Sheila Dikshit favours increasing power, water tariff to prevent wastage

Pitching for serious efforts to conserve scarce resources, chief minister Sheila Dikshit today favoured increasing the tariff on power and water to prevent their wastage.

Dikshit, while speaking at a function to mark the World Environment Day, identified limiting consumption of energy and water as main challenges facing the city and appealed to citizens and government agencies to make serious efforts to conserve them.

Addressing the gathering, IPCC chief RK Pachauri suggested increasing the tariff on power and water to make people understand the value of the scarce resources.

"We will have to take serious efforts to save the environment. We will have to control wastage of water and power. If the solution to limit consumption of water and power lies in increasing the tariff as suggested by Pachauri then we support it," Dikshit said.

The chief minister, who also flagged off a rally featuring battery operated cars, herself drove a Reva car from her 3, Motilal Nehru Marg official residence to the NDMC Commonwealth Garden in Africa Avenue.

The chief minister said the rising population in the city has put a lot of pressure on its scarce resources.

She said 42% of the total water distributed by the Delhi Jal Board goes waste.

"Delhi with a population of about 18 million is facing a big challenge of protecting its resources. We must address the problem seriously," he said.

Dikshit also released the 'State of Environment Report for Delhi, 2010' which highlights challenges being faced by the city on the environment front and actions the government desires to take to make the city more habitable.

The chief minister said that the basic purpose of the report, brought out by the Environment Department, is to present an overview of the environmental situation and create awareness about sustainable development.

The report provides details under three chapters viz urban growth pressures in the city, state of the environment and key environmental concerns.

Dikshit hoped the report will serve as a useful document for policy makers, NGOs, civic society and government agencies in policy making and maintaining a balance between developments while conserving the natural resources.

The chief minister also launched an 'e-newsletter' of the Commonwealth games apart from planting trees at games park at Africa Avenue.