SCHOOLKIDS IN GOA GREENER THAN IN LUCKNOW, CHANDIGARH
By Frederick Noronha

PANJIM, Oct 4: Did you know that every minute three pre-school
children die of diarrhoea in India? Or that around 20,000
hectares of land in India -- two Chandigarh cities -- have been
turned into solid waste dump sites?

Students from Goa who on Monday took part in a 'GREEN Olympiad'
at Panjim's Kala Academy learnt of these and other shocking
realities in our country today.

"Here, the percentages (scored by students) were better than
Lucknow and Chandigarh. But Bangalore and Delhi have done the
best," commented Annapurna Vancheswaran, the Delhi-based
communications manager for the Tata Energy Research Institute
(TERI), after the morning's programme.

TERI, which organised this unique venture through ten centres
across India, asked students to pledge not just to "waste time
complaining, protesting or fighting ... (but) pledge to restore
the rich bounties of nature".

In the GREEN Olympiad, students were asked to answer fifteen
pages of questions spread over 90 minutes.

There were some 100 objective-type questions, on subjects like
coral reefs, the main sources of water pollution (which
incidentally is city sewage and industrial waste), the major
concerns about the Narmada Valley Project, and a wide range of
other subjects.

In 1995, TERI took up an exercise of of looking at India's
natural resources. In a study presented to the prime minister in
1997, the picture that emerged was "extremely gloomy", said
Ms Vancheswaran, speaking to Herald here.

Later, a second stage of this study was taken up, called
'Disha'. It's a future-looking project that attempts to look at
what the situation will be like in 2047, one hundred years after
British colonial rule ended in India.

"If current trends are continued, the projections are extremely
alarming," said Ms Vancheswaran, strongly emphasising the word
'extremely.

In February 2000, TERI will submit a report of what would be the
environmental situation in India in the middle of the coming
century.

There are two or three different possible scenarios. One could be
the 'business as usual' which would result in an alarming
scenario. There are other optional paths which the country could
also go in for, to avert too much of an adverse impact on the
country's environment and natural resources.

Trying to involve other 'stakeholders' in this project, TERI
choose to build up concern among students. "Children are the best
target audience. They are the leaders of tomorrow," said Ms
Vancheswaran.

"Our message to the students is 'please be in touch with us, get
hold of the (future-projections) publication and get to know what
is in store for you tomorrow," added Ms Vancheswaran.

GREEN stands for Growth with Resource Enhancement of Environment
and Nature. Students in various cities of India have shown their
ability to do well in this test they've been put to.

"Our question paper is tough. Many people cannot answer it. But
sixty percent of the children are aware of the problems," said Ms
Vancheswaran.

For example: which metals leach out from broken fluorescent bulbs
and can damage the kidneys and nervous system? Which tree from
North India supplies the wood used for cricket bats? What is the
major cause of wind erosion -- leading to desertification -- in
arid regions?

Children in Goa and elsewhere seem aware of international issues,
but in grappling with local issues, they seem to have some
problems. "Perhaps that is because the state government has not
taken up the issue sufficiently," said Ms Vancheswaran.

In other cities, children were asked to pen their ten most
serious concerns. Traffic emerged as one major concern, as did
water pollution in a number of cities. Plastic-bags proliferation
was also on the young minds' agenda.

In Goa, those adjudged at the top of the contest were Chris
Gurjao and Rakesh Iyer of Sharada Mandir, Pritesh Sansgiri of
People's High School, and Sherwin Godinho of Regina Mundi.

In the last hundred years, Planet Earth has seen unparalleled
discoveries and advancements in science and technology, notes
TERI. Yet, it says, this period has also been marked by two
horrendous World Wars, several famines and epidemics, and severe
degradation of our natural environment.

But the good news is that youngsters seem to be acutely aware of
this situation, and are willing to face up to it.

Further details: terigoa@goa1.dot.net.in
Frederick Noronha, fred@vsnl.com  Ph 27 14 90 or 27 86 83