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Varanasi leg of Run Blue campaign for water conservation begins today
The Run Blue campaign aims to organise 200 marathons across the world in the run-up to the first global UN 2023 Water Conference scheduled to be held in New York from March 22 to 24.
New Delhi: The third leg of the India chapter of the Run Blue campaign will kick off in Varanasi on Wednesday to raise awareness about water conservation and impact of expansion and urbanisation on the banks of the river Ganga.
The campaign is being organised by pharma and agri major Bayer, in partnership with water advocate and ultramarathon runner Mina Guli, across five cities in the country. It aims to organise 200 marathons across the world in the run-up to the first global United Nations 2023 Water Conference scheduled to be held in New York from March 22 to 24.
Guli, who has been leading the marathons, has already completed 153 of the 200 marathons so far.
As one of the oldest cities on the banks of the river Ganga, Varanasi has been a symbol of Indian culture and history. The city’s life is intertwined with that of the Ganga, a river that holds great economic, social and spiritual importance for India.
The expansion and growing urbanisation of cities on the banks of the river and the discharge of industrial waste have impacted the river and pollution is a major challenge today, Bayer said in a statement.
In 2014, the Union government initiated the Namami Gange project, an integrated conservation project, with budget outlay of ₹20,000 crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the river Ganga.
According to information available on the National Mission for Clean Ganga website, the main pillars of the project are sewerage treatment infrastructure, river-front development, river-surface cleaning, biodiversity, afforestation, public awareness, industrial effluent monitoring and Ganga gram.
“Countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Israel, etc have shown interest in collaborating with India for Ganga rejuvenation. Memorandums of Understanding were signed with various Central Ministries…,” the website said.
The United Nations (UN) has recognised the Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate the river as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world, according to a statement issued by the jal shakti ministry last month.
In its statement, Bayer said that Guli hopes to reinforce the importance of using water judiciously and cleaning up the rivers through the marathon in Varanasi. Guli and Bayer aim to advocate the conservation and rejuvenation of rivers by working in partnership with the government and civil society, the statement added.
The statement also said that with the realisation that worldwide water consumption will be 40% greater than the availability by 2030, the Run Blue initiative will play a critical role in addressing the water crisis.
The India chapter of the campaign was flagged off by India’s G20 Sherpa and former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Sunday from New Delhi. As part of the campaign, similar runs will be conducted in Varanasi, Thane, and Mumbai.
Flagging off the run in the national capital, Kant said: “Climate change is having a huge impact on countries around the world and especially on developing countries like India. Its adverse effects on agriculture, water resources, forests, etc are quite evident. Coupled with the rapid depletion of many critical natural resources, we face a challenging future. Hence, it is imperative for countries to come together to achieve the sustainability goals set by the United Nations.”
“India has continuously met its nationally defined contribution targets on sustainability and the government’s efforts at rapidly increasing access to clean water are bearing fruit. But water conservation will also require a collaborative effort among companies, government, and civil society and Run Blue can be an important catalyst in building up this coalition,” he added, asserting that the initiative will “inspire people and encourage social transformation for a better tomorrow”.
Kick-starting her run from New Delhi’s Nehru Park, Guli highlighted the need to protect and restore the rivers, lakes, and wetlands, asserting that the world is experiencing acute water shortages and “more than two billion people are without access to safe drinking water”.
Talking about Bayer’s vision behind the Run Blue initiative, the company said it aims to encourage businesses and motivate individuals worldwide to come together to “spread awareness, generate urgency, and spur action around water”.
Bayer said it has made conscious business choices in tandem with its commitment to water conservation and sustainable growth. One such example is the ‘Better Life Farming’ initiative in which Bayer is working with like-minded partners within the agricultural industry to promote efficient water management systems and a sustainable ecosystem among smallholder farmers in India, the statement said.
