Save Ganga Movement
A GANDHIAN NON-VIOLENT MOVEMENT FOR A NON-VIOLENT CULTURE OF DEVELOPMENT
Gandhi symbolizes a culture of Truth and non-violence, i.e. a culture of pursuit of ethical perfection as the ultimate goal of life and pursuit of selfless ethical life of universal love as its means; the Ganga, symbolizes all rivers and water bodies; and the Giriraj Himalaya, symbolizes all mountains, forests and wildlife.
Save Ganga & Save Himalayas Resolution 2011
(1) The present policy of allowing treated municipality sewage or industrial effluents into our rivers is absolutely wrong in the context of our country: it is anti common people (Aam Janata).
Since our rivers are the source of drinking water for crores of our common people and also for the animals, and STPs cannot convert sewage into potable water, sewers must be separated from rivers and sewage must be converted into valuable natural manure, producing electricity in the process wherever possible. Treatment of the sewage for converting it into natural manure through “Pond System” and “Plant Based Management of Sewage and Waste Treatment”, which are cheapest and durable and need least management and electricity, should be preferred wherever possible.
Industrial effluents, hospital wastes, treated or untreated, must not be allowed to enter into the rivers and must not also be allowed to mix with the sewage, which should be converted into valuable natural manure for organic farming. Industries must treat their effluents and use only the recycled water.
Entry of hazardous chemicals from agricultural run-of into the rivers must be prevented through promotion of organic farming in a massive way. Methods of irrigation needs to be changed keeping in view of the E-flow requirements of our national river.
(2) The highly earth quake prone, eco-fragile Uttarkhand region of the Ganga Basin must be declared “Ecological Fragile” and its rivers “wild river” and all steps must be taken to protect them and the natural eco-systems they support. The rivers should be allowed to flow freely in its natural path without obstruction. Since the Ganga is our national river, at least the main stream of the Ganga must be maintained close to its pristine and natural state. All eco-hostile activities such as construction of eco–hostile dams, mining, blasting, etc, near our national river and its tributaries must be completely banned and implemented. Efforts must also be made as soon as possible to rectify the past mistakes as far as possible.
(3) To set examples for the entire country, to begin with we must take time-bound decisive steps to make the Yamuna at Delhi completely and permanently free from pollution and make Uttarakhand an absolutely eco-friendly ideal Himalayan state. Since Uttarakand provides water for crores of people and considered to be the Tapo-bhumi and Adhyatma- bhumi of our country since time immemorial, the central government must provide all help to make it an ideal eco-friendly Himalayan state.
(4) Analogous to the ‘Prevent of Insults to National Honor Act’ for the national flag and anthem, there should be an act for our national river Ganga.
(5)The NGRBA must take decisive time bound course of actions to make our national river Aviral & 100% Nirmal as soon as possible and there must be complete accountability and transparency in its every sphere: we must not allow it to fail like GAP.
Like the planning commission, there should be a Deputy-chairman for NGRBA, whose sole and whole responsibility would be towards NGRBA. The Expert Members of NGRBA must be given due important place in the context of both decision making as well as implementation. The GRBMP prepared by the group of IITs must not be neglected or altered without the approval of the expert members of NGRBA.
(6) Environmental ethics should be taught as a part of the syllabus on ethics which must be taught as a compulsory subject, both at the school as well as at the college level. Teaching environmental ethics without discussing various fundamental questions concerning ethical values, the value and means of an ethical life would be of little significance. We must study critically the views of great religions and of great teachers and thinkers of mankind about various fundamental issues of ethics, which would be a major step in the direction to overcome our present deep rooted moral and spiritual crisis.
Since the utility value, aesthetic value and religious value of the natural ecology of the Ganga and of the Himalaya is invaluable, we must not allow our development activities to deprive the masses the various invaluable services they have been getting freely from it since ages.
Protection of the Ganga, symbolizing all rivers and water bodies, and the Giriraj Himalaya, symbolizing all mountains, forests and wildlife, must be accorded highest priority in our national development process. Let India provide the world a culture of non-violence and Truth, in the context of our present technological age, where development could take place with loving care of our invaluable life-sustaining life-sustaining natural systems.
In the National Save Ganga & Save Himalayas Meeting- cum- Panel Discussion held on the occasion of the 81st Anniversary of Gandhji’s Dandi March at Gandhi Darsan, Rajghat, New Delhi on 12th March, 2011, the above resolutions were unanimously passed .
H.H. Swami Tejomayanandaji, H.H.Swami Agniveshji, H.H. Swami Chidanandji, H.H.Swami Nikhilanandji, H.H. Acharya Lokesh Muni, H.H. Paramjit Singh Chandok, H.H. Swami Dharmanandji, Fr. Sebstien, Dr. Mohini Giri, Shri M.C. Mehta, Dr Vandana Shiva, Sri Rajendra Singh, Dr. Mohan Singh Rawat Gaonwasi, Prof. P. Pushpangadan, Dr. A.K.Merchant,Prof. Rajavashistha Tripathy. Acharya Sri Anand Pandey, Acharya Sri Brajraj Saran and many other distinguished scientists and social activists were present in the function.
Rama Rauta
Convener, Save Ganga MovementMember, National Ganga River Basin Authority, Govt. of India
Email: ramarauta@rediffmail.com
Website: www.savegangamovement.org
