless political leadership makes climate change and its impact in human society a major agenda, it would be shadowed forever," said Dr Damodar Bhusal, Member of Province Planning Commission.    
    
On the occasion, Sunwal Municipality Mayor Bimala Aryal expressed commitment that they would study the climate change impacts on human life and allocate annual budget by aligning with policy and programmes. She informed that her municipality had adopted the policy to create ponds and cultivate barren lands by encouraging farmers.    
    
Chief of forest management, planning and monitoring division at Forest and Environment Ministry of Lumbini Province, Narayan Dev Bhattarai, opined that climate change agenda could be sustained with scientific forest management.    
    
A journalist reporting on environment, Yubraj Kandel, blamed that politicians, ministers and lawmakers were not accountable to people, resulting into slack activities on climate change adaptation.    
    
Chief Editor of the Annapurna Post daily, Akhanda Bhandari, informed that his media had made climate change issue a national responsibility. (RSS)