THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second edition of the Green Congress, organised by the city corporation, kick-started on Saturday at the SMV School here. The theme for this year’s congress is ‘Rebuilding Kerala-environmental possibilities and challenges’. As many as 65 participants, including students, volunteers and green army members took part in the event. In district-wise groups, they evaluated the different reasons that had aggravated the flood situation and put down various suggestions to counter these problems. Finance Minister Thomas Isaac interacted with the students and enquired about the problems they had encountered during the floods.
Asha Babu, an 11th class student from Chengannur, still shudders when she remembers the day. “We didn’t expect things to get this worse and waited for the water level to recede. But, when I woke up in the morning, the water had risen up to the level of my cot. Since our phones had no charge left, we were unable to reach out to anyone for help also,” she said. Among the many suggestions that her group has proposed are, prior intimation from the government regarding the opening of dam shutters and forming specialised teams for rescue work to tackle disaster in each district.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac interacted with the students and enquired about the different problems they had encountered during the floods. “Green Army has been actively involved in waste management in Thiruvananthapuram. They have been the most important communication network for spreading the message of processing of waste at source. This is the first time that one gets to learn from the children about how they perceive these matters. They are the best agency to spread the message of sanitation, as they take back the lessons to their families also,” he said.
District Collector K Vasuki spoke about the need to reevaluate our lifestyle, which leads to increased pollution and waste generation. She further encouraged the students to rethink their dreams and choose a lifestyle that is conducive to the environment and society.Various competitions including photography, short filmmaking and debates will be held as part of the congress on Sunday for students from various schools across the city to promote public awareness and participation in waste management.