Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sant Seechewal joins the campaign to Save Badha Lake at Fazilka

Sant Seechewal joins the campaign to Save Badha Lake at Fazilka - International Day of Climate Action being celebrated at Fazilka

In a another historic decision, Municipal Council Fazilka has banned polythene from 1 November 2009 in Fazilka

Today on the occasion of International Day of Climate Action, Fazilka citizens started their campaign to save the historic Badha Lake. Fazilka was established by British Mr Oliver on the bank of horse shoe lake Badha, which was then spread in the area of about 17 acre. He was impressed with the biodiversity of this area. This area was with the full of peacocks and other migratory birthday. This was amongst the best known 32 wetlands of Punjab as per the record of Punjab state science and technology council. With the diversion of satuluj water and greedy deeds of mankind, made this entire wetland as dry area. Illegal sand mining from the lake bad further worsen the problem.

Today in a historic event organized at the old bank of Badha Lake near SDM office, 350 school children from various schools participated along with leading business houses M/s Zamindara Farmsolutions and M/s Nasa Agro Industries as a part of their business social responsibility. School children were carrying their water bottles to pour water into lake bed. This was symbolic gesture by the school kids just to alert policy makers to care about their future and also to make this Save Badha Lake campaign as huge success as a citizen movement. Participator schools and colleges were Dost Model Middle School, K.D. Model School, Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) and Jyoti B.Ed College Fazilka.

Save Badha lake campaign gathered huge success when leading environmentalist Sant Seechewal in a separate communication also joined the save Badha lake campaign. He informed to the organizers about his visit to Badha Lake after 10th November of next week after his completion of Nagar Keertan. He also appreciated the efforts of Fazilka residents about their concern to save the water and the wetland. He extended his full support for the cause.

Adding a great success to the occasion of International Day of Climate Action, President Municipal Council Fazilka, Mr Anil Sethi in their separate decision at Municipal Council office, approved the Ban of polythene in Fazilka from 1st November 2009.  It is important to note here that being a border town this India's smallest big town has already set many examples to teach rest of the world about Environment Conservation and how citizen participation can suppress the effect of 'global warming'.

A signature campaign was also completed on the same occasion and the same memorandum would be handed to Deputy Commissioner Ferozpur to requested early action to save it. Dr Bhupinder Singh, retired professor from Indian Institute of Technology, presided over the function. He also stressed that if we don't act now we many lost our major environmental asset Badha Lake forever.

The event was jointly organized by Graduates Welfare Association (GWAF) Fazilka along with Indian Youth Climate Network and 350.org

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