Waterman of India and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh called on the state government not to spend large amounts on the interconnection of rivers.
“Instead, spend the amounts on the cleanup and revitalization of rivers and on alternatives such as decentralized community-based water management,” Singh said as he addressed media here Thursday.
Singh said that interconnecting rivers would destroy water bodies. In addition, it would be detrimental to the people living in the banks.
“Each river has its unique flora and fauna based on ecological parameters, which will be destroyed when the rivers come together and the waters mix,” he said.
Similarly, the culture and social wealth of people from connected rivers would also be affected, he argued.
“Governments should work not to interconnect rivers, but to link people’s hearts and minds to rivers,” he said. Only then would the rivers become healthy. “A river is not like a road. It has its own rights,” he added.
Eight rivers could be rejuvenated in Rajasthan by simply linking the hearts and minds of the people with them, Singh said, referring to the work he had done in his home state.
Along with the interconnection, sand mining and overexploitation of the waters were killing rivers, he noted.
“Going by the adage, ‘Yatha Raja, tatha Praja’, people are following leaders, who are for overexploitation of nature. In ancient times, saints used to interfere to put leaders and people on the road correct. “Ironically, modern saints are joining leaders without correcting them,” Singh noted.
Parliament of the rivers
He said the prime minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, took an oath in public to protect the rivers. If it did not stop the extraction of sand and the invasion of the rivers, a “Parliament of the River Krishna” in Vijayawada would be held in December to decide on a plan of action, Singh said.
