Light pollution

Environmental pollution* 

The fast pace of industrialization, galloping
demand for energy and reckless exploitation
of natural resources during the last
century have been mainly responsible for
aggravating the problem of environmental
pollution, which is now set to pose serious
threat to biodiversity and ecosystem processes.
We remember the devastating earthquakes
that affected Killari–Latur on 30
September 1993 and Bhuj on 26 January
2001, the supercyclone that hit Orissa
coast in October 1999, the tsunami that
hit the east coast of India on 26 December
2004 and recent floods of 2005 and 2006
in India. These events opened our eyes to
the disaster management programmes in
India.
Keeping in view the enormity of the
above-mentioned problems and with a
view to highlight their impact and to seek
possible solutions, a national conference
on ‘Environmental pollution, disaster management
and mitigation’ (EPDMM 2006)
was organized.
The conference provided a forum for
discussions and deliberations on the problem
of environmental pollution, disaster management
and mitigation. The other important
environmental issues that were
deliberated upon during the Conference
included environmental impact assessment
studies; environmental health hazards
and diseases of new millennium;
disaster management and mitigation, and
application of remote sensing and GIS
for disaster management and environmental
studies.
D. B. Yedekar (Swami Ramanand Teerth
Marathwada University, Nanded) delivered
the first keynote address on ‘Disaster
management with reference to earthquake
hazards in India’. He reminded the
participants about the Killari earthquake
of 30 September 1993, Gujarat disaster
of 2001 and Maharashtra flood of 2005
and 2006, and the steps taken by the
government to stabilize the situation. He
pointed out with data and illustrations
that man-made disasters like diseases and
epidemics, accidents, murders, riots, terrorism,
etc. are more prevalent compared to
natural disasters.
Baban Ingole (National Institute of
Oceanography, Goa) in his keynote address
on the ‘Importance of environmental impact
assessment with special reference to
ecological restoration of Chilika lake’,
emphasized on the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) system, which is vital
to conform socio-economic development
projects to environmental safety and thereby
ensure sustainable economic development.
Mohan S. Kodarkar (Indian Association
of Aquatic Biologists, Hyderabad) in
his keynote address talked on ‘Environmental
consideration and ecological consequences
in relation to the interlinking
of rivers in India’. According to him, the