Three-day geography seminar inaugurated at Pbi varsity

Patiala, March 29 The continuing injudicious use of land and water resources poses a serious threat to humanity and portends a calamitous situation in India. Geographers can play a pivotal role in containing the situation before it reaches a point of no return. These views were expressed by Jaspal Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University while inaugurating a three-day national conference on ‘Land, Water and Food Security’, organised by the University’s geography department here today.

While predicting that future wars will be fought over water, the Vice-Chancellor proposed a systematic and holistic development by widening the nature and scope of geography and embracing a utilitarian approach. He also cautioned against the rash use of chemicals and pesticides by farmers in an attempt to earn quick money, unmindful of the consequences.

President of the Indian Association of Geographers (IIG) R. P. Misra expressed his concern over the unbalanced growth in India. While the population has doubled from three to six billion during the last 40 years, natural resources have been depleted at an alarming rate during the same period. As the Indian economy grows at an unprecedented pace of 29 per cent, the GDP drawn from agriculture has gone down to 23 per cent from 70 per cent in 1947.