Prez Murmu urges people to take smaller, local steps to protect environment

Highlighting the recent spate of terrible heatwaves in India and frequent extreme weather events around the globe, President Droupadi Murmu asked people on Monday to take smaller and local steps to protect the environment for a better tomorrow.

In a note on the social media platform 'X' after visiting the seashore in this temple town, Murmu said oceans and the rich variety of flora and fauna have suffered heavily due to pollution but people living in nature's lap have sustained traditions "that can show us the way".

"Inhabitants of coastal areas, for example, know the language of the winds and waves of the sea. Following our ancestors, they worship the sea as God," she said, while suggesting ways to protect and conserve the environment.

The President arrived in Odisha on a four-day tour on July 6.

"There are places that bring us in closer touch with the essence of life and remind us that we are part of nature. Mountains, forests, rivers and seashores appeal to something deep within