Filth, noise pollution shocks Costa Rica envoy-Nalanda University

Pilar Saborio de Rocafort, first ambassador of Costa Rica in UK, was in town. After her two-day visit to Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Vaishali, she has all praise for good connectivity network in Bihar.

"This is my third visit to Bihar since 2001 and I can easily make out the changes made here in recent years," she told TOI here on Wednesday. But she was shocked to see the condition of the Ganga in the city.

"The Ganga has gone far away. Please do something to save her. During my earlier visit, it was very close to the city," Saborio, also an expert on environment issues, told TOI before leaving for Delhi.


The 52-year-old ambassador also holds a master of philosophy degree in development studies from the University of Cambridge, and she is currently working on her doctoral dissertation on 'The Transnational Networks of Latin American Elites' in Miami.

With her keen interest in nature, Saborio is the ideal person to promote her country's environmental policies in the UK. "With 96 percent of electricity generated by hydroelectric plants, the country is close to becoming the first voluntary carbon neutral country in Central America," she said.

"The ruins of Nalanda University is amazing. Bihar has a lot of potential to attract tourists from abroad. I was excited to see the holy relic of Lord Buddha during my visit to Patna Museum," she said.

But she was shocked to see the heaps of filth and noise pollution in the city. "With this amount of blaring horn and filth littered in the every nook and corner in the city, the quality of life has deteriorated," she said. "As a visitor, I strongly feel that personal hygiene is important for everybody's life."

The country now has 96 percent literacy rate. It is the combination of abolishing the Army, focusing on education, which has been compulsory and free since 1869.
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