The preservation of natural resources is inevitable for human existence and community members should bear this in mind when any developmental activity is carried out, said head of communicable diseases and acting director of public health at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) Dr Mohamed al-Hajiri.Dr al-Hajiri said this while delivering the keynote address at the closing ceremony of the month-long environmental campaign ECOfocus, organised by Focus Qatar, an expatriate voluntary organisation last Thursday.“It is our pleasure to co-operate with such organisations as Focus Qatar to help and educate people on vital issues,” said Dr al -Hajiri.Also speaking, environmental activist from Kerala C R Neelakandan advocated the necessity of proper governmental actions on issues having a bearing on development. “Long-term cost-effective analyses on development issues would only bring positive results to the community even if the decision on their execution is a little delayed,” he said.“The eco-system can be compared to a human body. The living and non-living factors in the eco-system act as different organs. Damage to any of these things will affect the balance of the eco-system as damage to any organ causes pain to the whole body,” said Neelankandan.He said pesticides had a history of only 50 years where as the history of agricultural practices dates back to the human civilisation. Hence the concept of pesticides itself is illogical, he added.The environmentalist said the chemical companies, who used to produce chemical weapons during the Second World War, are now behind the marketing of pesticides. However, studies have proved the excessive use of pesticides was not only harmful to the community but it has not succeeded in reducing the poverty of people either.“Their regular use would only lead to bio-magnifications through air, water and land pollutions.”The speaker also complimented the stand taken by Qatar representative to the Stockholm convention where the country among others strongly demanded the ban of endosulfan, which made the life miserable for several hundreds of people in India.Niche of Truth Director Muneer Mangada spoke on the topic “spiritual aspect of eco-friendly living”. Second secretary at the Indian embassy Anil Nautiyal was the guest of honour. Representative of Qatar at the Stockholm convention Gamal Allozy, Indian Cultural Centre president K M Varghese and Qatar Indian Islahi Center general secretary Abdul latheef Nallalam also spoke.At the ceremony, prizes for a painting competition and “suggestions of daily life tips for environmental protection” competition were given away by Neelakandan, and Focus Qatar advisory board members Dr Biju Gafur, Mashood Thiruthiyad and Naseer Panoor .Focus Qatar CEO Shameer Valiya Veettil chaired the meeting. M V Thajudheen welcomed the gathering. Faris proposed a vote of thanks.