‘There are laws for protection of rivers but we lack in implementation’

The webinar organised by the IGNCA, New Delhi, dwelled on the significance ofrivers for all forms of life .

Titled ‘Riverine Culture: Associating the Dissociated Communities to the River’, the online event had national and international scholars and environmentalists as participants.

“To keep the nation and the people healthy, we have to keep our rivers healthy. We have laws, orders, rules and regulations which ensure the protection and conservation of rivers but we lack in implementation,” said Justice AK Goel, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal (NGT), while addressing a webinar on the occasion of World Environment Day on Friday.

The webinar was organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi, which dwelled upon the significance of rivers for all forms of life, specially the human life. Titled ‘Riverine Culture: Associating the Dissociated Communities to the River’, the online event had national and international scholars and environmentalists as participants.

Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, IGNCA, said in his address, “A river is not a mere physical entity or a natural resource, but we have emotional connection with our rivers and worship them as goddesses.” He spoke about making attempts to revive this connection with rivers.

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Retd. Col. Manoj Keshwar, Founder of Atulya Ganga foundation, raised concerns over developmental activities and rapid industrialisation, which have brought the rivers on a backslide. He emphasised upon making the youth aware about protection of rivers and nature and to ensure the continuous flow of the rivers as givers of life in future.

Environmentalist and thinker Gopal Arya mentioned the importance of the World Environment Day and said that the protection and conservation of rivers cannot be achieved without public awareness and public participation and this should become a major public movement. The session was conducted/moderated by Molly Kaushal, HoD of the Janapada Sampada Division of the IGNCA.

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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