Workshop on environment education held for teachers

City-based Parisara Foundation, in association with the Department of Public Instruction and Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (officially known as Rajeev Gandhi National Park) had organised a workshop on ‘Environment Education’ here on Monday.

The workshop was aimed at educating high school teachers to sensitise students on managing waste and a healthy environment.  

Delivering a lecture on ‘Threats to Our Fragile Environment’, Environment Engineering professor at Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) S Mahesh said fate, fortune and destruction begins in a laboratory.

“The life cycle of toxic substances and checking the problem of hazardous water are complicated because of many steps involved in a substance life cycle. By 2061, the country will reach a dangerous phase and food crops will be converted into biofuel, if the same situation continues. Nature makes resources out of all waste. But, man makes waste out of all resources,” he regretted.

Prof Mahesh said, “The present water waste treatment (WWT) has huge limitations and only 20-22% of domestic waste water in India is treated, the rest is discharged into natural courses. The country is following 200-year-old obsolete treatment methods. While domestic water consumption is between 135 to 200 litres per capita per day (Lpcd), industrial use is between 45 to 180 Lpcd and unaccounted water like leaks, loss, theft is between 15 and 50 Lpcd.”

Environment training and workshop for the teachers were organised for empowering people through education, training and motivation. Training a teacher is aimed at environment awareness for future generations. Hence the foundation has planned to organise the workshops and training programmes, according to the organisers, he added.

Zilla panchayat member B Pushpa Amarnath, Block Education Officer (BEO), Mysuru South, Shivaramegowda and Nehru Yuva Kendra coordinator M N Nataraj were present.