Saving Ganga!

Haridwar hosted Dharma Adesh for the preservation of the river

By Anjali Nauriyal

It was one of the biggest congregations that met at Haridwar on the 7th of April, to take decisive steps about preserving the sanctity of the Holy Ganga. The meet was presided over by the two revered Shankaracharyas representing three of the four Peets that give the Hindus their identity - of Dwarka, Joshimath and Puri.

Amongst the participating organisations were Tarun Bharat Sangh, Ganga Jal Biradari, Ganga Sewa Abhiyan, Matri Sadan amongst others. Others present on the occasion were Supreme Court lawyer and celebrated environmentalist and Magsaysay awardee MC Mehta, GD Agarwal, Madhu Kishwar fierce women's activist of Manushi fame, Rajendra Singh the man who changed the water starved landscape of many a villages in Rajasthan apart from many others.

The government was represented by Water Resource Minister Pawan Bansal, who promised to carry the message to the government. After hours of brain storming by several representatives of the Sant Samaj and leading environmentalists, certain imperatives emerged for the preservation of the Ganga. A representative put it succinctly when he said "Hum Ne Ganga Ke Liye Dharma Adesh Desh ko Dilaya hai."

With the consensus of all present on the occasion a Ganga Maha Sangh was constituted which has assigned the task of coordinating and monitoring all Ganga related issues. An order has also been passed by the Shankaracharyas that included five points in the main apart from other allied ones. The first was that the Avarilta or the ecological flow of the Ganga should be maintained at all times and at any cost. All construction work on this holy river should be halted with immediate effect. “Ganga is the collective heritage of the Rajya, Samaj and the Sants and so all should combine their efforts for its preservation. Ganga se Amrit (Water) aur Sewer (Poison) ko alag karna hai. Kumbh ke Manthan se yeh hota hai. It has to be understood that the ecology of the Himalayas is inextricably conected with the purity and sanctity of the Ganga and so if the Himalayas have to survive then the Ganga has to survive. And this has to be done minus any developmental activities in the hills, without any displacement of soil or habitation, distress caused to man, woman, animals and plants. Indigenous knowledge systems have to be revived.”

These were the voices which came off this conference. It was strongly felt by the congregation that it is the duty of the government to remove all encroachments on the Banks of the Ganga.

Elaborating on scarcity of water and surplus water Rajendra Singh avers "Those who do not understand the character of water, for them both scarcity and surplus are is the nature of a crisis. Learn to preserve and use rain water. Expressing his views Madhu Kishwar said "What we are witnessing today is the death of a once glorious civilization. One gets a feeling that one is living amidst the ruins of a civilization. Just think that a river that was once much revered and worshipped has become an open sewage today."

"The Shankaracharyas of the three Peeths have announced that central and state government should immediately close down the dams which are under construction on the Bhagirathi, Mandakini and the Alaknanada. We welcome this move," added MC Mehta. These dams are destructive in nature and will cause irreparable damage to mother Ganga and the ecology of the Himalayas. The Ganga will be diverted for many kilometres resulting in the disappearance of the Bhagirathi. This act of the GOI and the state government is against the culture and the religious faith of millions of Indians. These are the people who worship the river and have innate faith in it. The construction activity on the dams is resulting in the drying up of the natural springs and this is going to cause serious water scarcity for the people living in the villages along these rivers. Even the army is facing a lot of problem because they have to carry water for many kilometres.

“Taking natural resources will no longer be tolerated. The ground water is depleting at an alarming rate and ultimately the entire civilization will be affected. Ganga should not be treated as a vote bank, is what the Shankaracharyas have advised the government. Time to act is now.”