Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has stressed the need to build disaster resilience into the post-flood reconstruction programme launched by the government.
Inaugurating the World Soil Day celebrations here on Wednesday, he said the State had lessons to be imbibed from the recent landslips that caused havoc in the highlands and led to the loss of precious topsoil.
He called for efforts to conserve and manage soil resources to ensure food security and environmental equilibrium. Soil conservation, he said, was critical for the survival of not only mankind but life on the planet as a whole.
“The extent of loss becomes clear from the fact that it takes a thousand years for the formation of one inch of topsoil. Depletion of this precious resource will have a disastrous impact on the agricultural sector and affect generations,” Mr. Vijayan said the Haritha Keralam Mission was designed to address this situation.
Report on Samruddhi
The Chief Minister released the report of the Samruddhi project aimed at the integrated revival of Taliparamba in Kannur. Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar presided. James Mathew, MLA, distributed soil health cards to farmers on the occasion.
Haritha Keralam Mission executive vice chairperson T.N. Seema and Soil Survey and Conservation director Justin Mohan were present.
