NEPALGUNJ, June 9: Stakeholders from State 5, Karnali State and Far West State have stressed the need for accelerating development activities without creating environmental imbalance.

Chiefs and deputy chiefs of the local governments attending the two-day national seminar organized on 'Environment Conservation and Climate Change' on the occasion of the World Environment Day in Nepalgunj on June 5 and 6 said they would pay heed to the environment while formulating policy and programmes and the budget for the next fiscal year.

It is the first of such seminar organized out of the federal capital, said Dr Bishwonath Oli, Secretary at Environment Ministry, adding that it was organized in Nepalgunj also because the States here were sensitive in view of the environment. The participants expressed worry over the crisis being faced by the settlements on the bank of the river with the climate change effect.

According to them, the federal government could bring a comprehensive program to control environmental degradation around the rivers. Deputy mayor of Godawari municipality, Ratna Kadayat, said only development infrastructures as roads were given priority earlier, but now, environment conservation was an equally important issue. The budget would address it, she added.

Similarly, chairperson of district coordination committee federation, Sita Sundas, viewed that time had come for scientific research to study climate change and adverse weather and formulate budget accordingly. Mayor of Dullu municipality from Dailekh district, Ghanashyam Bhattarai, suggested that the federal Ministry could conduct awareness programmes on climate change so that the local level would be benefitted. Tatopani rural municipality chief, Nabaraj Neupane, from Jumla district, shared that his rural municipality had given priority to the conservation of devdaru tree because it was an environment-friendly one.

Moreover, Badhaiya Tal rural municipality's vice chair, Renu Acharya, from Bardiya district informed that they had paid attention to how water resource could be conserved. At the seminar, experts on the environment had presented papers. The seminar was attended by the representatives of local levels from the three States. 

 
• development
 
• environment