VADODARA: When River Ganga, one of the holiest in the country, gets a shield of protection around it, credit would go to a Gujarati!
Padma Shri Dr M H Mehta, chairman of Community Science Centre (CSC), has been invited by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the Ganga rejuvenation project.
“In April this year, we got a letter from NMCG wherein they showed interest in the bio-shield cover and seed ball technology that we have pioneered. The NMCG officials said that they would like to know more about the interventions that can be made for the Ganga mission,” Mehta told TOI. “I got a call from an NMCG official on Monday evening and he asked us to be ‘knowledge and technical partner’ in their mission,” Mehta said.The CSC has been carrying working for improving the greenery and making a bio-shield around the Vishwamitri River through seed-ball technology. CSC members don’t just spray seed-balls around the river but also conduct workshops to teach students and locals how to make seed-balls in scientific manner. “The Uttar Pradesh government had last year written to us asking for consultation and collaboration in afforestation of Ganga,” Mehta added.
“A team of forest officials from UP visited the city last year and even I went there for the Ganga Haritma Project,” he said. “We have now been asked by NMCG to cover the entire stretch of Ganga for creating bio-shield by seed-ball technology. It is possible to give bio-shield to the entire river and rejuvenate it,” Mehta said. The CSC has organized a round table conference on Water Harvesting and Revival of River Water System in the city next month and an NMCG official will be attending it.