Message from Chairperson, KPT

This year, the theme of World Environment Day is 'Forest: Nature at your Service'. What does this mean to all of us as community member of the global village, wherever our home happens to be? It is surely the opportunity to think about the services provided by forest vegetation and rich diversity they posses. The forest environment is the foundation on which human life is built and to remember that individuals acting alone can influence the lives of us all in the years ahead.
Forest cover is being under severe pressure due to the destruction of natural habitats, pollution and disease and resulting in climate change, which the world community is facing as unpredictable floods and torrential rains. The major driving force of its extinctions is the extent to which humans are contributing to the scale of damage and the speed at which it is occurring. We have failed to put a proper value on the basis of human survival for too long. We need to reassess, understand better and fully appreciate our complete and critical dependence on our environment.
Forest of any kind are essential to our being and indispensable for the lasting availability of food and nutrition. But as we lose habitats and eco-systems, we undermine this richness and variety and reliability of supplies that affects our own survival. The momentum towards environmental catastrophe builds at a cascading pace. However, there is still a chance to achieve a different outcome.
KPT is promoting sustainable management of the mangrove forest cover by pursuing practical actions: by developing KPT's mangrove policy, which provide guidelines for the future development arenas of the port, strict surveillance, developing partnerships with other organisations involved in mangrove conservation and planting the mangroves.
These partnerships have helped to create lasting development for the local communities, whilst protecting the mangrove eco-system in which they live, that also provides benefits to the global community. It is just one example of what can be achieved through co-operation, common purpose and shared goals about our environment and its future. Nearly 20 years have passed and KPT has done a lot for the mangroves and on the basis of this knowledge we have planned to develop a Wastewater Treatment Plant at eastern backwaters to cater 60 million gallons per day coming to the harbour through China Creek. An eco-friendly wetland educational park will be established, which is a value addition to the project. This eco-friendly project will strike a balance between the environment and our human development needs. We have the knowledge, skills and abilities required to adjust to a better future that protects the environment, our fragile planet and ourselves as well as those who come after us.
On this year's World Environment Day, we should all reflect on how our individual and collective actions can make a contribution that has a positive global impact in future. Fresh momentum is now required to address the way in which sustainable development goals are agreed, pursued and governed at the global level if we wish to avoid environmental catastrophe.