It is good to note that the government has revealed the list of more 50,000 illegal river encroachers throughout the country. The list has been prepared following the initiative taken by the National River Commission through the deputy commissioners of 64 districts in 2019. The district-wise list of the encroachers has been published on the website of the commission.
Environmentalists have long been crying hoarse for devising intervention on the part of the government to save our rivers. Earlier in 2019, the High Court issued a 17-point directive to save the country’s rivers and water-bodies. Also, the Prime Minister herself has repeatedly directed the ministries to take necessary measures to save our rivers. Yet, our rivers continue to turn into drains.
It is time to take a holistic
and unbiased approach to
save the rivers across the
country from encroachment
Most of the country’s rivers have been illegally occupied by influential people and numerous institutions, destroying the entire ecological balance and natural beauty. More than a hundred rivers have already died since independence. It is disconcerting to note that authorities concerned still have not been able to control the dumping of industrial effluents, domestic sewage, clinical wastes and solid wastes into rivers surrounding the capital.
It is time to take a holistic and unbiased approach to save the rivers across the country from encroachment. We have made mistakes in the way we treated our rivers so far. Let us not continue to make those mistakes in future. We all must raise our voices against pollution and encroachment of rivers across the country.
What is desired now is a concerted and well-deployed move fuelled by adequate allocation of resources to save our rivers. Practice of wastage dumping into the rivers should be stopped. Besides, steps should be taken so that new installations could not be built filling rivers. Water bodies of the country should be recovered for ensuring natural balance and protecting environment keeping pace with development and urbanisation.
