Floods and droughts are preventable, says Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi

Chennai: Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on August 8 said floods and droughts were preventable, provided politicians, public
officials, academicians and non-profit organisations work together.

Speaking at a function in Chennai, organised by Rotary Club of Madras East to present the Dr M S Swaminathan Award for
Environment Protection to Director-General of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), David J
Bergvinson, Kiran Bedi said, "India is a victim of floods and droughts at the same time, I never knew both were preventable till I took
over as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry."

After a daily morning walk across the length and breadth of the UT, and after inspection of the canals, she said instructions had been
givern not to issue pattas in lands of water bodies.

She has given officials 45 days to complete dredging of all canals before the onset of the north-east monsoon.

The LG said some of the things that went wrong in India were -- not controlling population, allowing it to grow without building
adequate infrastructure and lack of city planning.

Earlier, Kiran Bedi presented the Dr M S Swaminathan Award for Environment Protection 2016 to David J Bergvinson, ICRISAT.

The award was instituted by the Rotary Club of Madras East and Cavinkare Private Limited.