National
Indo-U.S. MoU on environment
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, JAN. 16. India and the United States today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on growing environmental concerns and the increasing importance of international cooperation in the environment field.
While the Union Environment and Forests Minister, T.R. Baalu, who signed the MoU on India's behalf, hailed the documents as the first step forward in the global cooperation for a better environment, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Agency, (USEPA) Christine Todd Whitman, said it would provide for a framework around which both countries could model their efforts.
Mr. Baalu said that in charting out a course for mutual environmental cooperation both countries must look for the causes of environmental problems, including pollution of fresh water resources, atmospheric pollution, extinction of bio- diversity and urbanisation.
Pointing out that vehicular pollution was the major cause of pollution in cities and towns of India, he said deterioration of water quality was mainly due to untreated water from urban settlements and industrial activities and run-off from agricultural land carrying chemicals.
The new environmental issues which required urgent attention included the long-term effects of the atmospheric build-up of green house gases and learning to understand and deal with exposures to hazardous substances, Mr. Baalu said and added that it was a welcome development that developed countries such as the U.S. were coming forward to collaborate with India.
Describing the MoU as a follow-up of the recent visit of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to the U.S., Ms. Whitman said the two countries could learn much from mutual experiences and work for the common endeavour to make the environment congenial and healthy.
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