Experts to draft a declaration for rights of rivers

This draft is being prepared with the help of experts working for river conservation and protection, aiming to protect rivers and freshwater ecosystems, not only in Pune but across Maharashtra

Given the alarming degradation of rivers posing a threat to the climate, wildlife, public health, and local economies, citizens from across Pune came together to draft a declaration for the rights of rivers. This draft is being prepared with the help of experts working for river conservation and protection, aiming to protect rivers and freshwater ecosystems, not only in Pune but across Maharashtra.

Currently, most of the rivers across Pune are in horrible condition with maximum untreated sewage flowing into rivers. (HT PHOTO)

“This declaration will be submitted to the State government on February 14, and subsequently to all the departments that are associated with rivers,” said Shailaja Deshpande, founder member of Living River Foundation.

Currently, most of the rivers across Pune are in horrible condition with maximum untreated sewage flowing into rivers, and the highest level of water pollution and encroachment have taken place at multiple places on riverbanks. This has drastically affected the health of rivers and adversely affected the environment and human health.

In the city, citizens have constantly raised their concerns over the quality of river water across the district. They have also implemented various initiatives to create awareness among the citizens for river conservation and environmental protection. Going in this direction, river lovers from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad cities came together to draft a declaration for the rights of rivers.

Speaking about this Parinita Dandekar, an internationally acknowledged river researcher said, “Rivers have been considered sacred entities since ancient times, and many people worship them. Citizens regard rivers as living entities, and hence they deserve their rights. However, today’s rivers are in a deplorable condition and need immediate intervention. As a result, individuals in Pune are drafting a proclamation regarding the rights of rivers.”

Talking about the declaration, Deshpande said, “We as Pune River Revival, a group of over 60 members including Individuals, NGOs, scientists, researchers, environmentalists, and experts are working to prepare a draft about river rights declaration. There are three rights we have included in this draft. The first one is the right to own land, the second one is the right to flow without any hurdles and the third one is a healthy river.”

The river is divided into various zones including the Blue, Green, and Red which consist of the origin of the river, the riverbed and the river ecology, and the area where the flood water has reached in the last 100 years. The land that is occupied under these three zones should be declared under the ownership of that particular river and no other activities should be carried out on those lands.

Rajendra Singh, popularly known as the waterman of India said, “We Indians have a strong relationship with rivers from the ancient times. However, over time, we have lost the purity of river water and contributed heavily to polluting the river waters. Therefore, it’s our collective responsibility to conserve our rivers and every individual must acknowledge the rights of our rivers. Then we need to protect river rights and help conserve rivers and the environment.”