New Delhi [India]: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organized the 7th edition of Ganga Utsav which was inaugurated by Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti in the presence of G. Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG on Saturday.
As part of the celebration, a diverse range of activities were organized to foster a deeper connection between people and rivers, as well as to raise awareness about river rejuvenation.
Addressing the gathering, Debashree Mukherjee expressed that the Ganga is not merely a river but a profound emotion that resonates with everyone. She expressed her satisfaction in witnessing the remarkable progress in the Ganga rejuvenation efforts, especially in collaboration with the new generation.
Speaking to media, Mukherjee said, “Everybody should clean rivers to conserve aquatic life and make it a national movement. Beyond keeping the water clean, people should unite to preserve the habitats of the animals, as all of them have specific habits and needs.”
“We must clean up our rivers and water bodies which need the public and private sector to both come together as well as the citizens to make it a national movement. With that people should come together to actually preserve their habitats. All aquatic animals have specific habits and needs,” she added.
Debashree Mukherjee further said that climate change has affected the water cycle and we are seeing extreme precipitation events.
“Availability of water resources has been significantly affected by climate change but the people associated with “Namami Gange” are critical to improving river health,” she said.
Speaking on the pollution pressures, G. Asok Kumar said in particular to stop the flow of dirty water into the river. “Almost 37 crores worth of projects have been sanctioned and many of them have been completed. Almost 3000 million litres daily treatment capacity has been set up in the Ganga basin and the effects are prominent,” he said.
“Ganga is facing a lot of pollution pressures but to a large extent, it has been addressed. A lot of initiatives have been taken up particularly to stop the flow of dirty water whether it is sewage or industrial into the water. Almost 37 crores worth of projects have been sanctioned. We feel that the image of the very polluted river has been changed,” he added.
Heaping praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Asok said the PM himself giving the auction amount of his gifts is a very big message that he himself is concerned for the cleanliness of the river.
Ganga Utsav 2023 was a vibrant fusion of music, dance, knowledge, culture, and dialogue.
