When talking about the Ganga, it is vital to also focus on its various tributaries also. In addition to being the source of rivers, the Himalaya is also connected with the nation’s ancient culture.
This culture also has to be maintained and thought needs to be given to ensuring that it is not disrupted. Further, large scale tree plantation is the only way to rejuvenate the Ganga along with other rivers and lakes needed across the nation.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said this while speaking at the fifth India Water Impact Summit organised in the virtual mode by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) on Saturday.
Rawat said that research has shown that the water in the Ganga is clean enough to drink till Rishikesh and fit for bathing in Haridwar. He said that the State government was committed to ensuring that people bathe in a clean Ganga during the coming Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.
The Ganga river is also a carrier of economy from which more than 40 per cent of the nation’s population benefits. By working on the Arth Ganga project for sustainable development of agriculture, tourism and culture, energy and water bodies about three per cent of the GDP rate can be gained from Arth Ganga, he added.
The CM further spoke about the water collection and conservation efforts being undertaken in Uttarakhand. Apart from mass tree plantation on July 16 every year on the occasion of Harela, under the river rejuvenation scheme, 1.63 saplings were planted along the Kosi river in the first year followed by 2.65 lakh saplings on the second year along with 3.50 lakh saplings planted along the Rispana river. He also spoke about the Song dam being constructed in Dehradun which will facilitate 24 hour water supply in the region for the next 60 years while also saving electricity worth Rs 100 crore.
Rawat said Uttarakhand is the first State to provide tap water connections for Re one each in mountainous regions.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union minister of State for Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel said that nature, tourism, culture and energy are connected to the Ganga.
He stressed on the need for cleaning the Ganga while also focusing on its constant flow. Only by ridding the Ganga of pollution will the nation succeed in reducing the pollution in its cultural value system. Combined efforts are necessary to keep the Ganga clean, he added.
TERI director general Ajay Mathur, Namami Gangey director general Rajiv Ranjan Mishra and cGanga founding head Vinod Tare also expressed their views on the occasion.