Ramon Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh, while expressing concern about the severe water crisis in the country, exhorted the ‘sants’ (religious heads) to give a ‘dharmadesh’ directing governments to focus on water conservation to make the country free of drought.

Delivering the valedictory address at the three-day mega Gavisiddeshwar Jatra here on Thursday, Mr. Singh said governments were coming out with many projects only on paper. Even community and religious heads have ignored the need for water conservation. This has led to an acute water crisis followed by severe drought and natural disasters. “Conserving water was the need of the hour,” he added.

“Going by the congregation of people and number of seers participating in the annual jatra here, I consider it a ‘maha kumbh mela’ of the south. This is an ideal occasion to adopt a resolution on not only creating awareness among people about the importance of conserving water but also on mounting pressure on governments to lay adequate focus in this regard. To free the country in general and Karnataka in particular from drought, sants, with their large following, can wield their ‘dand’ on the government to accord top priority to water conservation for the benefit of all,” he said.

12 rivers

Recalling that as many as 12 rivers were revived and water conservation works were implemented successfully in around 1,200 villages through his group of volunteers, Mr. Singh wanted the sants to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi of effectively implementing the ‘Clean Ganga project’. “Mr. Modi, who spoke repeatedly of Ganga before becoming Prime Minister forgot it after becoming Prime Minister. Now, sants should ask Mr. Modi to stop working for the Adanis and Ambanis and strive hard for the conservation of water,” he urged.

Nadoja Annadaneshwar Swami from Mundarji and Vaamdev Shivacharya Swami from Yemmiganur were among others who spoke.

Abhinava Gavisiddeshwar Swami, of Gavimutt Koppal, introduced Neetu, a transgender, who he referred to as a model for others in her community for becoming self-reliant through her hard work; Janardhan Huligi, who led a movement against open defecation; and Umrani, a born blind ‘wonder man’ to the audience.