Oxygen main Pankaj Kumar, resident of Saharsa district of Bihar, works hard on the environment and cleanliness of Yamuna in Delhi. Pankaj Kumar even left his good job to make Delhi clean. Pankaj told that earlier he used to work on environment along with his job, after which he left the job and devoted his entire time to making Delhi pollution free, due to which he got the name Earth Warrior. On World Environment Day, Pankaj Kumar spoke to TV9 Bharatvarsh on environmental protection.
Question: When did you start the fight to protect the environment?
answer: Pankaj Kumar said that I had started the work of cleaning Yamuna in 2019. So it has been around seven years since this campaign was started.
Question: Do you focus only on Yamuna or have you cleaned other rivers also?
answer: Yamuna cleaning work is our weekly drive which is held on Sundays. Apart from this, our main work is to cover the waste water treatment and how well it is doing. If you are doing something wrong, then research the reports that come from the Pollution Control Board.
Question: People know you as Oxygen Man or Earth Warrior. So how do you define this journey?
answer: Pankaj Kumar said that I do not know how to define it. It’s just that the name it has is because of the work and as long as it is work, it is the name that people have given it. People have respect and what can I say for this.
Question: Did your struggle make you more sensitive towards the environment?
answer: We will not call this a struggle. It’s fun to do and you’ll see a lot of kids doing well. If you see the condition of the river, you yourself will become sensitive. The condition of the river should not be like this. If we destroy the environment, we will be the first to be destroyed. It will be fine but if we get ruined then we will not be able to get fine.
Question: Most people plant trees for the environment, but why did you choose to clean rivers?
answer: Planting trees is very important and everyone should do it. Along with this, the second important thing is that we have to see where the water coming into your house is coming from. When dirty water is coming out of your house, where is it going? We have to understand one thing that nature is interconnected. This river is very important. A plant will become a tree only when it gets water. If there is no river your city will be washed away. Therefore both things are very important.
Question: Shouldn’t the common man have some responsibility regarding the environment?
answer: Pankaj Kumar said that no, see it is not the responsibility of the government alone. This responsibility is of all of us. From plastic to clothes, almost everything is coming out of our homes. Apart from this, we are also religious people. People of all religions perform puja. We have so much faith in God during worship that we want to offer something or the other. Instead of offering a price, we buy what the market is selling us. After that, the offering is made and immersed in the river. He said that this river is also a part of our reverence. If you put these things in it, this river will be ruined.
Question: The government has also made some efforts to clean Yamuna, do you think there has been some change in it?
answer: Yes, the efforts the government is making are having a very positive impact. The government will have to keep just one thing in mind that this work will have to be done very thoughtfully. The thing is that we are spending money indiscriminately on building infrastructure. Now we have to see where to build the infrastructure. Suppose 10 MLD sewage is being generated at Kalandi Kund, then we will try to install a sewage treatment plant (STP) of 10 to 12 MLD at Kalandi Kund.
But if we install an STP of 50 MLD at Kalandi Kund instead of 10, it will mean that we have installed a treatment plant of very high capacity, which is going to waste. And at some places sewage is being generated and there is no STP there.
Question: What is the difference between the earlier and present condition of Yamuna?
answer: I don’t know how it was before. But if we look at the reports etc., Yamuna Action Plan came in 1993. It has been more than 30 years since he came, so before that Yamuna was clean. People of earlier times say that 20-15 years ago, people used to take bath in it and also carry water with them. But now the situation has become such that you cannot use Yamuna water in any way. Yamuna does not flow down stream of Wazirabad. Only and only Delhi NCR waste water flows. That sewage flows, industrial waste also flows. Some Yamuna upstream of Wazirabad is fine.
Question: Do we celebrate only Environment Day every year? But don’t look for a solution?
answer: It is good that you are celebrating Environment Day. You are becoming sensitive to the environment. But along with that we have to see what harm is being done to the environment. Now you will have to live as per your needs. You can no longer live for hobbies. If you start living for hobbies then it is very difficult for the earth to survive.
Question: Is it necessary to plant trees or is it necessary to save the remaining trees?
answer: It is very important for us to save the forests because see, they are a part of your ecosystem and only if they are saved, all these things will be saved. Plant new trees also but do not cut the old ones. If you are cutting old trees and planting new ones, then you are causing harm to the environment.
Question: More photos are seen in plantation but less plants survive. What is the ground reality?
answer: If people just want to take photographs then the environment is not going to be good. If you are planting a tree then take care of it. But if you just get the photo clicked and go away, it will be ruined. We have to come out of this showy world a little and work on the world.
Question: People are using AC, car, plastic and are also complaining about environmental changes and heatwave, what will you say on this?
answer: For the sake of environment, we should leave plastic immediately. The reason for this is that plastic is a non-participant occupier. This means that if you put plastic on the earth, it will not become a part of nature’s cycle for millions of years. This plastic will remain on the earth for billions of years as it is today. So this has to be left first.
Question: What message will you give to the new generation on World Environment Day?
answer: Anand Kumar said that we have to start saving the environment from home itself. Trees have to be planted, wastage of water has to be stopped, rivers have to be kept clean. It is the environment because of which we all are on this earth. And this earth is very important for us. There is a planet right here where humans are living.
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