Protect hills to avoid crisis, says Bahuguna

PUNE: Lashing out at the destruction of natural wealth, eminent environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna said it is time we protect our hills and forests, lest we plunge into a deep crisis.
He said Pune was turning into a concrete jungle and expressed serious concern over hills being encroached upon by builders and residents.
Bahuguna was speaking at a press conference organised by NGO Aranyavaak at the Patrakar Bhavan here on Sunday.
The environmentalist said it was important for us not to disturb the hills as they attract rain. "If Pune has to be saved from water problems, hills should be preserved," he said.
Elaborating on the importance of hills, Bahuguna said they help in conserving water and, in a way, are the mother of all rivers. "They not only conserve water, but also release it into nallahs, which can be used for various purposes," he averred.
Apart from hills, he said another important constituent for survival was trees. "There is no alternative to trees and they are a perfect solution to many of our problems," he remarked.
Citing examples, the environmentalist said these days, there were primarily three discharges released into the atmosphere — dust, smoke and noise.