Environmental Protection Must Begin at Home: Kantilal Dande
He said the habit should begin within families and spread to friends and communities.
VIJAYAWADA: Principal secretary to the environment and forests department Kantilal Dande said environmental protection must begin at home, with citizens adopting sustainable practices in their daily lives. Addressing the concluding session of BRICS Sustainable Lifestyle Week-2026 at Mangalagiri Eco Park on Saturday, he urged people to volunteer for environmental conservation in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.
The week-long programme, held from November 1 to 7 under the theme ‘One Week, Seven Practices, One Planet’, was organised jointly by the central and state governments under the Lifestyle for Environment initiative.
Dande said households should make waste segregation a regular practice in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines. He said the habit should begin within families and spread to friends and communities.
He said Swachh Rath vehicles were operating in 660 mandals to collect dry waste. Green Shops were offering essential commodities worth Rs. 20 for every kilogram of plastic waste collected. Under the Waste to Wealth initiative, vermicompost produced from solid waste was being supplied to farmers through Markfed.
He also directed officials to explore the possibility of supplying steel water bottles to schoolchildren to reduce plastic use.
Pollution Control Board chairman Dr P. Krishnaiah said small daily habits could make a significant difference. He urged people to conserve water while brushing, carry cloth or jute bags instead of plastic covers, avoid food wastage at functions and switch off electrical appliances when leaving rooms. Nearly 4,000 awareness programmes had been conducted, involving around two lakh people, he said.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr P.V. Chalapathi Rao said environmental protection must become a way of life. The state aimed to achieve 50 per cent green cover by the centenary of Independence and implement Mission LiFE in 80 per cent of villages and urban local bodies by 2028. He stressed the need to reduce and reuse waste and consume natural resources responsibly.
Chalapathi Rao appreciated State Conservator of Forests Mohammed Diwan Mohiuddin for coordinating the campaign. Students and officials took an environmental pledge.
Dande visited an exhibition organised by the Pollution Control Board and other departments. Senior forest officials, Pollution Control Board member secretary Saravanan and students attended.
