Varanasi: Thousands of people on Monday held
each others' hand and reaffirmed their pledge to save the
national river, Ganga, which has drawn the attention of the
environmentalists world over due to its alarming pollution
level.
Students, men and women formed a 7-km long human chain
this morning at the world-famous ghats on 'World Water Day',
contributing their bit to raise awareness about rising
pollution in the holy river and save it from extinction.
Hand in hand, thousands of them pledged in this regard
from the Assi ghat to Adikeshav ghat.
Sankat Mochan Foundation, an NGO working towards making
the Ganga pollution-free, had organised the event for the 11th
consecutive time.
NGO's chairman Veerbhadra Mishra said through the human
chain, they wanted to draw the government's attention towards
flow of sewage into the Ganga which has led to its pathetic
condition.
Filled with chemical waste, sewage and animal and human
remains, the river poses major health risks to around 400
million people living by its side and others who benefit from
it, he said.
Another hurdle in the form of silting results into
chocking of its flow, he said, adding construction of big dams
is a major cause of low water level in the river.
"Nearly 243 dams are slated to be constructed on the
tributaries of the Ganga in Uttarakhand. This will obstruct
the flow of water into the main river. There will be sand
dunes and the water level will be low," Mishra said.
Local BJP MLA Shyamdev Roy Chowdhary said efforts have
always been made to clean up the Ganga, but none have proved
successful.
"Even the Ganga Action Plan in 1986 yielded little
result," he said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 22, 2010, 19:33