- Ezrela Dalidia Fanai, NET Correspondent, Mizoram
An Environment Justice Rally was organized today by Youth for Environment Justice, Mizoram and Aizawl City College Joint Students’ Union (ACCJSU).
A peaceful march was organized from the city centre to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest office and NHIDCL office at Tuikhuahtlang. The students and youths carried placards demanding the need for environmental conservation in the state.
It should be noted that in the recent India State of Forest Report (FSI 2021), Mizoram has lost 185.51 sq.km of its forest area; and reports of the Science and Technology Department in 2019 has stated that while global warming has increased by 0.6 degree centigrade-2.5 degree centigrade, forest cover of Mizoram has been increased to 2.75 degree centigrade.
The ISRO 2021 report also stated that Mizoram has the highest desertification rate in the Northeast States. Studies from the Indian Institute of Science and IIT under National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem have also reported that among all the States in the Himalayan range, Mizoram is the worst effected by Climate Change and the state’s environment is in a state of a massive collapse.
Several challenges were raised during the gathering. They demanded that without any reliable Environment Impact Assessment Agency, not developmental works should be taken up.
The National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) currently working on highway expansion projects in the state has recently come into the limelight after Saitual Deputy Commissioner VL Hruaizela informed that a vast area of forest land and rivers were destroyed by NHIDCL as they did not properly dispose the construction soils to the spoil banks.
