Ahead of world environment day, Haryana bans single-use water bottles in govt offices

Only multi-use water bottles would now be used in public offices, Haryana government said on Monday.

On the eve of ‘World Environment Day’, the Haryana government banned single-use water bottles in all government offices in the state.

Haryana chief minister said that a five-point programme would be implemented for maintaining ecological balance in the state. (Representative image)

This and several other environment-friendly decisions were taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh on Monday.

“The chief minister directed that single-use water bottles would be junked in government offices and only multi-use water bottles would be used. No orders will be issued for the purchase of single-use water bottles from Tuesday,” a spokesperson for the state government said.

The chief minister said that a five-point programme would be implemented for maintaining ecological balance in the state. Besides banning single-use water bottles in government offices, the programme includes plantation of 20 lakh saplings, replacing halogen and sodium bulbs and tubelights with LED bulbs in government offices across the state by August 15, digging 1,000 pits for water recharging and rain water harvesting in government buildings in ten municipal corporations within three months and making Haryana a polythene-free state.

It has also been decided that from now on, the Urban Local Bodies department will not purchase any new stock of bulbs and tubelights other than LED.

All damaged or non-functional streetlights in municipalities would be replaced with LED bulbs, an official said.

The chief minister directed the departments concerned to take up the five-point programme in mission mode and implement it within a maximum of six months through public participation.