GUWAHATI, Feb 26 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today launched a �say no to plastic bags� campaign, underlining the urgent need for mass awareness on the adverse effects of plastic bags in order to make the campaign a success.
Taking part at an environmental awareness programme organized by the Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) at the Manipuribasti ME School, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the rampant use of plastic bags which are thrown away after every single use.
�This is a serious environmental hazard, as it takes as much as 250 years for some types of plastic bags to degrade while the commonly-used plastic bags also take 30 to 50 years for degradation. The discarded plastic bags have multiple ill-effects - from eroding the fertility of land and creating water pollution to choking of drains and release of toxic gases when burnt,� Gogoi said.
Gogoi said that the adverse effects of plastic bags warranted minimizing the use of plastic bags and resorting to alternatives such bags made of jute, paper and cloth. �In unavoidable uses, we need to reuse the same plastic bags and also ensure their proper disposal instead of throwing them away or burning them,� he added.
Gogoi said that without an aware and alert public, any environmental campaign was bound to yield diminished results. �If our citizens realize the hazards being caused by plastic bags and take a pledge to avoid them to the extent possible and facilitate scientific disposal, we will be able to leave behind a clean and green Guwahati,� he said.
