NASHIK: The environmentalists and citizens of Nashik have constantly been working towards making Godavari River tributaries — Nandini, Valdevi, Varuna and Kapila — pollution-free and free flowing, informed Nishikant Pagare of Godavari Gatarikaran Virodhi Manch and Yogesh Barve of Kapila River Conservation Committee in a brainstorming session at the National Convention on Rivers held at Hyderabad.
“In Nashik, we have focused on small rivers and tributaries of Godavari river to make them pollution-free and smooth flowing,” said Pagare of Godavari Gatarikaran Virodhi Manch and Barve of Kapila River Conservation Committee in the convention in which representatives from around 20 states were present.
With an intention to protect and rejuvenate the rivers, Indian Peninsular River Basins Council and Indian Himalayan River Basins Council in association with Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation (TWRDC) had conducted a National Convention on Rivers at Hyderabad.
All major rivers in India are polluted for one reason or another, while some rivers have their flow curtailed by building big dams or power projects. The administration and the government will not take notice of this unless the environmentalists come together and start a nationwide agitation. This was expressed in a brainstorming session at the national level convention on rivers.
The convention discussed all the issues pertaining to the rivers right from pollution, protection, rejuvenation, boundaries and other issues. A “river manifesto” will be prepared through discussions in the next three to four months across the states with experts on rivers, irrigation engineers, and other environmentalists.
In July, a river week will be organised to finalize the manifesto led by waterman of India Rajendra Singh. On April 14 and 15, this year a convention on River and Culture will also be held in Delhi as every river is associated with a culture.
