UT battling invasive plant species

CHANDIGARH: Did you know that you have been braving invasive plants that can
adversely affect health
? Ironically, that seems to be the flipside
of living in the greenest city of India.

Panjab University’s botany department has unravelled the mysteries of nature
and stumbled upon the fact that five of 10 invasive plant species in India are
found in City Beautiful - parthenium, ageratum, lantana, eupatorium and
michenia. All these can lead to allergy of nose eyes and skin, besides
aggravating asthma.

Now, to tackle the menace, the botany department has called upon the scientists
across world to help get rid of invasive plants. Department chairman RK Kohli
told The Times of India, that the world at large will have to join hands to find
a way out to check invasive plants as besides destroying ecology, these lead to
many health related problems including asthma, nasal and skin diseases.

According to a study conducted by PGI, the city has witnessed increase in the
rate of allergic diseases. According to SK Jindal, head of pulmonary medicine,
PGI, the institute sees 30 patients of asthma in a week. In another recent
survey, PGI found out that 3.5 to 6% of children in the age group of 6 to 7
years suffer from asthma in the city.

Meanwhile, in order to frame some guidelines for combating the increasing threat
of invasive plants in India and adjoining countries, scientists across world
will participate in a two-day international conference on ‘Plant invasion &
forest ecology: Concerns & solutions’ being organized by PU in collaboration
with Dayanand National Academy of Environmental Sciences from March 16 to 18.
Also, a two-day IUFRO-SPDC sponsored training workshop on Working Effectively at
the Interface of Forest Science and Forest Policy for ecologists will also be
held by the department from March 14 to 15.The recommendations of the conference
will be proposed to the Union ministry of environment to frame guidelines in
terms of invasive Alien Plant Species in Indian subcontinent.

”The basic purpose is to prepare a roadmap and mode of effectively combating
the increasing threat of invasive aliens in India and adjoining countries with a
clear aim of saving the existing bio-diversity treasure of the region and thus
conserving the ecology and consequential economy,” Kohli said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/UT-battling-invasive-plant-species/art\
icleshow/4262398.cms