Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : On the second day of the 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) 2020, the focus was on “River Conservation Synchronized Human Settlement”. River cities continue to expand and develop creating an additional load for water extraction and pollution on rivers. Therefore, any improvement in the river health cannot be achieved without first addressing the issues and drivers in urban areas.
Congratulating the National Mission for Clean Ganga for bringing together national and international experts for the 5th IWIS, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Ayog, said that rivers particularly in India are a symbol of faith, hope, culture, and sanity as well as a source of livelihood for millions. Emphasising on community participation, he said, “Data and numbers are not sufficient, what is needed is passion among people for rivers. Passion and people combined can make the administration work towards the river rejuvenation.” He also observed that the Namami Gange,with its multi-sectoral approach, has been successful in making a positive impact, according to a PIB release.
Prof. Vinod Tare, founding head of cGanga, explained that river conservation and development are two sides of the same coin. Taking inspiration from the Prime Minister’s “VOCAL for LOCAL” campaign, he suggested that local water bodies should be managed by local people and should cater to local needs. This will generate local employment and reduce cost of transporting water.
Sharing NMCG’s vision to not only work towards making present river-cities sensitive towards rivers but also ensure that these problems are not repeated as India continues to urbanise rapidly, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG, said, “We are working to integrate ‘Urban River Planning’ and ‘Urban Water Management Plan’ in the city’s master plans and the new master plan for Delhi under preparation would be made river sensitive.” As it was International Mountains Day 2020, he spoke about the importance of mountains in the entire ecosystem including rivers. Most rivers originate from mountains.
KeesBons, Deltares, Netherland, presented three major takeaways from their experience. They include ensuring that any new development or growth is sustainable and does not lead to another problem, following an integrated approach and nature-based solutions, and keep planning technical infrastructural solutions.
Recently cGanga signed an MoU with British Water to create a bridge for UK industry to pair up with its Indian counterparts to build 21st century infrastructure in the water and environment sector. UK is also becoming a major partner to help India tap into the global capital base to finance its green growth agenda.
In a session on ‘Financing global water security and journey to COP -26’ Gayatri I Kumar, High Commissioner of India to United Kingdom, said, “We are continuously engaging and encouraging UK investors to invest in India particularly in the water sector.”
The 5th India Water Impact Summit has been organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its think tank, Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga). This year the event is organized virtually with the theme of Arth Ganga – River Synchronized Development.