Dry rivers if no steps taken to tackle climate change: PM

New Delhi, Aug 15 (PTI) Glaciers will melt and rivers
will go dry if timely steps are not taken to tackle climate
change, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday.

Addressing the nation on its 63rd Independence Day, he
said the climate change had become an issue of global concern
in recent years and India wished to tackle it in partnership
with other countries of the world.

Declaring that the government was committed to deal with
the challenge of climate change, Singh said a decision was
taken to set up eight missions in this regard.

"To increase the use of solar energy and to make it
affordable, we will launch the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar
Mission on November 14 this year," he said.

The Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change recently
approved multi-crore plan under which it aims to generate
20,000 MW solar energy by 2020.

"If we do not take necessary steps in time, our glaciers
will melt and our rivers will go dry. The problems of droughts
and floods will grow in seriousness," he said from the
ramparts of the historic Red Fort.

He also stressed on the need to prevent air pollution.

The Prime Minister called for efficient use of the
country's limited natural resources and suggested 'Save Water'
as a national slogan.

"We need a new culture of energy conservation. We also
need to prevent the misuse of water. We will pay more
attention to programmes for water collection and storage.
'Save Water' should be one of our national slogans," Singh
said.

The Prime Minister also said the government has
constituted the National Ganga Authority to keep the "sacred"
river clean and sought people's cooperation in this regard.

"We have constituted the National Ganga Authority in
which the central and state governments will jointly work
towards this end. The cooperation of the public is also needed
in this effort," he said. PTI