Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

'Tougher laws needed to stop depletion of ozone layer'

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Jan. 31. While ozone depletion is still causing serious concern, many people in Bangalore continue to use ozone-depleting substances (ODS) in the form of aerosol sprays, refrigerators, fire extinguishers, and even some types of mattresses. Many of them contain CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), which enter the upper atmosphere and damage the ozone layer with disastrous consequences to the environment, including changes in weather patterns.

The Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board, D.K. Biswas, said here on Friday that India was a latecomer regarding environmental laws to stop the use of ODS by manufacturers but had made significant progress since the late 1980s. As a signatory to the Montreal Protocol on phasing out ODS, India had managed to phase out leaded petrol used in vehicles and, to a large extent, CFC-based refrigerators. The time had now come for more legislation, if necessary, and to empower the States to tackle local industries.

Mr. Biswas was delivering the keynote address at the national workshop on Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 and the Montreal Protocol.

Lata Krishna Rao, Secretary, Karnataka Department of Environment and Ecology, said the State and Union governments should think in terms of incentives for manufacturers using `green products', and encourage others to switch over to products which did not affect the ozone layer. The deadline for industries to change over from ODS products might have to be relaxed to a more practical timeframe, she suggested.

The Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, J. Alexander, said that because both the ozone layer and ODS were largely invisible, more awareness should be created among manufacturers and consumers. R. Chandramohan, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, welcomed the delegates.

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