Rivers are remembered only during elections, says Ramon Magsaysay awardee

CHANDIGARH: Ramon Magsaysay awardee and water conservationist Rajendra Singh said rivers in India were only remembered during elections and after the elections are won, nobody bothers to remember these rivers.

Rajendra was speaking at the third international conference on Saraswati River at Panjab University on Saturday.

Moreover, taking a jibe at the Haryana Saraswati Rejuvenation Board, he said Saraswati was suffering from a heart ailment, but was being treated of a toothache, adding that Rs 1,600 crore had been sanctioned for the “revival” of the Saraswati.

Giving example of how he and his team revived seven rivers in Rajasthan without taking financial help from the government, he said the aquifers of the Saraswati should be mapped first.

“With only 1,200 mm of rain water we revived seven rivers. But in Haryana, you get plenty of rain. You need to get rain water to recharge the underground aquifer. Moreover, it is very significant to map the aquifers of the Saraswati,” he said.

“Faith alone cannot revive the Saraswati because faith cannot felicitate understanding. We need to understand the climate change and we need to fight climate change. Our farmers are unable to comprehend the rain pattern today because of climate change. We will have to make a balance between the discharge and recharge to make the Saraswati flow,” he said.

He also told the Panjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar that if the university made revival of the Saraswati its top agenda, the university would be recognised globally for the same.

“The departments of the university can integrate and work on the revival of the river,” he said.

The third international conference on the Saraswati River (ICSR- 2019) concluded here at Panjab University on Saturday.

The conference was organised by the PU in collaboration with the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board and ICSSR, North West Regional Centre, Chandigarh.

The chief presenter was Prof Vasant Shinde, vice-chancellor, Deccan IPR Pune, who presented his views on wide spectrum of issues pertaining to the river.