We don’t talk of sustainable development anymore: Prof GD Agrawal -Governance Now

We don’t talk of sustainable development anymore: Prof GD Agrawal

The two-day conference on Incessant Ganga held discussions on drying river beds due to continuous sedimentation

Swati Chandra | May 18, 2017 | New Delhi

#Jairam Ramesh #Rajendra Singh #sedimentation #Incessant Ganga #Narmada #Narendra Modi #Nitish Kumar #Farakka Barrage #Ganga

Photo: incessantganga.com

Shortly after prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to save the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh, a two-day conference has been organised by the Bihar government in New Delhi to conserve and rejuvenate river Ganga. Eminent environmentalists, activists and religious leaders gathered at the first day of the event led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The conference on ‘Incessant Ganga’ held discussions on sedimentation -- a colossal impediment to incessant flow of river Ganga.

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh, eminent environmentalist Professor GD Agrawal, and water activist Rajendra Singh were also present at the event.

Experts criticised the Narendra Modi government for the excessive exploitation of Ganga and not understanding the river’s hydrology. Slamming the central government, GD Agrawal said, “There is a term called sustainable development, which has been missing from the past few years. We hear only of development, and not sustainable development. When you talk of Ganga you must understand the needs and rights of everyone -- including plants, animals and the river itself.”

Talking about the problem of siltation, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said, “Siltation is destroying Ganga's ecology and health. It is causing devastating floods in Bihar every year.” He urged for a countrywide policy on silt management and asked the centre to consider removing the Farakka barrage in West Bengal.

Huge amounts of silt get deposited in 200-250 kms of the Ganga river bed because of the pressure from Farakka barrage. As a result the depth of the river in the area has decreased, which causes massive floods during the monsoon. It also causes adverse effects on the ecosystem. Disappearance of Hilsa, a fish found in Ganga, is one of the problems that fishermen face. The Farakka barrage was commissioned in 1975 and has a total of total 123 gates. But many of its gates have outlived their economic life and serviceability. “Only 60 gates are functional at present”, said the panelists at the event. Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh talked about the need to look at alternative solutions to solve the Farakka barrage problem.

Criticising the water highways project, waterman Rajendra Singh said that the government is ignoring river’s health in the name of development and inland transport. “Ganga has been reduced to ponds, canals and lakes in plains. Still the government is going to launch 16 new projects on the river… This kind of development will be an injustice for the society as well as for the nature,” he said.

Comments

Other News

The Geography of India’s inflation

India today finds itself in an unusual position. At a time when geopolitical conflicts, trade fragmentation, and supply-chain disruptions are reshaping the global economy, the country`s macroeconomic fundamentals remain relatively upwards. Growth remains among the highest in the world, inflation has larg

How to listen to the great storytellers that the trees are

The Trees of My Country: A Natural History of India in 50 Trees By T. R. Shankar Raman, with illustrations by Manali Patil Aleph Book Company, 284 pages, Rs 1,499

This tree in Bihar turns out to be the oldest accurately dated banyan

A banyan tree in Munger, Bihar, estimated to be around 700 years old, has been identified as the oldest accurately dated banyan tree, Ficus benghalensis, using radiocarbon dating, a method that relies exclusively on scientific evidence rather than historical records or local lore. Banyan

Corporate Governance 3.0: What the boardroom of 2030 will look like

The phrase "corporate governance" often evokes images of board meetings, compliance checklists, and regulatory filings. For years, governance was viewed primarily as a mechanism to prevent fraud, protect minority shareholders, and ensure regulatory compliance. However, the events of the last deca

India, Japan open "a new chapter in special strategic and global partnership"

India and Japan are opening a new chapter in their special strategic and global partnership with the visit of prime minister Sanae Takaichi, India`s prime minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, "I had said in the G7 summit a few days ago that, in this environment of

AI studies sun images to track bright solar regions

Artificial Intelligence has been used to trace the shift in magnetically active patches on the Sun from 1916 to 2007 by scanning 100 years of hand-drawn Sun records from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO). This could give a much longer view of how solar activity changes over time.